An inspector calls

Character analysis
1. Mr birling
  1. Aragant/ thinks hes the best and knows everything
    1. "The titanic is unsinkable"
2. Mrs Birling
  1. Ignorant like her husband
3. Sheila
  1. Starts off capitalist and then the inspector influences her and through the play she progresses to more of a socialist state of mind
  2. young&female so at the time people would of seen her as naive and stupid, but she is the only one out the family to actually get whats going on, and Accepts her mistakes and feels pain, she is not selfish
    1. Shows what the future will be like
4. Eric
  1. Young and drunk
  2. In time of crisis he had no one to go to
  3. Feels ad about Eva smiths death and understands his part in the terrible suicide
5. Gerald
  1. Treated eva smith with some respect and had good intentions for taking care of her and didnt mean to make her his mistress
  2. Only one who didnt actually do anything wrong
6. The Inspector
  1. Who is he really?
    1. Ghost
    2. Conscience
    3. Relative
  2. Very in control and intimidates Mr birling and he is used to being in charge
  3. Lighting changes to hard and bright- interigation
  4. Makes them confess
  5. Sharp ring of the doorbell
SHC
1. H was brought up in a working class family, and the play is about am upper class capitalist family. Priestly did this to show his views on the upper class and capitalists
2. The play was wrote in 1945 but set in 1912
  1. He did this because between 1912-1945 there had been 2 wars and lots of changes in england.
    1. There had been a change from capitalits to Socialists, So priestly makes the birlings a capitalist family to convey a message that capitalists are wrong and looking out for your self will never help and being a socialist society is going to develop england and make it a better country.
3. Many strikes, food shortages and political tension and at this time there was a HUGE class divide between working and upper class, The working class NEEDED help to survive and the upper class who had more than enough just looked after themselves, and this is what priestly conveys through the play as coming from a working class background.
4. In 1945 (when the play was wrote) Europe was in ruins and 2 cities in japan were destroyed due to atomic blitz's so children were evacuated and people were forced to work together and be there to support one another and truely care, Which influenced Priestlys thoughts when writing an inspector calls, as the family are in a time of need and none of them stick together, they just try to defend themselves and they are weak, (being capitalist is unhelpful)
Techniques
1. Lighting is harsh and bright- intimidating
2. Hints at everyones problems before hand
  1. Sheila- "she can be a handfull"
  2. Eric "squiffy"
  3. Gerald- "The summer months when u didnt even come near me"
3. The inspector describes Eva smiths death grusomely to shock the audience and the Birling family as the feel guilty
4. Tension
  1. He interigates each of them ONE BY ONE singles them out and makes the feel uncomfortable- knocks down there wall of defence
  2. Inspector makes Miss b blame eric without knowing, which builds up tension for the audience because they have guessed by now eric was the culprate
5. PROPS
  1. The furniture is solid- Not cosy and home like, it appears cold like the family, cold and shuts everyone out- not inviting
Themes
1. Selfishness
  1. mr birling, Mrs B and Gerald
    1. They dont feel guilty and claim she had it coming
2. Generation divide
  1. Older generation- old views- Capitalist
  2. Younger generation- new views- Socialists
    1. Learn their lesson
3. Class
  1. Upper class were capitalists and thought they didnt have to help anyone as they werent there problem.
    1. Only to discover that came with consequences

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An inspector calls

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	Created by 09morrisona almost 11 years ago