The summary provides the essential details of the play "An Inspector Calls" in 3 concise sentences: The Birling family's dinner party is interrupted by an inspector investigating the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith. The inspector questions each family member and Gerald, revealing that they each played a role in Eva's downward spiral by firing her from their jobs and refusing her aid. Though the inspector's identity is later doubted, a real police call confirms a woman has just died, tying the story together.

1. An Inspector Calls

2. Biography
John Boynton Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire on September 1894
and known as J. B. Priestley. His mother died in the same year and his father,
who was a school master remarried four years later. He was an English novelist,
playwright and broadcaster. Many of his plays are structured around a time-slip,
and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that
link past, present and future. At the age of sixteen, Priestley decided to leave
school rather than work towards a university scholarship. In 1910, he became a
'very junior clerk' with the local wool firm of Helm and Company. Before the First
World War, Priestley gained much of the experience which was to color his writing
career. There were no professional writers among the people who read a great
deal and surrounded Priestley; rather him, having grown up into his father's circle
of socialist friends, and joined in with their political arguments: 'I was politically-
minded to some extent but never able to put politics first.' At the age of twenty; in
1914, he joined the infantry. And in 1919, he left the army. In 1940, he broadcast
a series of short propaganda talks that were credited with saving civilian morale
during the Battle of Britain. In 1941 he played an important part in organizing and
supporting a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the London Philharmonic
Orchestra, because of his deep love for classical music. In 1977, the Queen
made him a member of the Order of Merit, an honour he enjoyed until his death
in 1984 at the age of eighty-nine.

3. Characters
A.Protagonists:
-Eric: is an opposite of his sister and ‘not quite at ease’. Like
his sister, however, he feels both a strong sense of guilt and
real sympathy towards Eva Smith.
-Sheila: is the Birling’s daughter, engaged to be married to
Gerald Croft. She is in her early twenties and is ‘pretty’.
-The Inspector: named ‘Goole’, is described as creating
‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’.
He is the one who makes things happen in the play.
-Eva Smith/Daisy Renton: is linked to all the other
characters, except for the inspector and Edna, who all
seemed to have played a part in her downfall. Her existence
and death are in direct contrast with the wealthy lives of the
Birlings and Gerald Croft.

4. -Edna: "The parlour maid." Her presence onstage is a
timely reminder of the presence of the lower classes, whom
families like the Birlings unthinkingly keep in thrall.
B. Antagonists:
-Mr. Birling: A successful business man, a magistrate
and someone who is active in local politics. Mr. Birling has
also had the honour of being Lord Mayor of Brumley.
-Mrs. Birling: is like her husband, a woman of some
public influence and sitting on charity organizations. Owing to
her coldness and lack of conscience, she is seen as being
unsympathetic and out of touch with reality.
-Gerald Croft: Sheila’s fiancé and the son of her father’s
industrial rival. He is respected by Mr. Birling with whom he
shares an opinion on the way to conduct business.

5. Plot
A. Introduction: The Birling family was enjoying a
family dinner together, as a result of Sheila’s
engagement to Gerald.
B. Raising Action: Their evening was interrupted by
the arrival of a police inspector by the name of Goole,
who was making enquiries into the suicide of a young
woman.
C. Climax: The Birling family together with the inspector,
started arguing about their responsibility in the suicide
of the young woman.
D. Falling Action: The inspector leaves, the Birling
family and Gerald had doubts, and then a second
phone call took place.

6. Summary
The Birling family was enjoying a family dinner
as a result of Sheila’s engagement to Gerald, but
unfortunately their evening dinner was interrupted by
the arrival of a police inspector by the name of
Goole. He was making enquiries into the suicide of a
young woman called Eva Smith. This is because
there seems to be a lot of reasons which have driven
the victim into suicide and he might think there’s a
crime behind. He then showed them a photograph
that he had of the woman, and from it Mr. Birling
admits that he once employed her in his factory but
had sacked her over an industrial dispute over
wages.

7. Upon seeing the photograph herself, Sheila
realizes that she also sacked the same woman
from her job as a shop assistant. The inspector
has an uncanny knowledge about the family’s
dealing with the girl and wants to make them
realize that they’re responsible for others. When
the inspector mentioned that Eva Smith has in fact
changed her name into Daisy Renton, Gerald
reacted. This made it obvious that he knows the
girl. After confessing his affair, Sheila solved the
engagement; she broke up. Actually, she isn’t very
angry anymore, but she needs some time to
think.

8. When Eric was out of the room Mrs. Birling was forced to
admit that she also has an involvement with the girl. Two
weeks earlier she had refused the girl who had come
to her seeking help. It is then revealed that the girl
was pregnant and the suspicion now points at Eric as
being the father of the unborn child. Eric confesses
that he was he who had got the girl pregnant. He also
admits to having stolen money from his father’s firm
in an attempt to support her. When he hears that his
mother refused to help the girl he is horrified and
blames her for the death of the girl and of the unborn
child. The inspector has therefore done his job at this
point by showing each of them that they had a part to
play in ruining the girl’s life, so he leaves.

9. Gerald and Mr. Birling begin to have doubts about
the inspector’s identity and are gradually able to
prove that the man was not a real police inspector.
This then raises further doubts between them all
about whether they have been talking about the
same girl or indeed whether any girl had actually
killed herself at all. Gerald telephones the infirmary
who confirm that they have no record of any girl
dying there that afternoon. At that point the
telephone rings and Mr. Birling answers it. It is the
police calling to say that a young woman has just
died on her way to the infirmary and that an
inspector is on his way to make enquiries about her
death.

10. Evaluation
The method of writing and delivering the
sequences of the play's events to the reader besides
the words used, play an effective role.
In this play, John Priestley used strong,
expressive and poignant words, which fit the
situation and the place where he used. These words
made the play an interesting one, although it started
in a boring way. Further, these words made me
enthusiasm to read more and excited to know what
will happen next.

12. Conclusion

13. Submitted to: Ma’am Sheila
Submitted by: Kawther Mohammed
Date of submission: