Ic

Front 1

Genre

Back 1

~Similar to whodunit, popular at the time.

~Morality play.

~Characters have personafied moral attitudes.

~Inspector personifies social conscience.

Front 2

Structure

Back 2

~Well made play: one plot, climax close to end, action occurs before play.

~3 dramatic unities:

*Place- action occurs in one setting

*Action- one plot, no sub plots

*Time- real time e.g. using the photography and diary to build idea of a chain of events.

~As a result we are observers/ we're invading/more tense.

Front 3

Language

Back 3

~Provincial dialect pricey his social origins.

~Personal pronouns: birling 'I' 'me', inspector 'we' 'us'.

~Repetition of responsibility.

~Clear and direct adds to realism.

Front 4

Dramatic irony

Back 4

~Audience know more than characters.

~Performed in 1946, set in 1912.

~Hindsight increases tension through fate and inevitably.

~Priestly foreshadows fate of birlings through dramatic irony.

~When Gerald and Mr.b joke about a scandal ruining the possibility of Mr.b knighthood.

~Repetition of Gerald ignoring Sheila in summer foreshadows the later revelations.

Front 5

Tension

Back 5

~Irony in birlings speeches.

~Irony in Mrs b. Judgement of Eric.

~sequential order draws out anticipation.

~Three acts allows cliff hangers

~lack of resolution at end restored tension and ends play on tense moment.

Front 6

Themes

Back 6

~Responsibility

~Class

~Youth and age

~Capitalism/socialism

Front 7

Theme: responsibility

Back 7

~The words responsibility and responsible are most frequent.

~The play presents different views of responsibility. Inspector/Mr b.

~Contract between individualism and collective responsibility.

~Individualism is shown as narrow minded.

~Play has an ensemble cast, no character is more important than another.

Front 8

Theme: class

Back 8

~Mr b. As a self made man is upwardly mobile (no understanding for lower class)

~Birlings are presented as arrogant and concerned with reputation.

~Eva Smith doesn't appear to show that working classes don't have a voice.

~Inspector is shown as classless.

~Several characters make judgements about others based on class.

Front 9

Theme: youth and age

Back 9

~Marked difference between generations.

~Older are more stubborn I'm their world view.

~Younger are more malleable.

~Eric and Sheila are affected by inspector.

~Suggested that traditional ideologies are old fashioned and change lies with the next generation.

~Shows hope that the next generation may change.

~Kids begin to stand up to parents, 'daddy' to 'dad'.

Front 10

Theme: capitalism/socialism

Back 10

~Capitalism is presented as individualism.

~Capitalist ideology is shown as self centred and flawed.

~Principle message promotes social responsibility.

~Characters actions represent those of capitalist nations in early 20th century.

~Inspector is voice of social conscience.

Front 11

Stage directions

Back 11

~Description of furniture (champagne glasses, port, cigar box) suggests a privileged lifestyle.

~(Mr birling at one end, Mrs birling at the other) large distance between them, not in love/women less important, symbolises inequality/parents in charge.

~(Lighting pink and intimate) birlings think they are better than others, blinded by their power.

~(When inspector enters lighting becomes brighter and harder) light symbolises truth/under inspection.

Front 12

Grade boosters

Back 12

~Have different interpretations.

~Analyse stage directions to show understanding that its a play.

~Why Priestley did it..

~Language

~Structure

~Layers quotes.

~Impact on audience