Inspector Calls

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Chris Ward

An Inspector Calls

How does the play show up the contrasts between the philosophies of Arthur Birling and Inspector Goole?

        An Inspector Calls was written by the socialist writer J.B Priestly just after the Second World War in 1946. Europe was in economic depression and the infamous class system in Britain needed a rethink due to the financial climate. J.B Priestly believed that everyone was joined together in one community and that we should all work together. It was a less radical form of communism, but without everybody on the same wage. I think Priestly was trying to get his socialist views across, via the Inspector. He then used Birling as an old fashioned man with old fashioned views to lead the play as a scapegoat in Britain at this time. A man who believed the rich should stick together, even though he was a man who worked his way to the top from the working class. The play is set in 1912 and there were major changes in the world between the 34 years from the setting to when the play was written.

        

Arthur Birling is first introduced in the play at the head of the dining table, this is significant, he is in charge…at the start of the play. The stage directions describe Birling as an easy mannered man, but with a strong regional accent, which he had struggled to get rid of, whilst working his way to the top. This shows where he used to be; a man from a working class family.

        

To show that he is trying to control the conversations that are going on in the dining room, he would interrupt the flow of the discussion with a speech. One of his speeches states that there are plenty of business prospects in the world at that moment. “You have to take risks and know what he’s about- I say, you can ignore all this silly pessimistic talk”. This is dramatic irony because the Wall Street Crash is near where all businesses really struggle. The Jarrow march was done from Jarrow to London over loss of jobs which adds to the irony. World War One also added to the devastated economy. He then goes onto say that the recent miner’s strikes were nothing and that they’d past the worst of it. “There’s a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future. Don’t worry; we’ve past the worst of it”. Again, this is dramatic irony as there was a national miners strike in the 1920’s and then again in the 1930’s. Birling continues to say that war will never happen and nobody wants a war. “Nobody wants a war, except some half civilised folks in the Balkans. And why? There’s too much at stake these days. Everything to lose and nothing to gain by war”. Again, this is dramatic irony because there is one world war just two years after this speech was set and the second happens because of Germany’s demise economically. Therefore, two wars happened, involving two different parts of his speech. He then starts talking about progress. “Why, a friend of mine went over to see the new liner last week- the Titanic- she sails next week- forty six thousand eight hundred tons-  forty six thousand eight hundred tons  - New York in five days – and even every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. Again, this is dramatic irony, because the Titanic sinks and thousands of people die. The audience will be laughing at Birling for the comments he has made, because everything he said won’t happen, inevitably does. The audience in 1946 will know the outcome of these speeches and will see that Birling has no real power or knowledge when the Inspector arrives.        

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        The inspector is first introduced just as the Birling family were celebrating the engagement of their daughter. This comes at a crucial time in the play as the family are obviously very pleased of the night’s events. This is important as it shows that he is now the most important person in the household for the evening. The stage directions state that when the Inspector enters the lights are turned on by the house maid Edna. This signifies a difference of goodness from the Inspector. Light could show that the Inspector is good and not evil, even though he ...

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