Moral Characters In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

Great Essays
Register to read the introduction… Birling’s second prediction is that ‘there isn’t a chance of war’ but within three or four years World War 1 commenced so again he thinks he knows but he does not. Birling then makes a third prediction, that the great new ship, The Titanic, is ‘unsinkable’ and in a matter of days it sank, which for the third time proves that he thinks he knows the world but the fact that he is wrong in all three cases validates that he doesn’t know anything about the world at all. Then Birling states that he expects to get a ‘knighthood’ from the government, this demonstrates that he is an arrogant being. H. G. Wells and Bernard Shaw were very famous writers and still are and both are democratic socialists, what that means is that they believed in changing the society so it is more …show more content…
Some people view the Inspector as a messenger of God or a Prophet, almost like Jesus; he is warning us that we should change or danger will approach us. Other people might say that since Priestley was not a Christian then why should refer to a holy moral, the Inspector might be viewed as Priestley’s spokesman, who acts as Priestley’s mind or voice expressing his politics. The last speech of the Inspector is the message Priestley is trying to put through, he says that if you don’t change then there will be ‘fire and blood and anguish,’ here Priestley is talking directly to the audience, historically that is what happened after 1912, when the book was written. Millions died in the World War 1 and if you do not want it to happen again then you need to change your ways, this exquisite play is a very powerful

