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?

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An Inspector Calls

(By John Boynton Priestley)

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?

An Inspector Calls was written by the British dramatist John Boynton Priestley. Priestley was born in 1894 in Bradford and grew up there. After living through World War II he was very concerned about the class system in the UK, how huge the difference was between the upper and the lower class. In this major war Priestley also experienced the barbarity and cruelty that people had to live through. As he was a socialist, Priestley was absolutely against capitalism and promoted socialism.

John Priestley's best known play An Inspector Calls was written in 1945. He set this play in 1912 because in his play he wants to show the audience in 1945 how huge the difference was between the time he wrote the play and when it was set in. In 1912 there was peace and not any sign of conflict because there had not been a war for a very long period of time in Europe. The upper class believed that there could not be any war in the future. By setting the play before the two major world wars Priestley was able to speak more strongly to the audience that lived through this time of despair.
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The play shows the Birling's household, which is representing the upper class at that time. The Birlings are visited by an alleged inspector in order to investigate the suicide of a young girl named Eva Smith. This girl was well known by the Birlings. Priestley uses Inspector Goole, who investigates the suicide of Eva Smith at the Birlings house, very skilfully to voice his own concerns and opinions to the audience.

In this play Priestley uses a wide range of dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience. One main device ...

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