An inspector calls

In Act One of "An Inspector Calls" how does J.B. Priestley use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience, as well as interest and involve them in his play? The play "An Inspector calls" is set in 1912 and was written in 1945 by J.B Priestley. It is a mystery thriller. The play is deliberately set in 1912 because at this time everything was different to when Priestley was writing (1945). In 1945 things changed slightly due to the ending of the war and the sinking of the titanic. In 1912 there was much more class and gender divide than in 1945 and Priestley wanted to make the most of these changes and encouraged people to build a more equal society after the war. The audience in 1945 know that there was a war and know that the Titanic sunk. This makes them feel more involved. Priestley uses this to show the audience that Arthur Burling does not know as much as he thinks he does. He says: "...I say there isn't a chance of war", "...the titanic- she sails next week....unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable". The audience know that this has already happened and that he is wrong. This makes them think that he is not really as intelligent as he thinks he is and that he is just big headed. It creates a dramatic effect. Priestley was concerned that there was so much class and gender divide in the society and lower classes and women were treated

  • Word count: 1796
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Romeo and Juliet

English Coursework Assignment Romeo and Juliet Write a detailed analysis of Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet paying particular attention to the use of language employed in this scene Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses a choice of language relevant to the mood in the scene. There are significant changes in mood and language that indicate the change of scenes. At first there is the calm and cheerful atmosphere of the beginning of the party. Then there is a change of language when Tybalt realises that Romeo has gate crashed the party. His tone becomes threatening, and his asks his friend to "fetch my rapier (sword)" He plans to fight Romeo on the spot. In this scene there is the Capulet party at Sycamore Grove. At the start of the scene, the servants in the Capulet mansion are making preparations for the party. There is much talk of preparation and they talk in a cheery jolly way, which shows us that they are in a good mood. This therefore puts the reader or observer of the play in the same mood. Shakespeare also uses language relevant to the stereotypical classes of the characters. The servants tend to talk with slang terms, showing them to be lower class, such as it the beginning with the servants talking. They use terms such as, "'tis a foul thing," and, "he shift a trencher, he scrape a trencher." They also complain about their masters giving their

  • Word count: 950
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Whose Life Is It Anyway? We are all entitled to dignity, we should all be able to distinguish what is right and wrong for ourselves, but what if your freedom of speech was taken away? Until we reach the age of eighteen we live our lives under the supremacy of our parents, this is for our better being. Once we have reached adulthood we are expected to make our own judgements, we should be able make rational decisions for ourselves. Teenagers eagerly work towards this goal of freedom with little thought for how they will always be under authority, whether it be in the workplace, the community, or in everyday life. But these rules which we unconsciously live under are supposedly for our own benefit. Brian Clark wrote "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" in 1972. Ken Harrison is a artistic and intellectual man, a sculptor by profession. Until he is involved in an unfortunate accident which leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. His witty, vibrant mind is left trapped, in a useless shell of a body. Throughout the book we sadly witness a man of great intrepidity have his independence stolen, along with his dignity. The books vast majority is set in Ken's hospital room where he waits indefinitely. Kens only contact with the world outside, ironically, are the doctors and nurses, which have become the reason for his confinement. Clark cleverly uses the unvaried setting to give you a

  • Word count: 1422
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay