Top Set Analysis

• Exam on "An Inspector Calls"
• The play can be seen as a morality play or a work of detective fiction
• Morality play:

  • An allegorical drama popular in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries
  • Characters personify moral qualities like charity or vice
  • Teaches moral lessons about good and evil
• Characters in "An Inspector Calls" typify certain character traits like the seven deadly sins
• Inspector Gall investigates the suicide of Eva Smith, inverting the traditional detective story by finding nearly all characters guilty
• Sentence structure in Inspector Gall's speech uses anadiplosis to show joint responsibility for Eva's death
• Setting in "An Inspector Calls"
• All three acts take place in the dining room of the Burling's house
• The continuous setting suggests self-absorption and disconnectedness from the wider world
• Creates a claustrophobic mood and focuses on the moral lesson of the play
• The lack of scene changes allows for a precise focus on the moral message of the play
• Inspector Gall's vagueness as a character adds to the focus on the moral message
• Inspector Gould is portrayed as a character who reveals more about what he doesn't do rather than what he does do
• Inspector Gould is depicted as a moral force who pursues the wrongs committed by the Burlings and demands they face the consequences of their actions
• Inspector Gould is presented as less of a person and more as a moral lesson, emphasizing the message that "we are members of one body, responsible for each other"
• The overarching message that J.B. Priestley wants the audience to take from "An Inspector Calls" is an attack on capitalist values
• Dramatic irony is used in the play to highlight the contrast between characters' knowledge and the audience's knowledge
• Mr. Birling's statement about the Titanic being "unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable" is a clear example of dramatic irony, emphasizing his ignorance and flawed beliefs
• The repetition of the word "unsinkable" and the intensifier "absolutely" deepen the dramatic irony and highlight the extent of Mr. Birling's error
• Edna, despite being a minor character, is significant in the play's exploration of class dynamics
• Mr. Birling's harsh and condescending communication towards Edna reflects the class divide and power dynamics within the play
• The imperatives and short, monosyllabic sentences used by Mr. Birling towards Edna show his lack of politeness and respect towards her
• Edna's portrayal as a working-class woman who is expected to obey her middle-class employer without question adds to the pressure faced by working-class individuals