Play The Inspector And Mr Birling example essay topic

Introduction In this essay I will be talking about an Inspector calls. A well-written play by J. B priestly in 1945. I will compare and contrast Inspector Goole and Authur Birling, to do this I will talk about the characters in the play, the use of dramatic irony which priestly uses within the play to maintain the audiences interests, how priestly builds up suspense where the play is set, and how the play effects the audience. I will also be talking about the historical context.

John Boyton Priestly wrote the play in 1945, but the actual story is set in 1912, two years before the world war. The reason for this is to show the events which has already happened that the audience already have knowledge of, such as the sinking of the titanic, the outbreak of the war, this is dramatic irony. The play An Inspector Calls took two weeks for Priestly to compose, as Priestly originally had an idea about a mysterious Inspector visiting a family. In 1944 he rediscovered his ideas for the characters of the Birling family in his notebook, then in winter of 1944-5 he finished writing his play. There was no London theatre available because of the 1st war performed so priestly sent the script to Moscow where it was produced simultaneously in two theatres in 1945.

It was then produced in London the following year. John Boyton priestly was born in Bradford in 1894 and died in 1984. He was a socialist who believed capitalism was foolish as he represents Mr Birling to show his hatred of the upper-class people. At them days Britain was divided into class systems, the lower-class being the poor who worked in factors, cleaners, etc. and had a very little to earn in life with no way of going up a class. The middle class being the business owner and making profit and the upper-class being the richest. The Birling family is the middle class but MR Birling like to think of them as upper-class as Sheila gets engaged to Gerald.

Sheila is the daughter of Authur Birling and Sybill Birling, Sheila is young and attractive, in her early twenties and is quite impressionable. She is a sympathetic and caring who expresses her feelings throughout the play. I think priestly uses Sheila to keep reminding the readers of Evas horrible death. She is one of the very few open characters, and is able to do well as she expresses her feelings, such as when she says, its the only time Ive ever done anything like that, and Ill never do it again to anyone. Priestly uses Sheila, to some degree, to show sensitivity towards a girl of the lower-class. Throughout the play she is there to remind the audience of how her family treated and spoilt the life of a young girl, simply because she was of a lower-class.

Sheila is used as a voice throughout the play, which is obviously what priestly intended. Gerald Croft who is an attractive chap, about thirty, he is an upper-class whos reputation is important to him he is also uncaring about other people in society. Eric is Sheilas brother who is half shy and squiffy which Sheila uses to describe him. He is in his early twenties, and likes to drink a lot.

Could I have a drink first (Act three page 51) Like Sheila he shows sympathy for Eva Smith throughout the play. cant blame her Sybill Birling is about fifty she is a bit like her husband and thinks she has a high status in society, this is shown when she says, advising my committee not to allow claim for assistance. She is uncaring and refuses to change altogether after she finds out that the Inspector is a hoax. At the beginning of the play Sheila is selfish and excited and eric being the same both of them are uncaring about other people while Mr, MRs Birling and Gerald are also uncaring about lower-class people. No one knows how they are treating the lower-class people.

But at the end of play, after everyones guilt is revealed for the death of Eva Smith. Everyone tries to get themselves out of trouble while Sheila dont, she admits her faults and appears keen and anxious to change her behaviour in the future, Ill never, never do it again. Sheila and Eric change and they feel sympathy for the lower-class people even though the Inspector was a hoax while Mr, Mrs Birling and refuse to change altogether. The message conveyed to the readers is that the older generation in this time, are only ever interested in making money and about their position in society. Priestly shows his hatred of the behaviour and attitudes of the upper-class by choosing Mr Birling to represent such a character. Sheila and Eric on the other hand, are left to learn from mistakes of the older generation and ensure that they are not repeated.

Authur Birling and Inspector Goole have very different characteristics. Priestly choose Mr Birling to show that capitalism is wrong and to show his hatred for the upper class while Priestly chooses Inspector Goole to represent his views. Authur Birling is a hard headed business man who is heavy looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but uses no slang only important words in his speech. Mr Birling considers himself to have a very high status in society. He is a prosperous factory owner, a local magistrate an ex-lord mayor of Brumley. He regards himself as being reasonable, but his first priority is to make money its my duty to keep labour costs down and therefore pays his employees no more than the growing rate.

He just wants his family to be respected in society and so tries to encourage them to do things that will help them to achieve an even higher status. For example he welcomes Gerald croft into his family as he represents a business link between his firm and that of Geralds father (a rival) He doesnt really consider his daughters feelings towards her marriage to Gerald, he just encourages it as he hopes that it will unite his company with crofts ltd, so that they can work together for lower costs and higher prices. This is why it appears that he regards his daughters marriage as an advantage to his company, almost like a business arrangement. Since Mr Birling is well aware that Geralds mother is against her sons marriage because she believes him to be marrying beneath him socially, he tries to hint that he is expecting to receive a knighthood in the next honours list, in the hope that this may ease the concern Geralds mother has, but Sheila ia actually wanting to marry Gerald because she loves and trusts him not simply so it will be an advantage to her fathers company.

Birling is a man who likes to think no war, he thinks hes always right such as when he says Nobody wants war he is wrong. And when he says about the titanic that it is absolutely unsinkable hes wrong the titanic does sink. And also when he says in 1940 therell be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere hes again wrong 2nd world war is in 1940. These are number of dramatic devices that priestly uses to maintain the audiences interest. These things will definitively happen and the audience knows it.

This is dramatic irony. Priestly is trying to say that upper-class people are too busy making money and they dont like to think something that could happen. On the other hand Inspector Goole is a man in his fifties, when he comes into the Birlings house, he was dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks carefully, weightily and has a habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking and has clever attitudes which the characters in the play thinks that he already knows whatever they are saying. He is a sympathetic character we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other and is trying to have a change in society.

He thinks there should be no class systems and everyone should be equal but Mr Birling is completely opposite, he dont care about lower-class people, hes just interested in making money for himself and his position in society. Priestly wants the upper-class people to know how life is for the working-class as he represents Eva Smith to do it both her parents were dead, so that shed no home to go back to and she hadnt been able to save much out of what Birling and company had paid her. As priestly uses the Inspector to tell the characters in the play how life was for the lower-class people, priestly also gives the audience a message. one Eva Smith has gone-but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and john Smiths still left with us (Inspector, act three page 57) The Inspector tries to teach the Birling family a lesson about lower-class people by concerning everyone about Eva Smiths suicide. While doing this JB priestly also tries to teach the audience a lesson.

Before the Inspector and Mr Birling actually first meet, Mr Birling dont seem to care, he probably feels he has nothing to fear because of his high status and contacts, first he and Gerald joke about the reasons for the Inspectors visit a joke really (Gerald says, act one, page 10) But Mr Birlings reaction changes when the Inspector begins questioning. When the Inspector and Mr Birling first meet, Mr Birling starts of in his usual manner and begins talking about his jobs in community and that he knows the brumley police officers very well. I was an alderman for years and lord mayor two years ago- and iam still on the bench, so I know the Brumley police officers pretty well He says that to warn the Inspector that the knows many people very well and he had dealings with other Inspectors before. So the Inspector wont take things too far what ever Mr Birlings done wrong but the Inspector dont seem to care. id like some information, if you dont mind. The Inspector and Mr Birling seem to have few similarities as it is shown throughout the play such as their speech, they both uses important words not slang. But Mr Birling talks business and believes in hat he says where ares the Inspector talks serious and knows what hes talking about and shows sympathy for Eva Smith but Mr Birling dont show a bit of sympathy throughout the play.

When the Inspector reveals how Eva Smith commit suicide, and how this was in some way elated to Mr Birling, Mr Birling refuses to accept his responsibility and thinks that he has an honest approach to life. He once tries to impress the Inspector by telling him about Geralds dads company you know crofts limited but as the play goes on the Inspector seems to hate the upper-class businessmen such as Mr Birling. Mr Birling tries to justify his actions by telling the Inspector about his refusal to listen to to Evas request for a wage rise I refused of course and seems genuinely surprised when the Inspector questions his actions did you say why Mr Birling seems offended by the Inspectors questioning and also a little bemused at the Inspectors tone of voice. He shows how he thinks very few people are at his business level and so very few can understand his actions.

He points out yet again that he knows the chief constable. Mr Birling mentions that he is friend with the Inspectors chief constable to almost threaten the Inspector, although the Inspector seems to ignore this fact. When the Inspector begins to question Mr Birling his attitudes quickly changes. He becomes impatient with the Inspectors subsequent questioning and again reminds the Inspector of his position in society.

Throughout the play the Inspector and Mr Birling are actually threatening each other, Mr Birling giving threats by talking about his contacts and his position in society (but the Inspector isnt getting scared) while the Inspector threatening Mr Birling in his tone of voice and saying how hes a suspect of Eva Smiths suicide. This is shown in act three page 51 when the Inspector says to Mr Birling she wanted twenty-five shillings a week instead of twenty-two and sixpence. You made her pay a heavy price for that. And now shell make you pay a heavier price still. This shows the Inspector is giving threats to Mr Birling shell make you pay a heavier price still. And Mr Birling getting unhappy and scared.

He is in his usual manner about money look Inspector Id give thousands-yes thousands but the Inspector dont mean money youre offering money at the wrong time. what the Inspector mean by saying this is, that Eva Smiths gone and Mr Birling cant do her any good now by paying the money. Before the Inspector leaves, JB priestly gives a strong a message to the audience by using the Inspector to represent it, as priestly uses Eva Smith as a lower-class girl and how an upper-class family all helped to destroy her life, priestly says that although one Eva Smiths has gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us and their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with the upper-class peoples lives. And younger generation such as Sheila and Eric has to learn from the older generations and make sure their mistakes are never repeated, while the older generation such as Mr Birling will always be interested in making money and will never alter their ways. Conclusion Authur Birling and Inspector Goole have very different characteristics. JB priestly choose Mr Birling to show his hatred of the upper-class while he uses the Inspector to represent his own views so priestly dont make the Inspectors character very much other than a socialist and a mysterious Inspector (shown in an introduction of An Inspectors Calls) Throughout the play Mr Birling and Inspector Goole are actually threatening each other, Mr Birling is giving the Inspector threats by telling him, while the Inspector giving threats by including Mr Birling as a suspect of Eva Smiths suicide who started her chain of events, its almost like priestly he himself arguing with a capitalist who he hates, as he uses the Inspector to represent it. Mr Birling and the Inspector seem to have few similarities, such as their speech, they both has important words in their speech and uses no such slang.

But Mr Birling usually talks business and believes in whatever he himself says although the Inspector knows exactly what hes talking about. Throughout the play priestly uses dramatic devices to maintain the audiences interests, such as who was the Inspector, priestly makes the audience think all through the play that, who exactly is the Inspector, priestly makes the Inspector a mysterious Inspector (introduction) Other dramatic devices which are used is, the photo, is it the same, how is everything linked in the chain of events and the setting of the play which is all in a dining room with rosy lighting (romantic and happy atmosphere) but changes as the Inspector steps in (mysterious Inspector) JB priestly also uses dramatic irony in the play, such as when Mr Birling says no one wants war and therell be peace all over the world in 1940. As well as when Mr Birling talks about the titanic that its absolutely unsinkable. These are number of things that Mr Birling says where hes completely wrong.

The audience knows it, priestly off course does this purposely as he continues to make a fool out off capitalism.