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Social Responsibility In An Inspector Calls

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“An Inspector Calls” written by dramatist J.B Priestley is a play about social responsibility that carries a strong political message. Set in 1912 - before the first world war and published in 1945 - after the second; this play portrays the consequences of one's action in society through time. Priestley, an ardent socialist believed that all humans despite their wealth or social status are equal; that in order for a community to be strong, everyone had to come together and care for each other. With this play, he has shown the audience that we need to change our attitudes towards society and be responsible for the actions we take as it affects the people around us. Priestley explores the theme of responsibility in this drama which revolves around …show more content…

This is because when the inspector walks in, even though he is socially “below” them, the audience can see that he has control over them. The Inspector has been given a prominent role in the play by Priestley as his conduit to get his message across to the readers. This is evident through the way he enters the scene- “sharp ring” which interrupts Mr. Birling’s speech about capitalism and how “a man has to mind his own business.” This shows the clear authority the inspector has over Mr. Birling. As the inspector represents socialism and Mr. Birling represents capitalism, this interruption symbolises that socialism is more beneficial to society and is a better …show more content…

Here Priestley has used the adverb “masterfully” implying his dominance within the characters; though he is socially “below” them. Additionally, the use of the command word “stop” shows that he has taken control, which puts him above them. This shows the Inspector’s intimidating stance as well as showing his character's strength that Priestley is

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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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An inspector calls, written by J.B Priestly, is a play based on a suicide of a young woman Mr birling was the most to blame as he started the chain of misfortunate events of Eva Smith’s life which eventually lead to her suicide. Mr Birling is an exalted as well as being a wealthy capitalist, he is also portrayed as being a rather portentous man. Moreover, Priestly presents him as a middle-class citizen and extremely proud of his company Birling and co While boastingly claiming that he has “a couple of hundred workers under” him “which keep changing.” Due to his higher status to Eva Smith he views the working class as cheap labour rather than humans.

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In An Inspector Calls the character Sheila changes and matures significantly throughout the play. Priestly aims to encourage and persuade the 1912 audience to consider the negative power of capitalists and that socialism is a better way forward. Sheila contributes to Priestly’s moral message about socialism and capitalism by emphasising the possibility for change which is up to the younger generation. At the start of the play, Sheila is portrayed as a spoiled daughter who has been taught to be submissive to her parents.

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Eva Smith is the most important character in ‘An Inspector Calls’ in my opinion. She is used as a tool by Priestley, to show us how the capitalists treat others and how they don’t care about others and how they think they have power over others in the low working class. “if they didn 't get rid of that girl, I 'd never go near the place again” Sheila Birling sacked Eva Smith form her second job because she was ‘laughing at her’ this is showing us that the upper class do whatever they want because of their wealth, class and privileges. Even though Eva Smith was never on the stage play; she is still important because a working class woman like her cant do anything to the upperclass families; yet she made the Birling family (an upperclass family) feel bad and guilty about their actions and take responsibility for corrupting her life. Eva Smith is the perfect example to show the audience that you might not be affected by this but someone might be and you will be the blame for it.

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Perhaps the strongest character in the play is the politician, played by Chigozie Ijeoma, whose character is mindless and corrupted by overbearing pressure by society and he finds himself trapped within a system built on bribery and temptation. Strachan captures the inner workings of our small communities as they implode in decay, incest, single-parenthood and explode in rape, violence and exploitation. Moreover, all because we have come to the point where there is no longer the ability to empathize with our

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