Mr Birling And Sheila example essay topic

'Show how J. B Priestly creates dramatic tension in 'An Inspector Calls'? 'An Inspector Calls' written and created by J. B Priestly, the play is based on trust and responsibility, taking responsibility for your own actions. That actions people take can be wrong and lead to bad things happening. The play is written and set just before World War 1 in an upper class family. At the beginning of the play Mr Birling is having a celebration engagement party for his daughter Sheila who is to be married to Gerald.

To Mr Birling, This engagement means the joining together of two rival companies. To the audience they all seem to be having a good time, they are all listening to speeches by their father and Gerald. They all seem content and excited about the future, not at all unsure. We also get this feeling later on when Mr Birling talks about the war and how it's a load of nonsense, "Nonsense nobody wants war". The tension begins to rise when you realise that Gerald's parents are not present at dinner, which is strange seeing as it is his engagement party. The thing that we never find out during this story is why they are not present.

Even though everything is going well there is a sense of unease in the way they talk. In the speech that Mr Birling gave to the family he says there will be no war. The Germans don't want war; nobody wants war, except some half-civilised folks in the Balkans". But we (the audience) know that there is going to be a war. Throughout his speech there is one phase that he keeps saying before everything he says "as a hard - headed businessman... ".

At this point he leaves the room and ventures on to the balcony with Gerald smoking a cigar. When the men are alone they change the subject to business and start drinking port. Arthur tells Gerald in strict confidence from the rest of the family, about his mother Lady Croft. Arthur says that he has the idea - "while she doesn't object to my gal - feels you might have done better for yourself socially". Mr Birling then makes a speech saying that it is every man for himself in this world. And we men have to look out for each other.

He says, "Man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family of course. When he was one - and do long as he does that he won't come to much harm". At this point you hear a sharp ring on the door bell. The servant walks into the dinning room and says, "Please an inspector called". Mr Birling tells her to send him in. The writer shows a lot of tension hear, about how the cast are feeling, they must be wondering why he was here and why it was so important.

Then in walks the inspector... Edna (servant) introduces him as inspector Goole. The inspector is not a big man but he creates at once a sense of massiveness, solidarity and purposefulness. He is man possibly in his lat fifty's, dressed in a plain dark suit of the period.

He speaks carefully, weightlessly and has a habit of looking hard at a person before he addresses them with speech. The inspector introduces himself and then sits down. I think that the inspector is the main character in this play; he creates the most dramatic tension with everything that he does, and he will only address one person at a time. The inspector goes straight to Mr Birling addressing him before any one else in the room as if he knows exactly what he is looking for and exactly where to look for his answers.

He shows Mr Birling a photograph of a young girl names Eva Smith that committed suicide, the inspector did not let anyone else see this picture. Eric says, "Any particular reason why I shouldn't be allowed to see this photo inspector?" The inspector simply reply's, "there might be". This is strange to Eric, why can't they all see the photograph? Mr Birling explains to the inspector that he knew this young girl from his work place, and that one day she along with the other working staff asked for a pay rise, "She had far too much to say that girl, so I fired her". Sheila then enters the room, "sorry to interrupt but mother sent me in to ask why you didn't come along to the drawing room?" Sheila is then informed on what has happened, about a young girl named Eva Smith, committed suicide, that she was fired from her fathers firm. Sheila's in shock she could not understand what would poses girl to end her life.

The inspector then tells Mr Birling and Sheila that Eva was lucky enough to get a job at "Milwards."Milwards" says Sheila, "We go there - infact I was there this afternoon". The inspector then shows Sheila the photograph of Eva; she recognises it and then runs out of the room crying. She then enters again later to explain what was wrong. "The last time that I was a t Milwards I told the manager that if he didn't get rid of that girl then I would never come here again and I would persuade my mother to close her account with them."I thought that the girl was laughing at me". The inspector had some sort of effect on Sheila; she was so sorry for what she had done and wished that she could take it back. "And if I could do anything to help her now I would".

It is Sheila that is most affected by what is happening and all the way though the family's questioning she try's to warn them that what happened is wrong and they need to learn from it. The inspector then goes on to tell that after Eva Smith was fired from Milwards, she changed he name to Daisy Renton. Gerald immediately looks up and gives him self away that he know something when he says "What". The tension that is now created here is what has Gerald got to do with Daisy Renton?

We later find out that he had had an affair with her. At the start of the play Sheila seems very happy and tries to join in with the questioning, which her father, Gerald and Eric disapprove of. Gerald at this point seems to treat Sheila like a child and he doesn't think she can handle it. Sheila disagrees with this immediately which causes an argument, Gerald's attitude in this argument begins to change, and he becomes more aggressive and sarcastic towards her. Gerald then explains about his relationship with Eva Smith (now Daisy). After he told the inspector and the family about what happened he turned to Sheila, she gave him back his ring, which Gerald was not surprised about.

Then Gerald, thinking it was best to go says, "This wretched business it not over". This is one of the most important exits in the play. Now it is Mrs Birling's turn to admit that she is not as innocent in all of this as you may have all believed. Sheila at this point trys to protect her mother by saying, "Stop talking before you also become a suspect like the rest of us". There are moments in the play where Sheila says to the family that it is wrong, she addresses her mother she says, "You mustn't try and build a wall between us and the inspector because he will just break through it".

Shelia is trying to say that the inspector is using the evidence against us. But her mother still goes on ahead to explain what happened with her side of the story. Mrs Birling later regrets this like the rest of them. The ending begins with Gerald Returning to the house with vital information on the inspector, who by now had left. Gerald explains to them that he had been speaking to a policeman friend of his, and asked them for information on an "Inspector Goole". They replied that they had no knowledge of him.

At this point Mr Birling then confirms these accusations by ringing the infirmary. They then realise the name of the inspector, "Goole". That this name can also be spelled Goole, (which is a type of ghost). Then they are visited by a real inspector, they feel that inspector Goole had been sent to warn them to help sort out their stories. This play is an amassing play which teaches people a valuable lesson, trust and responsibility.

The connection with his name at the end of the story was a brilliant way to end it.