An Inspector Calls

Play
 Has stage directions.
 Broken up into characters
and sections.
 All dialog.
 Can be acted
out/performed.
 Both written texts.
 Both generally fiction.
 Has a continuous flow.
 Describes the scenery.
 In the form of a book.
 Has a narrator.
NovelBoth
Direct Address:
= Someone looking
directly at us, from
ads, books or
posters.
Indirect Address:
= Someone not looking
directly at us, from ads,
books or posters.
Stage Directions:
In Italics.
On the side of the page.

“Fairly, large suburban house”
- The family is fairly wealthy,
but not extremely wealthy
- “Fairly” = They are
comfortable.
- “Suburban House” = Outside
the city, where the rich people
usually live. No in a great, big
manor or squashed together in
a tiny house.

 Why does Priestly suggest pink and
intimate lighting, and why might it be
harder when the inspector arrives? What do the items listed in the 2nd
paragraph suggest about the Birling's?
- The lighting position creates a calming effect,
this is usually associated with girls and love.
- The change to “Brighter” and “Harder”
lightning might suggest that the Inspector is
going to investigate/interrogate. This are
getting more interesting because of the
changes in atmosphere.
- Shining a light on the family when he walks
into a room, metaphor, like being under a
spotlight during an interrogation.
- I get the impression that the Birling’s are
posh and wealthy.
- I get this impression because they have
expensive items such as; “champagne
glasses”, “dessert plates”, “cigars”.
- The expensive items are mainly owned by
sophisticated people suggesting that the
Birling’s are preparing for something
specials.
Point
Evidence
Analysis
Context
Evaluate

 Social Inequality:
No being treated equally in society.
 Capitalism:
Private Economy run by rich people
with the main intention of
gaining profit.
 Socialism:
The primary goal that everyone
in society is treated equally.

 In Edwardian England, different classes had different lifestyles:
- Lower Class = Poor lifestyle, little money, small house, no job and little food.
- Middle Class = Average lifestyle, enough money to live on, good job, decent house
and nice food.
- Higher Class = Luxurious lifestyle, loads of money, high-end jobs, big house,
expensive food.
 Social Inequality in Edwardian England:
If you were rich, you would be treated like God. They’d do very little work and have
almost everything done for them. Whereas, if you were poor you’d have a bad
lifestyle, where you would have a badly paid job, being a servant for rich people.
Servants were common amongst rich people.
 Priestly chose to write about this as he was a socialist that believed deeply in social
equality. He thought that socialism was the main way of life and people. =
Priestly made An Inspector Calls relatable to the audience.

 Is happy for Sheila and Gerald’s engagement , as with this he
hopes to join 2 big companies together in the hope to earn
more money. (Mr Birling’s company, Birling & Co., and Lord
Croft’s company, Crofts Limited.) = Capitalist. Only happy
about the engagement because he hopes to earn money as a
result of it.
 Mr Birling’s attitude towards the future, is that he believes
during the late 1940’s is that everyone will develop, while
Russia will “Always be behindhand naturally.” = Russia will
develop slower than everyone else. He’s arrogant and want
the future to go a certain way.
 As a result of his attitude, we assume that Mr Birling is a
capitalist. Priestly does this on purpose to make him see
stupid, but will soon be proven wrong.
 Tone = Less serious and hearty.

 Dramatic Irony:
- Used as joke with the audience.
- The audience knows that what the
character says is wrong as they are
watching this at a later period after the
event has taken place.
 The audience knows that all of these
things that Mr Birling does not know.
 The use of ‘Dramatic Irony’ helps the
audience to see Mr Birling as Priestly want
us to. (Priestly did this on purpose).
 The Effects On The 1914 Audience:
- People’s family’s died during the war.
- People went on strike.
- Some people just lived through both World Wars.
- Many people had no money through the ‘Great
Depression’.

 Why has J.B Priestly used dramatic irony in Mr
Birling’s speech?
Dramatic irony is used in the play, especially with Mr Birling. This is shown in the poem
when Mr Birling is talking about the ‘Titanic’, he clearly states that the Titanic is
“absolutely unsinkable.” However, the irony is that we, the audience, knows that in
actual fact the Titanic did sink. This conveys that Mr Birling is arrogant, but also looks
stupid as the audience knows what actually happens to the Titanic. J.B. Priestly did this
on purpose, as a socialist himself, Priestly portrays Mr Birling as a capitalist. He shows
Mr Birling as greedy, a person who thrives for money. As an arrogant and stuburn
person, this makes the ‘Dramatic Irony’ even funnier as, we know, that Mr Birling is
completely wrong.
Point – Statement.
Evidence – Quote. (Back Up The Statement.)
Analysis – How This Shows The Theme.
Context – Link It Back To The Writer’s Ideas.
Evaluate – On The Audience/Reader
= Audience From 1914

The Inspectors Introduction:
- His name is Inspector Goole, which
sounds like ‘Goul’, often associated with a
ghost.
- Has recently be transferred.
- Not posh
= Cares more about discovering the truth
rather than his social standard.
~ Didn’t want to play gold with Mr Birling,
the Inspector doesn’t care.
- Not easily intimidated when Mr Birling is
name dropping.
Inspector Goole:
~ Socialist = Doesn’t care
about money, but about
everyone being treated
equally in society.
~ Is willing to go up
against his powerful
superiors to get justice for
the lower class people.
Golf:
> Only rich people played golf, where they often discussed business deals.
> Only rich people could afford to play golf.
> The Inspector rejects the idea of playing golf, as he’d rather spend his time
achieving justice for others.

Juxtaposition = 2 words/items/ideas etc.
placed close together with a contrasting
effect.
Themes:
~ Capitalism/Socialism
~ Irony
~ Morality
~ Society
The Inspector arrives and conveys a sense of
irony about everything Mr Birling was looking
forward to, during a celebration. Mr Birling was
saying to Gerald that he had “a very good
chance of knighthood” but only if everyone
“behaves” themselves. This meant that the
family shouldn’t get into any police trouble, in
order for Mr Birling to receive his honours.
However, the irony was that Mr Birling’s hopes
came crashing down, when the Inspector
arrives. The irony was that Mr Birling’s views on
society, “community and all that nonsense”
where challenge by the arrival of Inspector
Goole.
 How has Priestly used the Inspector to
convey themes of the play?
Way to approach questions.

Morality = Right & Wrong.
What you should do as a good human.
Priestly is talking about:
~ Social Responsibility
~ Social Class
~ Morality
~ Capitalism
- “Putting on airs” = Relates to their social standing. >This is not about class but
the family thinking they are better than others.<
- “Pushed”, “Threw” = Violent >Physical Metaphor<
- “Drooping her when it suited him” = Suggests uncaring attitude on Gerald’s
part.
- “And, can’t you see, both of you.” = Sheila understands better than her parents.
She realises the parts they’ve all played and their inability to accept this shows a
negative side to her family’s reputation.
Priestly has written a play
about the suicide of a
young girl & the events
leading up to her death.

 How does Sheila’s speech sum up what the
play is about?
Sheila sums up what the play is about by talking about social standing. She talks
about the family “putting on airs,” which portrays the idea that the family are not
kind and caring, but continuously put on a front for all to see. This suggests that
not everything is about class but about the Birling’s thinking that they are better
than everyone else. A contemporary audience, from the time, would think of this as
normal because at the time many superior people cared more about better and of
a higher standard than people of both the lower and same class.

An Inspector Calls

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An Inspector Calls