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An Inspector Calls By J. B. Priestley

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How does J.B. Priestley use language and dramatic devices to shape the audience’s view of social change in Britain?

'An Inspector Calls' by J. B. Priestley is a play constructed in 1945, focusing on the need for social change in Britain. Priestley wrote the play for a contemporary audience that had just suffered the horrors of two major world wars. The traditional class systems were already beginning to erode. Therefore, Priestley takes advantage of this climate of change, promoting collectivism: working together for the common good, and prioritising group cohesion over individual pursuit. In doing so, he hoped to challenge class division further . Although society had begun to change, the Second World War was seen by some as the great …show more content…

The Inspector, in many ways, is the most significant dramatic device in the play. Representing Priestley’s voice, the Inspector is acts as a foil to Mr Birling. This juxtaposition is established early on, when the Inspector arrives, Birling claims that his family were ‘having a nice little family celebration before’ the Inspector came and made ‘a nasty mess’ of the evening. Birling euphemistically refers to the violent suicide of a young woman as a ‘nasty mess’, implying it is something that needs to be cleaned away. Showing how it is an inconvenience to him, rather than a devastating social tragedy. His comments reflect his short-sightedness, he is only thinking about the impact on himself and the family party. The Inspector then echoes the words of Mr Birling, mocking him. Saying that is also what he thought when he saw Eva’s body, or ‘what was left’ of it, a ‘nice little promising life there, and a nasty mess somebody’s made of it.’ The Inspector uses Birling’s juxtaposition: ‘nice’ and ‘nasty’. He echoes his words but inverts the meaning. The adjective ‘promising’ suggests Eva’s life was likely to achieve success, but the Birling’s ravaged it. The noun phrase – ‘nasty mess’ – now becomes deeply ironic. It is almost as if the Inspector is repeating Mr Birling’s words back to him so that he can hear how absurd they sound. The vague pronoun ‘somebody’ is not vague at all. In fact, the audience know exactly who the Inspector is talking about. He is standing dramatically before him on stage. The Inspector’s speech has an accusatory and bitter tone, mirroring the anger of the

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Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls" is a complex one, and opinions differ on whether or not he is a hypocrite. Some argue that he is inconsistent in his behavior and actions, while others believe that his actions are justified by his overarching mission to expose the hypocrisy of the Birling family. In this essay, we will explore the evidence for and against the idea that Inspector Goole is a hypocrite. On the one hand, there are several instances in the play where Inspector Goole's actions could be seen as hypocritical.

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In the play An Inspector Calls written by J.B Priestley, the use of morality and double standards gives us an insight into the society of the early 1900s; which remains relevant in social stratification, cultural and deviance aspects. Through the story of Arthur Birling, Mrs. Sybil Birling and their children Eric and Sheila. The upper-class family, with untouchable reputation, enjoy of an intimate party soiree in honour of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. Son of a well-known business man, Sir George Croft from Crofts Limited. When Inspector Goole pays a mood-changing visit, resulting in the systematic manipulation of the presumably respectable characters.

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The characters entrances and exits all throughout the play are essential to show how the Inspector develops his interrogation and indicate its role in the play. The fact that the Inspector arrives for the first time in the perfect timing just after Mr. Birling says "a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own" and then the door bell rings creating tension in the room tells that the Inspector 's visit is foreshadowing a big contradiction to what Mr. Birling is trying to imply and what the Inspector is going to show them. This also displays social responsibility and the different views of it; Mr.Birling is selfish and believes everyone is responsible for themselves and not for others and that foreshadows The Inspectors point of view that we don 't live

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Priestley wrote his polemical morality play ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1946 shortly after the end of WW2. As a socialist Priestley was concerned that the rigid class system of Edwardian Britain would continue to limit and restrict women’s rights. tends for the play to assist people in their understanding of social responsibility. The didactic play takes place in Brumley, a microcosm of Edwardian Britain, and centres on the actions of the wealthy middle-class Birlings and Mr Croft and how their actions impact a working-class girl called Eva Smith. Throughout the play the audience see the transformation of Sheila’s character through which Priestley explores his underlying message of social responsibility.

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