An Inspector Calls Essays

Submitted By C05M1N
Words: 1292
Pages: 6
Open Document
‘An Inspector Calls’ begins with the Birling family celebrating Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft, Mr. Birling’s friend’s son. In the beginning of the play we know that the light should be “pink and intimate until the arrival of the Inspector” This shows that something bad can or will happen to the Birling family when the Inspector will arrive. We also find that the light change suggests the start of a serious investigation which will make all the truth come out. The inspector’s arrival is very sudden to the family; the reason why the inspector came is because of “some trouble about a warrant”. Mr. Birling doesn’t see why the Inspector should come to them; he doesn’t see what this has to do with him and his family. The inspector tells how Eva Smith was a part of Mr. Birling’s business. Mr. Birling explains to the inspector his involvement with Eva Smith and that she worked for him and asked for a pay rise and was fired from her job just for that reason about two years ago. Priestley wants to teach us about the Socialists and capitalists, Mr. Birling being a capitalist only cares about him and his family, we find out this when Sheila recognizes the picture of Eva Smith and runs outside from that room, Mr. Birling says “Why the hell do you want to upset a child like that?” This shows us that Mr. Birling only cares about his family and not even a bit about Eva Smith and that she might have committed suicide because of him or members of his family. Not if that can get his business down, because that is the second most important aspect in his life. Also Mr. Birling describes the Titanic “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” and yet we all know that it did sink. The Titanic can be a metaphor for the family, not only his family but all the wealthy families and the Inspector is the iceberg, the reason why the family will sink. The inspector is exactly the opposite of Mr. Birling, he feels empathy for Eva Smith’s death, he keeps reminding us that she died in “agony” He wants us to constantly focus our attention on the way she died “burnet her inside out” that painful slow death and yet Mr. Birling still doesn’t care. He just doesn’t want his business to crash because of this. Mr. Birling believes that rich people should stay rich and poor people should stay poor.
After the questioning of Mr. Birling the inspector moves to his next target; Sheila who is shown as an innocent girl but we find out that it was Sheila that got Eva Smith fired from her second job because of her jealousy over her just because Eva Smith was prettier. After revealing her involvement she believes that it was her that made Eva Smith commit suicide, she starts to blame herself but the inspector tells her that it wasn’t her that made her suicide. The inspector treats Sheila like an adult in contrast with Mr. Birling which treats her like a child. This can be because he wants to protect his daughter and not get her involved in this ‘police inspector situation’. Sheila still gets involved even if her father doesn’t agree and she is quite different, she is the only one from the family that actually wants to talk to the inspector and find out more about what happened to Eva Smith and what made her end her life that horrible way. At the end of act one, we find that Gerald recognizes the name Daisy Renton, there’s some kind of weird reaction when the inspector tells them about Eva Smith and that she used different names. Before the closing of the first act we see Sheila questioning Gerald how he knows Eva Smith. From this moment of the play we see that Sheila is growing up from the child status to an adult. She starts to cut through the lines just like the inspector. Gerald explains her that he knows Eva Smith from last summer. We see the irony when Sheila says “I don’t believe I will” very serious to Gerald and also she hands him back the ring which shows that she now thinks like an adult and takes her time to think before taking important decisions that can change
Show More

Related Documents: An Inspector Calls Essays

Inspector Calls Essay

Explore how differences are presented in An Inspector Calls and why these differences are important An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B Priestley in 1945 after World War 2 but was set in 1912 just before world war. The plot of this dramatic play is based around a normal, respected family who are visited by an inspector about the death of young girl, Eva Smith, and how each family member plays a role in her death. This is an incredibly thought provoking and profound play. This essay will…

Words 1589 - Pages 7

an inspector calls Essay

An Inspector Calls An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley is set in the period 1912, the year when the titanic had sunk and the World war one was to begin in two years in 1914. Priestley decided to set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era which was completely opposite the era he was writing the play in. Furthermore, he also wanted to inform the people about the discrimination that was in society in that era and how the time has changed everything. J.B. Priestley was influenced mainly…

Words 287 - Pages 2

Essay on inspector calls

Yana Volchek In both poems, “The Moment” and “The Storm In The Black Forest” domination of nature over humans is portrayed. They demonstrate in one way or another that nature is always, in the end, uncontrolled. Both poets use ‘enjambment’ throughout their poems, which I think suggests clear, ordered and analytical thought. Also it might suggest that there is an idea that flows throughout the poem. Language in ‘Storm in the Black Forest’ is easy and flowing. I think the theme throughout the…

Words 429 - Pages 2

Creative Writing: An Inspector Calls

“Brrrring! Brrrring!” My Dad’s phone blared from his right pocket. “Hello,” my Dad said. My dad frequently received phone calls, usually for work reasons, so I didn’t think anything of the call. I was doing what I always would do late at night, curled in a ball on the couch watching YouTube. In the middle of a KSI video, I heard a muffled noise that sounded like someone yelled “what!” I looked up to see that it was my dad, still standing in the middle of the cramped living room, talking on the phone…

Words 831 - Pages 4

an inspector calls Essay

Should Scotland become independent? Since the SNP was formed in 1936 it has had a dream that Scotland should be independent from the rest of the UK – an idea which has been scoffed at by many for years since. However, this dream has recently become a much more realistic probability since the SNP won a minority government in 2007 and went on to win a majority in the Scottish Parliament in 2012. During this time they have put forward an approximate time in 2014 for the country to decide it’s state…

Words 1516 - Pages 7

inspector calls Essay

was frowned upon, for example 'girl of that class' this was said by Mrs Birling. Through out the play, Mr and Mrs Birling never seem to understand what is going on, and they think their actions haven't had an effect on Eva smith, this is why the Inspector was there he was trying to make them realise what they had done wrong other wise they would just have to keep living their life over and over again until they take some responsiblity towards others. I believe this is needed as they think they are…

Words 297 - Pages 2

An Inspector Calls Unit Essay

J .B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls N5 Unit Lesson 1 Unit Aims In this unit, you will read the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B Priestley and do the following : Revisit the definition of and aspects of a play Learn about the playwright and play’s background Study: Characterisation Plot as well as Plot Structure Theme Setting Success Criteria: To successfully study this unit you will complete: -A series of group discussion tasks. - A Watching and Listening assessment - An Analysis and Evaluation…

Words 4314 - Pages 18

An Inspector Calls Essay example

How does Priestley create a sense of mystery and intrigue in the opening of the play The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ tells a story about the prosperous middle-class Birling family is visited by a man calling himself Inspector Goole, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman, Eva Smith. In the opening of the play, Priestley used several ways to create a sense of mystery and intrigue effectively. Firstly, one way in which Priestley makes Act One so intriguing and mysterious…

Words 912 - Pages 4

Differences In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

The play, ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written in 1945, but is set in victorian era England, in1912. These dates are important because they frame Priestley’s story within a broader social context, setting it just before world war I and the sinking of Titanic and having performed it for the first time just after world war II. When the play was set, Edwardian era Britain was a very class based society, with strong and distinct hierarchical levels permeating the economic, social and cultural facets of…

Words 1335 - Pages 6

An Inspector Calls- the birling family Essay

ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY (AS) General Certificate of Education 2008 History assessing Module 1 ASH11 Assessment Unit AS 1 [ASH11] FRIDAY 11 JANUARY, AFTERNOON TIME 1 hour 30 minutes. INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Choose one option. Answer question 1(a) or 1(b) and question 2 from your chosen option. Indicate clearly on your Answer Booklet which option you have chosen. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES…

Words 2521 - Pages 11