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How Is The Inspector Presented In An Inspector Calls

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Explore the ways in which the role of the Inspector is presented in Inspector Calls. An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945, with themes of social responsibility, class division and gender roles. Within this play is the character of the Inspector, a mysterious man sent by the police to visit a prosperous industrial family in order to investigate a girl’s suicide. The Inspector is presented in various lights throughout the course of the play, retaining his enigmatic nature all the while. At first, the Inspector is presented as an outsider, challenging the authority the Birlings hold dear and breaking through their facades. Prior to his entry to the Birlings’ house, the lighting in the play was stated to be “pink and …show more content…

His words also highlight the contrast between himself and the Birlings. An example of this is in Act 2, where the Inspector remarks that “[Birling’s] daughter isn’t living on the moon, she’s here in Brumley too” in response to Mr. Birling’s protest that she has been “dragged” into the matter. The metaphor of “living on the moon” implies a distance and disconnect between the family members. A resident of the moon, which is a foreign body, could easily be perceived as different or even alien, possibly requiring additional care and not understanding the way of the world. They could also be seen as fictional, only existing when they are thought of and even then entertained simply as ideas, showing how insignificant Birling considers his daughter. Not only does he view her as some kind of foreign creature, but to him she also only exists when convenient, to be used for his own purposes. Additionally, by claiming that their daughter, Sheila, is being “dragged”, Mr. Birling is claiming that her involvement in the interrogation is unfounded while completely disregarding her own opinions. This shows a power imbalance, with Birling simply assuming his daughter’s thoughts and speaking in her place. However, the Inspector directly objects to that statement. By saying that she is “here too”, the Inspector counters Mr Birling’s claim. The phrase makes a simple point- at that point, Sheila is standing alongside the Birlings, not as a distant figure or foreign entity but as one of their own. Through this sentence, Mr. and Mrs. Birling are made to see Sheila as a part of their family and as a human rather than an outside being, while the Inspector has already done so from the

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An Inspector Calls is a morality play, filled with controversial political viewpoints attempting to persuade the audience that socialism is the way forward. Such views are voiced by The inspector, Priestley's mouthpiece. The play is set in 1912, A year followed by world war 1, the miners' strike and the sinking of the Titanic, therefore, supplying the writer with the opportunities to use dramatic irony, which Priestley does, to further influence his audience in act 2 to reconsider accepting a capitalist society. Sybil Birling is one of Priestley's characters that lack development in their attitudes towards society, particularly the lower class.

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An Inspector Calls ‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play written Just after the second world war by the playwright J.B Priestly, The Play is set in 1912 with a working class family in brumley when an inspector shows up during a family celebration but it does not turn out the best. The Character of Mr Arthur Birling is meant to be a ‘Responsible’ man but after he has given his fair share of advice to Gerald and Eric we quickly learn that he is rather more selfish than responsible during his speech he says “A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family too, of course... The cranks talking as if we were all mixed up together” prior to this the Birling Family were celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling and Gerald

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His utilisation of this light on different characters adds a more impactful and serious nature to each frame. In the scene where the Mr. Freeman shows the buyer, a man in a white suit,

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This juxtaposition metaphorically shows how the Birlings are in their own bubble, but the opposing lighting changes shows how the Inspector will shine

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This image remains when she confesses “I went to the manager at Milwards and I told him that if they didn't get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again…” showing how conscious of her power, and filled with jealousy and rage, feels the need to act out like a spoiled kid to get what she wants. However this changes when the reader realizes, how unlike her parents, Sheila accepts the consequences of her acts. This is highlighted when she acknowledges to the Inspector “No, not really. It was my own fault...

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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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The dim light was used to create a sense of mystery. But as the play goes on, the lighting gets brighter to portray the characters' changing emotions. The various shades of blue, green, and yellow are used to create different moods. For instance, the lighting is frequently dark blue during moments of distress, symbolizing that the character is feeling sad.

