An inspector calls: a critical evaluation By Wiktor Wojdyla In this evaluation I will be looking at two contrasting characters in “An inspector calls” and how J.B. Priestly uses that to make us feel sympathetic for them. An inspector calls is a play written in 1945 by J.B. Priestly. It is set at the begging of the 20th century (1900-1915) and has themes surrounding responsibility, class, age and gender differences. There also different types of contrasting characters such as Eric and Sybil Birling. Eric is one of my favourite characters because I agree with most of his points. Eric is part of the newer generation of the Birling family. Arthur and Sybil Birling are the parents and they are stuck in the past. Arthur only cares about his business and his family, he doesn't like the fact that everyone should be responsible for one another. “His wife is about fifty, a rather cold woman and her…
Priestley's “An Inspector Calls” is a dramatic play that investigates the case of a poverty-stricken girl, Eva Smith, who commits suicide. A rich family, the Birlings, and Gerald Croft are inspected by Inspector Goole to find their link to the death of Eva. Each character has a different reaction when they discover they are responsible for Eva’s death, which reveals their personality traits of egocentricity, denial, and naivety; hence, the personality traits show some of the attitudes of wealthy…
“An Inspector Calls”, is a play written by JB Priestley in 1945. It is a thought-provoking play that explores the issues of accepting responsibility. The play is centered on a wealthy family in the upper class, who refuse to accept their involvement in Eva Smiths death. Using the Inspector as a mouthpiece, Priestley is able to discredit the capitalist views of the audience and Mr. Birling. Through the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Birling, Priestley shows how the class that a person belongs to or…
the character of Inspector Goole. Focus on his role in the play, his stage presence and how he is used by Priestly to convey his socialist message. An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 by J.B Priestley. In the 1930s, Priestley became very concerned about the effects of social inequality in Britain. The play was set in 1912. Priestley deliberately set the play in 1912 because the date represented an era very different from the era he was writing in. Inequality was common in 1912; severe class…
JB Priestley (13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984), wrote An Inspector Calls after the First World War (it was first performed in 1945); like much of his work the play contains controversial, politically charged messages.ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new 'morality' in politics. Priestly was a stong socialist and had very socialist views.During the start of the play, Sheila appears to be very childish and silly. However, At the end of the play, she is much wiser. She now judges her…
Responsibility in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley J.B Priestly wrote 'An Inspector Calls' just as the 2nd World War was coming to an end in 1945. The play was based in the time just before…
The play an ‘inspector calls’ divulges the truth and teaches the moral message about responsibility, warning the consequences if the message is not heeded. As the play was set before the First World War, it enabled priestly to refer to class division and social hierarchy through the characters and to the audience. Priestly portrays the attitudes of the characters and how family is presented in upper class throughout the play. The eccentric, Mr Birling a pretentious factory owner worries about…
An Inspector Calls is a play written by Dramatist J.B Priestley in 1945. Priestley was a left-wing socialist and this was one of the factors which influenced him to write this play. Even though the play was written in 1945, it was actually set in 1912, right before the start of the First World War. It is set in the spring of 1912 at the Brumley home of the Birlings, a prosperous industrial family in the North Midlands, getting involved in the death of a woman named Eva Smith. The Inspector uses…
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 shortly after the Second World War but set in 1912 just before the First World War because Priestley a socialist himself wanted to show how big the class divide was before the wars and everyone had to pull together and how he didn’t want us to go back to that so Priestley uses the Inspector as his voice in the play to try to teach the Birling’s and the audience about caring for each other and looking out for one another. The play opens up in the Birling’s…
In the drama, “An Inspector Calls” written by J.B Priestley, Sheila’s character is essential in enabling the playwright to convey his message about social responsibility. Sheila’s character acts as the conscience of the Birling family. Sheila acknowledges her faults and appreciates the wrongdoing her family has perpetrated against Eva Smith. Sheila’s character experiences the largest change within the play as she goes from being an immature, childish girl to a morally conscious young woman by…