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Use Of Dramatic Irony In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

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J.B. Priestley wrote An Inspector Calls in 1945, which had a powerful moral message at its core: responsibility. In the play, a privileged family is implicated in the suicide of a young girl, Eva Smith. As Priestley presents this theme of responsibility, he uses a variety of dramatic techniques including characterisation, setting and stage directions, dramatic irony and climax. A key purpose of this essay is to explore the various drama techniques Priestley uses to convey his views on responsibility to the audience; something that is still relevant today as it was in 1945

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Through the portrayal of Mr. Birling and the use of dramatic irony, Priestley keeps highlighting the significance of this issue of responsibility. Gerald …show more content…

Just before leaving, he speaks to the Birlings and shares his thoughts on responsibility; "We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish." The Inspector claims he does not accept the idea that members of one body can represent different social classes. Some of The Inspector's most famous quotes warn the audience about the results of selfish behaviour: "Fire and blood and misery could be a clear reference to Hell, meaning that people who refuse to take responsibility for another may end up there."Priestley might also be warning about a second world war in this scenario. He makes the argument that those who did not take the lessons of the First World War to heart may find themselves in the midst of yet another conflict. In either case, the concept of accountability permeates these crucial sentences; if society cannot learn to take care of one another, it will eventually …show more content…

Instead, after learning that the Inspector might not exist, Mr. and Mrs. Birling start to rejoice since they believe they are no longer in danger for the killing of Eva Smith. However, Priestley makes use of character development to demonstrate how the play's younger characters partially reform. "The fact that I did what I did still stands, says Eric. Mother then carried out her actions. The rest of you did to her what you did. Whether the tale was given to a police inspector or to someone else, it is the same rotten story".Eric gains knowledge from the encounter and expresses sincere regret alongside his sister. He realises that, despite the Inspector's deception and the fact that Eva Smith is still alive, they all engaged in unacceptable behaviour. It's intriguing that Priestley made sure the younger Birling family members learned from the experience; it's possible he did this to inspire the next generation to outperform the one before them and to develop a sense of responsibility for one

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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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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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The playwright initially explores the significance of confessions in An Inspector Calls through Mr Birling, who is a successful and wealthy businessman. Priestley portrays Birling as selfish because of his attitude towards the severe and intense investigation led by Inspector Goole. Birling, who is extremely pig-headed, claims that he “can’t accept any responsibility [for the suicide of Eva Smith]”. This highlights Birling’s ignorance because he started the “chain of events” when Eva Smith was fired from her job in his factory. In addition, Priestley shows that Birling clearly does not understand what he did was wrong.

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As a result of the Birlings'' for all intents and purposes capitalist viewpoint, Priestley clearly actually shows the disparity between the for all intents and purposes upper and definitely lower classes in An Inspector Calls, which basically leads to Eva Smith\'s very tragic suicide as a result of the Birlings\' kind of capitalist viewpoint on life in a subtle way. There specifically is no doubt that Priestley focused on the patriarchal nature of sort of British society at the time, doing so to emphasise the need for change to basically take place in Britain, especially for families like the Birlings, who mostly are represented by Priestley\'s work, which basically is quite significant. At the start of the play Priestley actually highlights

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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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J.B Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1945, the last year of World War 2 but sets it in 1912 a time of inequality where upper and lower class was distinguished and treated differently within society and where a big gap existed among poor and rich people. The play introduces us to the theme of social inequality and social responsibility displaying the fact that trade unions were very weak, workers had few rights, wages were very low and many other injustices where made specially towards women; they were treated very differently then men and they were looked on as less important in society. Lighting is changed at the arrival of the Inspector "The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder" this displays a contrast between scenes and atmosphere. It also shows the change in mood; suggesting a cheerful environment and a very joyfully and delight mood, everybody feeling thrilled for Shelia 's engagement and celebrating united as a family. But it changes to "brighter and harder" at the arrival of the Inspector and

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This sentence also reflects Mrs Birling's perspective on the value of personal accountability, a theme throughout the entire play. Priestley uses the play's framework to flesh out Mrs Birling's personality. There is tension and anticipation since Mrs Birling is the Inspector's final suspect to be questioned in Act 2. Due to the fact that Mrs Birling is the only character who refuses to accept responsibility for her acts, this structure also emphasizes Mrs Birling's significance to the play's

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Mark my GCSE English Literature Coursework out of 30, give me any feedback needed in terms of many aspects like clarity and grammmar: In the play An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley, the character of Eric Birling, Mr. Birling's son, is presented as a complex and significant figure. Set in 1912, before the tragedies of the Titanic and both World Wars, the play explores the social views of individuals and themes in a time period that differed vastly from the 1946 context in which it was written and performed. The playwright, a socialist, was critical of capitalism, and the Birlings, an affluent capitalist family, serve as a representation of the wealthy elite in society. The Inspector, a socialist spokesperson, is present to critique capitalism

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This idea ties into the broader theme of war and its effect on people, highlighting the way in which the demands of war can erode an individual's sense of morality and integrity. The pressure to conform to the expectations of those in power can be overwhelming and can make it difficult for individuals to maintain a sense of personal values or a commitment to doing what is right. A poignant expression of the overarching theme of war's devastating impact on individuals and society as a whole is demonstrated when the author writes, "Neumann One raises a single steady hand. His mouth is expressionless, but in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, Werner can see

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In J.B Priestley’s didactic play ‘an inspector calls’ responsibility is a theme shown throughout the play, as Priestley believed society needed to take on more social responsibility, this is shown through the inspector who acts as Priestley’s mouthpiece in the play, for his socialist message; with the play first being premiered in socialist Russia in 1945 it is clear to see Priestley wanted to teach an audience about socialism through the importance of responsibility. At the the start of the play we are introduced to the Birling family who are an upper-middle class family who made their money through the capitalist system, an ideology that Priestley is highly critical throughout the play. Its a sensible view to say that Mr Birling is a personification

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One of the several themes that Priestley has introduced to the play is ‘Time,’ and this theme not only interlinks with some others like ‘Age and Youth’ and ‘Social Responsibility,’ but also introduces a very important drama technique into the play for the audience called the dramatic irony. In Act One, Mr. Birling, as a representative of the older generation of the play and the head of the family, is talking to the others about the progress humanity is making and mentions the liner, Titanic saying it is “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” The word ‘absolutely’ in this context shows just how confident in his words Mr. Birling is, without understanding that it will all change. As the play is set back in 1912, but is performed much later in 1946, after the audience knows, and finds it ironic that Mr. Birling, thinking he is an old, wise man says such nonsense, as time will show.

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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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Priestly attempts to exemplify in Mr Birling’s character into the type of mentality that majority of upper class capitalist business men had in the early 1900s in England. It is extremely ironic that the Inspector rings the bell of the house just as Mr Birling is telling Eric and Gerald that people must look out solely for their own interests ("a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and - “ act 1): throughout his interrogation, the Inspector champions the very opposite idea - that "we are all responsible for each other.” The Inspectors view on community as a whole is considered a very socialist view. Notably, Priestly was socialist after all and used the play as a more socially acceptable way of stating his opinion on social responsibility, politics and labour rights. The

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