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How does J.B. Priestley illustrate the characters of Eric and Mrs Birling using language, form and structure in the play An Inspector Calls? John Boynton Priestley was an English author, dramatist, screenwriter, broadcaster, and social critic who lived from 13 September 1894 to 14 August 1984. Priestley's first great hit was The Good Companions (1929), a book that won him the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and established him as a national personality. Angel Pavement (1930), his second work, cemented his reputation as a renowned author. However, other critics were critical of his writing, and Priestley threatened to sue Graham Greene for what he considered to be a malicious portrayal of him in the novel Stamboul Train (1932).

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She begins with the same attitude as Birling, seen clearly in the quote, ‘you talk as if we were responsible’. At this point, we can see that she is impressionable and has clearly taken on her father’s beliefs. However, when the inspector arrives, after Sheila joins the conversation, and begins to hear what she has possibly done, her rapid change in maturity and responsibility begins to change into guilt. We can see this in the quote ‘so I’m really responsible?’ She may have taken on this change in empathy to Eva Smith, as they are both young women, placing them low in the class system.

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“An inspector calls” Eric Birling - development throughout the play Eric Birling is one of the main characters in J.B. Priestley’s play “An inspector calls”. He is the son of the wealthy capitalist Arthur Birling and works at his factory “Birling and Co” Early on in the play we get to know Eric’s character better. He is a rather naive and shy young man who has been having drinking problems for two years. We realise this when he is first introduced in the opening stage directions : he is “ quite not at ease”, “half shy/ half assertive”.

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“There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all” The word ‘excuse’ connotes pathetic, waste of time, suggesting Mr Birling is desperate of excusing himself of the blame because he knows that whatever he says needs to be said wisely or else there are severe outcomes that will occur upon him. Eva Smith’s death is an unfortunate tragedy, an unmanageable situation, and not worthy enough to make Mr Birling accept or feel responsible for his actions. An Inspector Calls was first published in 1945 at a time of huge change – both of the World Wars were recent in the minds of the people, women had become more noticeable and admired in the workplace and it was possible to be in a high class as others. However, It is set in 1912 - this means that the characters have no knowledge or understanding of these world events that have happened during Priestley’s times. Priestley uses dramatic irony to make important points about how important social responsibility was at that time.

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Zeffirelli uses colors and camera angles as one of the main aspects in the scene to show the characteristics and the rivalry between the two houses. The warm colors represent the Capulets and the cold colors represent the Montagues. The citizens are in neutral colors, making the Capulet and Montague colors stand out from the rest of the crowd. The audience is being impacted by this because the audience are able to clearly tell the two characters, but that is not the only reason. There is also a hidden meaning that ties in the setting, plot line, camera angles, and colors.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

She says after they find out that the Inspector was nothing but a hoax, “but now you’re all beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened.” Sheila being the most intelligent out of the characters is aware that even though the Inspector wasn’t a real one, they still did break moral values and acted callously towards a person. The pronoun and repetition of “all” suggests Sheila is removing herself from her family of capitalists and is becoming her own person. Sheila towards the end of the play says, “And it frightens me the way you talk, and I can’t listen to any more of it.” The adjective “frightened” shows to the audience that she is shocked at how her parents seem to think of it all as a joke rather than events that have actually taken place, this is the process as role reversal as Sheila (and Eric) are admitting to their faults whereas her parents’ morality has not changed.

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1158 Words | 5 Pages

He carries on with describing the lighting of the play and says that it should be “pink and intimate” which shows the warm and welcoming ambience in the

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1138 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction Inspector Goole said to Sheila and Gerald, “You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt.” (page 29). An Inspector Calls is a play with the main theme being the constant shift of blame surrounding a young girl 's suicide in 1912 Brumley, due to the series of events instigated by the Birling family and their associates. Although all of the characters in ‘An Inspector Calls’ played a part in the suicide of the soon to be mother Eva Smith, the three that are subject to greater blame are: Arthur Birling, Eric Birling, and Gerald Croft, due to what they have done and what they have said.

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