An Inspector Calls

• 10 Key words

  Disillusioned - see the reality

  Exploitative/ exploitation

  Political diatribe - criticising politics

  Remorseless - no guilt

  Emancipation - freedom

  Collective social conscience

  Absolve guilt/ responsibility

  Interconnected

  Dehumanising

  Scrupulous/ unscrupulous - moral/ immoral
• 4 bits of context

  Politics

  Priestly

  Women

  Class
• 4 bits of context - politics

  1912 - Britain was capitalist and the government had a Laissez Faire approach with the economy

  1945 - Biggest electoral swings in 20th century with labour party winning by a landslide victory
• context - politics in AIC

  Birlings- represent capitalist attitudes of 1912

  Sheila + Eric‘s transformation into socialists represents the electoral swing and change in the political environment of 1945
• context - Priestley

  Fought in WW1 so was scathing (critical) of the governmental abuse of authority.

  In 1945, he was co founder of the common wealth party (socialist party which helped labour win)
• context - priestley in AIC

  uses the inspector as his mouth piece to be scathing of capitalist and government abuse of power as well as promote socialist ideologies
• context - women

  in 1912 they were disenfranchised (no vote).

  In 1945 women’s effort on the home front was a pivotal turning point
• context - women in AIC

  shiela starts off as voiceless and weaker (disenfranchisement) and then develops a voice (women gaining power)
• context - class

  1912 there was little social mobility - 25% lived in poverty

  1945 acts like the Equal Franchise Act 1928 meant that men and women over 21 could vote - lower classes had more of a voice
• context - class in AIC

  eva smith- represents individuals with little social mobility

  Birlings- represent those who upheld classist and oppressive systems of 1912
• Key Themes

  social class

  capitalism vs socialism

  responsibility

  older vs younger generation

  guilt

  gender
• Priestleys Intentions

  • Priestley aims to vilify capitalism through making immorality, irresponsibility and exploitation synonymous (closely linked) with the characters he constructs to hold these beliefs. He aims to scrutinise how detrimental this ideology is to society and how it causes society to regress rather than progress.
• priestley intentions

  Priestley shows that collective responsibility is a by-product of adopting socialist beliefs. He asserts that this collective responsibility serves as a solution to the division and segregation prevalent in society, ultimately creating inevitable social cohesion.
• priestley intentions

  • He utilises his allegorical diatribe (teaching a message while criticising) to both educate his audience and criticise the oppressive barriers of social class, arguing that upholding these divisions only exacerbates societal suffering and destruction.
• Mr Birling-

  “all mixed up like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense“

  zoomorphism- he degrades and mocks the lower classes being alike to “bees” and trivialises community and interconnected responsibility

  Hyphen- prompts a theatrical pause. reflects his physical repulsion to the concept, suggesting an inability to even verbalise it

  acting as a microcosm for capitalist ideologie. Mr Birling becomes vilified for his rejection of the idea of community and his preferences for materialism over human relationships
• Mr Birling-

  “all mixed up together like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense“

  zoomorphism - trivialises lower class + responsibility

  hyphen - physical repulsion to community

  microcosm - vilifies capitalism
• Mr Birling- “The famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke”

  Irony- He derisively labels the younger generation as “know it alls” but ironically he thinks he knows it all - “Titanic”

  Priestley deliberately set the play in 1912 to fragmentize (break) the "know it all' ignorance of the older generation.

  Speech is cut off: after his callous dismissal of the suicide as a 'joke.

  he is abruptly interrupted by the telephone. Through the play form, Priestley can visually depict Mr.

  Birling's capitalists beliefs should be physically and symbolically removed from society.
• Mr Birling “"The famous younger generation who know it all. And they

  can't even take a joke -

  " (Act 3)

  Irony: he is the only character to claim to know it all

  1912: to fragmentize older generation

  Speech cut off: show how these views should be cut off from society
• Mr Birling

  "Public men, Mr Birling, have

  responsibilities as well as privileges' (Act 2 said by Inspector)
• Mr Birling

  "There'll be a public scandal"
• Mrs Birling

  "Sheila, what an expression! Really the things you girls pick up these davs" (Act 1)
• Mrs Birling

  [enters, briskly, and self-confidently, quite out of key] (Act 2)
• Mrs Birling

  "I don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide.

  Girls of that class-

  _ " (Act 2)
• Mrs Birling

  "[consider I did my duty" (Act 2)
• Mrs Birling

  "He certainly didn't make me confess" (Act

  3)
• Mrs Birling

  “don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class " (act 2)

  • Connotation - "girl" connotes innocence and vulnerability, showcasing her willingness to exploit the vulnerable in society and rationalise it for capitalist advancement. Demonstrative adjective on 'that': the demonstrative adjective "that" dismisses them as an aggregate inferior and homogeneous group that all behave in the same way.
• "I don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class " (act 2)

  Mrs. Birling is entirely governed by the arrogance of her social status - she can't even bring herself to specify Eva's social class, considering it so far beneath her.
• Mrs Birling

  "I don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class " (act 2)

  • Connotation: innocent = willingly exploit the innocent
  • Demonstrative adjective: dismisses them as all inferior and homogenousArrogant: can't bring herself to specify Eva's class
• mrs birling

  "He certainly didn't make me confess" (Act 3). Connotations of "confess": The verb "confess" has connotations of crime, her denial of criminal acts and accountability comes effortlessly, reflecting the irresponsibility and immorality inherent to capitalist ideologies.

  Imperative verb "make": The imperative verb "make" shows it is a way of keeping afloat in the power struggle between her and the inspector.
• mrs birling

  "He certainly didn't make me confess" (Act 3)

  This suggests that admitting responsibility would be conceding to the inspector, posing a threat to her status in the capitalist hierarchy - she is safeguarding her position within the societal structure dictated by capitalist ideologies.
• Mrs Birling

  "He certainly didn't make me confess" (Act 3)

  • Connotation: effortlessly deny criminal activity

  Imperative: way to keep afloat in power struggle between Inspector

  Capitalist hierarchy: Inspector threatening her position
• sheila -

  "Look Mummy - isn't it a beauty?" (act 1)
• sheila-

  "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" (Act 1)
• sheila-

  "(rather wildly, with laugh) No, he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves"

  (Act 2)
• sheila-

  "What he made me feel. Fire and blood and anguish" (Act 3)
• Sheila - "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" (Act 1)

  • Connotation of "girls": "Girls" connotes innocence and vulnerability- she's recognised how exploitative capitalists prey on the disadvantaged social classes. She is disgusted by the inhumanity of her family.
• Sheila - "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" (Act 1)

  • Humanistic perspective: The Inspector's arrival frees her from the shackles of her oppressive privileged existence. She develops a humaistic outlook, valuing individuals over profit.
• shiela -

  "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" (Act 1)

  • This metamorphosis (change) symbolises the advancement of women's rights in 1945, depicting women's empowerment and their role in advocating for social justice for all oppressed members of society.
• sheila-

  "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" (Act 1)

  Connotation: seen exploitative capitalists prey on lower social classes

  Humanistic: free from shackles of capitalism - humanistic outlook

  Women rights: her change symbolises women empowerment
• sheila- "What he made me feel. Fire and blood and anguish" (Act 3)

  • The Inspector's proxy (taken on someone's role when they leave):, Sheila serves as his proxy, exemplified by her precise emulation of the polysyndeton on "and". - she attempts to emphasise the eternal consequences of lacking social conscience.