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It is easy to allow are surrounding and beliefs to cloud of judgement. Throughout these novels Julia Jarmond and Sarah Starzynski from Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, Danforth and Mr.Hale from The Crucible by Arthur Miller and King Lear from William Shakespeare's King Lear experience being blind to truths because of their surroundings and beliefs. Julia is blinded by her husbands charm and actions and Sarah finds how the people of French could act like her existence did not matter. Danforth is not able to let his power go to see the truth of the court he is apart of and reverend Hale is clouded by his initial goal in Salem. King Lear is blinded by his relationship with his daughters to see he has lost everything.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Tyler Perry’s House of Payne Season one, Episode one, the focus is on Uncle Curtis and his wife Ella’s family and how his house is being bothered by his young nephew’s (C.J) entire family that come to feed at his house, including Calvin his grownup son. Uncle Curtis home is visited daily by C.J’s two kids that come to feed. Malik, C.J’s son is being bully constantly at school by Nikki. Uncle Curtis ended up attending a conference at the school principal’s office. Upon arrival and realizing that the bully is a girl, Uncle Curtis was disappointed in Malik.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    HOW IS THE THEME OF WEALTH PRESENTED THROUGHOUT THE INSPECTOR CALLS? Priestley presents the theme of wealth from the very beginning of the play. Straight away we as an audience are introduced to the immediate setting- the Birling’s family dining room. Everything about this lavish room implies wealth, from the “good solid furniture”, to the cut glass, and to the opulent surroundings.…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is worried about how the public will view the story in act 3. He wants to hide the fact that Eric stole money rather than deal with the issue that his son is at ‘rock bottom’ by saying "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can" we can see Birling’s blatant disregard to how someone that cannot get him any financial or social gain feels. Eric on the other hand fully admits his wrong doings and accepts responsibility. Birling being part of the older generation is represented as the exact person that Priestley hates. He is completely unsympathetic towards Eva Smith and will take no responsibility for his actions as his self-important behaviour makes helps to convince himself that he has done nothing wrong this can be shown in his wife when Mrs Birling states “I think she had only herself to blame.”…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    By humiliating Birling like this, Priestley degrades the conservative and capitalist viewpoints. This is intended to make people rethink their current political standpoint and reconsider the labour party for power. In contrast to this, is the Inspector who is clearly a socialist. The Inspector reminds us of our responsibilities for each other: 'All intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We don't live alone.…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    By creating the metaphor of being "killed", he almost blames the Capitalists for destroying, "killing", the spirit of the people. Furthermore, in the play An Inspector Calls, Priestley looks back in disgust to early 20th Century Britain and the capitalist owned mills and factories. He saw capitalist men as those who were only interested in profit, oblivious to the world around them, and careless of anything not concerning…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many great speakers over the centuries have learned to wield the appeals of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in such a way that allows them to persuade an audience. In the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch wields the appeals of Pathos, Logos and Ethos expertly in a valiant attempt to defend an innocent man who is framed for a crime and is about to be condemned by solely on the basis of years of instilled racism. [LINK BODY PARAGRAPHS TO THIS]_______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ [TS Finch begins his speech by establishing that he is the professional on this case, this is an example of the Ethos appeal which deals with WHAT DOES IT DEAL WITH] To begin his speech, Atticus…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After the events of WWII, to say that America had changed drastically was an understatement; with the entirety of the Cold War, amongst other political strife at home and abroad, America during this time was an era of conflicting ideals. Consequently, literature changed its perspective; most commonly, however, was the transition from modernist ideals to postmodernist ideals. Much like modernism, post-modernism offered to reject the ideals presented by popular trends during their time; yet for postmodernism, the rejection, in this case, mostly dealt with homogeneity (a universal standard defined by advancements in American quality of life) and how literature acts as a deconstructive tool (Byam 2259-2260). Yet many of these deconstructions during…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Priestley introduces the Inspector as very commanding and authoritative. When the Inspector first enters he creates ‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.’ Though his speeches and the interrogation of the family, the Inspector remains confident and composed, while the Birlings begin to…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The writer analyzes the moral code within Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The writer depicts the meaning of a moral code and its differences in societies. The writer questions the origin of an individual's moral code. The writer analyzes the inevitable conscience, its power, and meaning. The writer depicts and interprets Mark Twain's thoughts on the conscience and society's moral codes.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Guilty.” This is what the judge and jury claimed Tom Robinson was, but why? We all know that Tom was innocent, but there must have been reasons for this verdict. This craziness wasn’t actually uncommon during this time in Alabama. Actually, in the time of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, almost all the black people going into court were proven guilty, no matter the situation.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One important theme for ‘An Inspector Calls’ is generations. Priestley use generations to separate the characters thoughts and attitudes. The older generations are Mr. Birling and Mrs. Birling and the younger generation are Sheila and Eric. Gerald is another important character that is in the half of older and younger generations. The play is divided into three sections.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In life, we encounter many dilemmas and often have to determine what is right and wrong for the moral good of ourselves. One person’s morals may completely differ from another 's and this book displays it vividly. Men that dedicate their lives to serving their country sometimes find themselves in difficult debates quite like these. In the book, A Few Good Men, by Aaron Sorkin, Colonel Jessep was faced with the decision to either defend his nation or to let two of his own men take the fall for Santiago’s death. A similar ethical issue is when Corporal Downey and Corporal Dawson have to make the choice between being faithful marines or good people that are aware of right versus wrong.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Character traits are extremely important in novels; they affect the way the reader feels about each of the characters. Authors will often give the protagonists positive and relatable character traits so that the reader will feel emotionally invested in the characters. The antagonist will usually have negative character traits to build up dislike so that the reader will root for the protagonist. Character traits in a book often drive the plot and lead to the climax. Without defining and compelling character traits a book can become stagnant.…

    • 1658 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Barry Levinson’s Wag The Dog, investigates the role of integrity and morality in individuals’ and institutions’ quest for power. Brean’s motto ‘change the story, change the lead’ summarises the Government’s approach towards handling the sexual scandal and peoples’ attitudes towards conserving truthfulness and ethical behaviour when trying to obtain influence. It explores one 's willingness to lie, exploit others, neglect aspects of morality and ‘dispose of’ innocent citizens. Brean refers to a war tragedy and the Government’s response to quell public outrage by distracting them with a new war, ‘it’s not a new concept’: it is a strategy repeatedly utilised to gain or maintain authority, as is demonstrated in the film. Thus, Levinson shows that maintaining ethics and honesty is the first obstacle in the quest for power.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays