Miss Burdon's English Blog



Responsibility

|‘You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’ve gone.’ |

|Following the Inspector’s exit, one of the play’s central themes comes to the fore – the idea of responsibility. However, while some |

|characters are ready to consider their involvement and accept responsibility for their part in Eva Smith’s death, other characters appear|

|to have other concerns. |

|[pic] |

TASK

( Who, overall, has truly understood the Inspector’s message and purpose?

( Read the following quotes from the closing pages of the play. Colour code the quotes so that you know who said them. On them, make a note of who is speaking to whom.

( Working in small groups, cut out the quotes and then arrange them, in order, under the following headings.

← The character who is most willing to accept responsibility.

← The character who is most willing to accept that they are jointly responsible.

← The character who is most ready to blame others.

← The character who is most affected by the death of Eva Smith / Daisy Renton.

← The character who is most interested in preserving his / her own public position.

← The character who is most interested in proving that the Inspector wasn’t real and that there was more than one girl.

← The character whose response is most sympathetic whilst also being logical and considered. (Look over the quotes from the last task.)

( Who, overall, has truly understood the Inspector’s message and purpose?

|‘You’re the one I blame for this.’ (57) | |‘There’ll be a public scandal.’ (57) |

|‘I was almost certain for a knighthood.’ (57) | |‘There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did.’ |

| | |(57) |

|‘Eric, I’m absolutely ashamed of you.’ (57) | |‘I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it.’ |

| | |(57) |

|‘ … there’ll be a public scandal – unless we’re lucky – and who here will suffer from that more than I will? (58) |

|‘I told him quite plainly that I thought I had done no more | |‘We’re all in it – up to the neck.’ (61) |

|than my duty.’ (60) | | |

|‘You’ve confessed to theft … and he can … carry it to court. He can’t do anything to your mother and Sheila and me – expect perhaps make|

|us look a bit ashamed of ourselves in public –’ (59-60) |

|‘That man wasn’t a police officer.’ (62) | |‘Didn’t I say I couldn’t imagine a real police inspector |

| | |talking like that to us?’ (62) |

|‘There isn’t any such inspector. We’ve been had.’ (62) | |‘I do take some interest in it. I take too much, that’s my |

| | |trouble.’ (64) |

|‘ … the fact remains that I did what I did. And mother did | |‘It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her |

|what she did. And the rest of you did what you did to her.’ | |that matters.’ (65) |

|(64) | | |

|‘They just won’t try to understand our position or to see the difference between a lot of stuff coming out in private and a downright |

|public scandal.’ (65) |

|‘And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her –’ | |‘ … we all helped to kill her.’ (65) |

|(65) | | |

|‘I did keep a girl last summer. I’ve admitted it. And I’m | |‘Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.’ (66) |

|sorry, Sheila.’ (66) | | |

|‘We’ve no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no | |‘ … there’s no proof it was really the same girl.’ (68) |

|proof it was the same girl.’ (67) | | |

|‘I don’t see much nonsense about it when a girl goes and | |‘There were probably four or five different girls’. (68) |

|kills herself. You lot may be letting yourself out nicely, | | |

|but I can’t.’ (68) | | |

|‘No police inquiry. No one girl that all this happened to. | |‘Well, here’s to us. Come on, Sheila, don’t look like that. |

|No scandal –’ (69) | |All over now.’ (70) |

|‘Everything we said had happened really happened. If it | |‘Everything’s all right now Sheila.’ (71) |

|didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us.’ (70) | | |

‘You’re the one I blame for this.’

|He walks straight out, leaving them staring, subdued and wondering. SHEILA is still quietly crying. MRS BIRLING has collapsed into a |

|chair. ERIC is brooding desperately. BIRLING, the only active one, hears the front door slam, moves hesitatingly towards the door, |

|stops, looks gloomily at the other three, then pours himself out a drink, which he hastily swallows. |

|When the Inspector leaves, tensions between the family members continue to escalate. They start to blame one another and the divide and |

|friction between the older and younger Birlings becomes increasingly evident. The older Birlings fear a ‘public scandal’ and the loss of|

|their positions. For Sheila and Eric, their only fear is linked to the fact that their parents haven’t ‘learnt anything’ and that, even |

|now, they refuse to accept responsibility. |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|In Stephen Daldry’s recent production of the play at the National Theatre, these ideas have been represented in the set design for the |

|play; the house is set in a war torn wasteland and sits, very precariously, on stilts. As the Inspector’s investigation reaches its |

|climax, the stilts collapse and the household crumbles. |

Family tensions

|‘Really, from the way you children talk, you might be wanting to help him [the Inspector] instead of us.’ |

|As the play draws to a close, Sheila and Eric make many statements where they openly show their support and agreement with one another’s |

|ideas. However, there are also some differences in their reactions. The quotes below are taken from the final section of the play from |

|the Inspector’s exit on page 56 to the end of the play on page 72. They represent an example of some of Eric and Sheila’s responses to: |

|the Inspector and his message; |

|their parents; |

|their own feelings; |

|their wider thoughts. |

|‘Now just be quiet so that your father can decide what we ought to do.’ |

TASK

In pairs, sort the quotes, placing them under the above four headings. Some quotes might fit under more than one heading.

( Discuss areas of similarity and areas where there are differences in their responses and reactions. Feedback your ideas to your teacher and the rest of the class.

|Sheila | |Eric |

|‘I don’t know where to begin.’ (57) | |‘Well, I don’t care now.’ (57) |

|‘But now you’re beginning all over again to pretend that | |‘I didn’t notice you told him [the Inspector] that it’s every|

|nothing much has happened –’ (57) | |man for himself.’ (58) |

|Sheila | |Eric |

|‘The point is, you don’t seem to have leant anything.’ (58) | |‘He was our police inspector all right.’ (58) |

|‘It’s you who are being childish – trying not to face the | |‘I do take some interest in it. I take too much, that’s my |

|facts. (59) | |trouble.’ (64) |

|‘I suppose we’re all nice people now.’ (63) | |‘You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really |

| | |happened at all.’ (64) |

|‘You’re just beginning to pretend all over again.’ (65) | |‘It’s still the same rotten story whether it’s been told to a|

| | |police inspector or to somebody else.’ (64) |

|‘ … don’t lets start dodging and pretending now.’ (66) | |‘According to you, I ought to feel a lot better –’ |

|‘I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you | |‘The money’s not the important thing.’ (65) |

|talk.’ (71) | | |

|‘You’re pretending everything’s just as it was before.’ (71) | |‘I don’t give a damn now whether I stay here or not.’ (65) |

|Sheila | |Eric |

|‘ You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. | |‘You don’t know the whole story yet.’ (65) |

|You’re ready to go on in the same old way.’ (71) | | |

|‘ … I remember what he said, how he looked, and what he made | |‘We all admitted it.’ (66) |

|me feel. Fire and blood and anguish.’ (71) | | |

|‘I must think.’ (72) | |‘And I agree with Sheila. It frightens me too.’ (71) |

|Class and gender |

|[pic] |[pic] |

|Emmeline Pankhurst of The Women’s Social and Political Union |And another |

|[pic] |[pic] |

|An Edwardian dinner party |Mill workers |

|[pic] |[pic] |

|An advert for a dress shop |Edwardian maids |

|Class and gender |

|( Eva Smith / Daisy Renton is vulnerable for two main reasons. |[pic] |

|The fact that she is working class places her at the mercy of every|14th June 1913, London: A memorial procession for the suffragette, |

|one of the characters she comes into contact with. She needs them |Emily Davison. |

|either for employment or for money. | |

|Her sex, the fact that she is a woman, exposes her further. Based | |

|on the attitudes of the time, it is her identity as a woman (girl) | |

|that makes her especially open to exploitation and ill-treatment by| |

|the Birlings and Gerald Croft. | |

| |

|( It wasn’t until the Representation of the People Act in 1928 that women were even given the right to vote on the same terms as men. |

|Given that the play was set in 1912, Eva Smith would have been living in a society in which she had no influence or power. In this way, |

|Eva Smith’s identity as a woman is deeply bound with her identity as a member of the working class. |

| | |

|( Work in groups of three on a character of your choice. Identify|( Does your character’s treatment of and attitude to Eva Smith link |

|examples, moments and supporting quotes from throughout the play |largely to the fact that she is working class or to the fact that she|

|that illustrate the character’s treatment of and attitude to Eva |is a woman? Or both? Explain your answers. |

|Smith as: | |

|a member of the working class; | |

|a woman. | |

| |

|( Record your ideas in the table below. For now, leave the ‘explanation’ column blank. An example has been done for you. Copies of |

|completed tables (columns 1 and 2) will need to be provided to other groups |

‘Your daughter isn’t living on the moon. She’s here in Brumley too.’

( Keep a note of how all of the male characters treat both Sheila and Mrs. Birling at certain points in the play. Consider the context of the time and also how their treatment of Sheila and Mrs. Birling differs to their treatment of Eva Smith.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Birling on class and gender (Enlarge to A3)

|Example / moment |Quote |Explanation |

|Birling is shown the photograph by the Inspector and he admits to |‘She was one of my employees and then I discharged her.’ | |

|recognizing her. (Pages 12-13) | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Mrs. Birling on class and gender (Enlarge to A3)

|Example / moment |Quote |Explanation |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Sheila on class and gender (Enlarge to A3)

|Example / moment |Quote |Explanation |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Eric on class and gender (Enlarge to A3)

|Example / moment |Quote |Explanation |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Gerald on class and gender (Enlarge to A3)

|Example / moment |Quote |Explanation |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Hot Seating Eva Smith

Use the information you have collected to formulate a series of questions that you can use to hot seat Eva Smith. Questions should be shared between group members before starting the activity. Record Eva Smith’s answers in the ‘explanation’ column. The answers should explain the moment, the quote and should reflect attitudes to Eva Smith as both a woman and a member of the working class. Contextual issues can also be referred to as applicable.

An example question would be:

When Birling is shown your photograph by the Inspector, he admits to recognizing you and says: ‘She was one of my employees and then I discharged her.’ Can you explain his attitude?

Eva Smith’s answer might be:

This shows his attitude to his workers; he does not value us as people and sees us as disposable. I know that his attitude to us as both the working class and as women is extremely negative. One of my workmates overheard him say: ‘Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing.’ To him, we are faceless and easily replaceable. He will not think about why the staff ‘keep changing’.

Differentiation possibilities

▪ The teacher takes the hot seat as the character.

▪ There can be a number of hot seats. That is, a number of Eva Smiths on a few hot seats. For example, the teacher and three or four students. One or more of the characters can take turns to answer and / or to expand on answers.

▪ Students can offer to take the hot seat if they feel able to answer a question.

▪ All students must take the hot seat at least once.

( Use the completed tables to write a comprehensive study of the characters’ attitudes to Eva Smith. Each pupil should work on at least five quotes – at least one on each character. An example has been done below.

When Birling is shown the photograph by the Inspector, he admits to recognizing the woman. He tells the Inspector: ‘She was one of my employees and then I discharged her.’ This comment reflects Birling’s attitude to his workers; he views them as disposable. His negative attitude to and treatment of his staff as both women and as members of the working class is also revealed when he says: ‘Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing.’ To Birling, the women who work at his factory are faceless, and, given their lack of power, easily replaceable. The fact that his employees ‘keep changing’ perhaps suggest that working conditions and pay are not as good as they could be.

Eva Smith

( Which of the characters is most responsible for Eva Smith’s death?

( Work in pairs to track the changes in Eva Smith’s status and power during her dealings with the Birlings and Gerald Croft.

At Birling’s After the At Sacked from Palace Rescued Gerald’s ETC

strike Milwards Milwards Bar by Gerald Mistress

Harshness of treatment

10 -----

9 ------

8 ------

7 ------

6 ------

5 ------

4 ------

3 ------

2 ------

1 ------

0

-1 ------ Eva’s dealings with the Birlings and Gerald Croft

-2 ------

( Provide an overview, use quotes and your wider knowledge of the play and context as you justify your ratings.

As you write your justifications for Eva’s status and power, you might end up changing your initial ideas / assumptions about her status. This is to be expected.

AT BIRLINGS – 8

As an employee at Birling’s factory, Eva was doing well. Though the work and working conditions would have been hard, she had a steady job and was good at it. Indeed, and although she did not know it, she was on the verge of being promoted to a ‘leading operator’. Her wages of twenty-two and six, according to Birling, were ‘neither more nor less than is paid generally in our industry.’ According to Birling, ‘She’d had a lot to say – far too much …’ This period was one of the most militant periods of history and her role as one of the ring-leaders, and their request for higher wages, singled her out at a time when owners were determined to ‘come down sharply’ on strikers. Or 7?

AFTER THE STRIKE – 4/3

Initially: She did not get ‘into trouble’ or go ‘on the streets’. She was in lodgings and had enough money to see her scrape through two months.

After two months: Both parents were dead and no other relatives she could turn to, unemployed and no more savings, lonely, few friends, hungry.

Note: The Inspector is particularly, and repeatedly critical of Birling’s treatment of Eva Smith. The ‘chain of events’ that determined her fate started with Birling sacking her. Therefore change her status and power from 4 to 3?

IMPORTANT: DO NOT write about characters’ status and power in terms of graphs or numbers in the exam or in coursework. We are only using graphs and numbers in this activity to help you think about and visualize the characters’ changing status and power.

‘That was the police. A girl has just died –’

|( The dénouement (or ending) of a well-made play is meant to be both logical and plausible. |

|( Is this true of An Inspector Calls? Explain your ideas. |

|( The denouement (or ending) of a Greek Drama should have been a learning experience for both the characters and audience. At the end |

|of An Inspector Calls, not all of the characters have learned their lesson. |

|( Who are they? |

|( In order to counter this, Priestley introduced ‘another’ dénouement. |

|( What is it? Is it really an ‘ending’? To help you answer this, think about: |

|What does Priestley force us to imagine? |

|Do we want some of the characters to go through this again? |

|Have we, as an audience, learned anything? |

TASK

Work in groups to create two still images. The first should be taken from the play’s opening moment and the second from the play’s closing moment. Use the images to show the change in family relationships and also to show which characters fear the arrival of the police inspector and those who don’t.

TASK

In groups of four, devise a board game based on the play’s closing section from the Inspector’s exit on page 56 to the end of the play on page 72.

The purpose of the board game, when played, will be to teach your classmates and improve their understanding of:

▪ the characters – what they say and do, their personalities, their concerns, their reactions to the events of the evening and to the Inspector;

▪ character relationships – alliances and conflicts;

▪ the themes – family, class, status and power, propriety and manners, responsibility, etc;

▪ the context;

▪ key quotes;

▪ any dramatic features and devices – stage directions, sound effects, entrances / exits, etc.;

▪ if relevant, plot and ideas from elsewhere in the play.

Some ideas

( A version of a snakes and ladders board could work but you might want to rename it and adapt it to suit An Inspector Calls.

( Or, instead of reaching the end first, you might prefer a game where players score points.

( You could have, for example, a board with a number of ‘Inspector’ question squares. Landing on an Inspector square means you have to answer a question from the Inspector as one of the characters. A correct answer will reward the player in some way. For example, move on three places, jump straight to 14. Wrong answers will do the opposite.

( Key quote squares or character squares are another alternative.

( Question cards should have a range of question types and should cover all of the topics listed above.

( If you are clever with your ideas and questions, you can really use the game to emphasise the meaning of the play. For example, landing on a Birling or a Mrs. Birling square will always punish the player in some way.

It’s up to you, but make the game fun! (

You will have the opportunity to play your own board game and at least one other prepared by another group.

Alternatives

▪ Use the same idea but for the entire play.

▪ Use the same idea but have separate board games for separate areas of the play. For example, one board game focuses purely on characters, another on themes, and another on dramatic and stylistic features, etc.

‘Please, sir, an inspector’s called.’

|‘ … he’s giving us the rope – so that we’ll hang ourselves.’ |

|The mysterious Inspector is central to the plot of An Inspector Calls. We do not know where he has come from and, at the end of the |

|play, we are not even sure if he was real. The only information we are given is that he “need not be a big man but he creates at once an|

|impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”. In speech, the stage directions state that he “speaks carefully, weightily, and|

|has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.” |

|[pic] |

|Based on his questioning techniques and his treatment of and dealings with the family and Gerald, Sheila is the first to realise that |

|there is more to the Inspector than meets the eye. At the beginning of Act Two she says: “I don’t understand about you”. Who is he? |

|This is something that, at the end of the play, remains unsolved. However, whether he is a real inspector or not, it is more important |

|to identify and understand his purpose in the play. |

( On your own, read the following statements about the Inspector.

( Work in pairs and circle whether you believe the statement is true or false. You must be able to support your true / false decisions with evidence from the text.

( Discuss and share your ideas with another pair. Check your answers and compare the evidence you have provided in support of them.

(Note: For some statements, you might be able to find evidence that supports both a true and a false response.)

‘I don’t understand about you.’

|The Inspector seems to have some power and control over the characters. |True / False |

|The Inspector’s speech at the end of the play makes us think that he is no ordinary human being. |True / False |

|The Inspector learned all that he knows about Eva Smith from reading her ‘rough diary’. |True / False |

|The Inspector is often sarcastic. |True / False |

|The Inspector respects the Birlings and Croft because of their wealth, power and status. |True / False |

|Throughout the evening, the Inspector is in complete control of who enters and exits the dining room. |True / False |

|The Inspector uses the same style and approach in his interrogation and questioning of all of the characters.|True / False |

|He does not seem to know Colonel Roberts, the chief of Brumley Police. |True / False |

|The Inspector’s questioning and comments do not highlight the play’s themes. |True / False |

|The Inspector knows that Eric is about to enter at the end of Act Two. |True / False |

|The Inspector commented that Gerald’s treatment of Eva Smith was the cruelest. | |

|The Inspector’s manner and tone are appropriate to his role as a police inspector. |True / False |

|The Inspector’s questioning of Eric is hurried, as if he is running out of time. |True / False |

|The Inspector does not use the photograph to create dramatic tension. |True / False |

|The Inspector judges the characters and their actions. |True / False |

|He is part of a larger body but is not the most powerful member of it. |True / False |

|The Inspector affects Birling more than any other character. |True / False |

|The Inspector does not know everything there is to know about the Birlings and Gerald Croft’s involvement |True / False |

|with Eva / Daisy. | |

|The Inspector is impressed by the power and influence that Mr. Birling has in the town of Brumley. |True / False |

|The Inspector takes a very disorganised approach to interviewing the Birlings and Gerald Croft. |True / False |

|The Inspector is one of many. |True / False |

|The Inspector is not worried by Birling and Mrs. Birling’s threats. |True / False |

|His main function within the play is to make the Birlings and Gerald Croft accept responsibility. |True / False |

|The Inspector shares Mr. Birling’s view about how people should take care of themselves and their family. |True / False |

|The Inspector seems to know exactly when to make his first appearance. |True / False |

|The inspector does not lie. |True / False |

|The Inspector offers summaries of each characters’ involvement with Eva Smith / Daisy Renton. |True / False |

|The Inspector is a vehicle for Priestley’s socialist views. |True / False |

|The Inspector explains to everyone the lessons to be learned. |True / False |

|The Inspector’s questions are all relevant to his role as a police inspector. |True / False |

|The Inspector is an authority figure within the play. |True / False |

|The Inspector deliberately goads Mrs. Birling into condemning the father of Eva Smith’s child |True / False |

|The Inspector thinks that old people are more impressionable and will change their views more easily than |True / False |

|young people. | |

|The Inspector is a real police inspector. |True / False |

|The Inspector does not sympathize with the working classes. |True / False |

|The Inspector interviews each member of the Birling family in chronological order, to show their involvement |True / False |

|with Eva Smith. | |

Dramatic & Stylistic Features of An Inspector Calls

Well-made play

( In many respects, An Inspector Calls fulfils the criteria of the well-made play. The well-made play was invented by Eugene Scribe (1791-1861). The formula of the well-made play was an almost guaranteed prescription for a successful piece of drama. Indeed, it has guided more than 150 years of drama. The structure of a well-made play is a carefully crafted in order to arouse suspense and tension.

Features of a well-made play

1. Exposition

( The exposition (the opening) of a well-made play is meant to serve as a gentle introduction, providing basic information on:

• the main characters;

• the background and context;

• the themes and ideas of the play.

( To what extent does An Inspector Calls meet these criteria? Find examples to support your ideas.

2. Entrances and Exits.

( In order to heighten the suspense and tension, entrances and exits are perfectly timed within a well-made play. (See separate resource sheet on entrances and exits.)

( To what extent is this true of An Inspector Calls? Find at least three examples of this within the play and explain how they add to the suspense.

( Who, within the play itself, controls who enters and leaves the dining room?

3. The 'obligatory scene'.

( This is when a secret is revealed. Again, this serves to add to the drama and tension.

( Are there any 'obligatory scenes' in An Inspector Calls? Give examples and explanations.

4. The Climactic Curtain

( The climactic curtain is one of the major features of a well-made play. It is when the end of an act (or scene) ends on a tense and highly dramatic moment.

( Are there any climactic curtains in An Inspector Calls? Explain each of them.

5. Mistaken Identity

( The well-made play thrives on the notion of mistaken identity. The ideas of identity and mistaken identity both play a part in An Inspector Calls.

( Find and explain three examples.

6. Plot

( The plot of a well-made play focuses around one major storyline. There is no sub-plot. However, there will be a smattering of complications and crises within the plot of a well-made play, all strategically placed for dramatic effect.

( To what extent does An Inspector Calls conform to this? Explain your ideas.

7. The Dénouement

( The dénouement (or ending) of a well-made play is both logical and plausible. (See separate resource sheet on Priestley’s ending.)

( Is this true of An Inspector Calls? Explain your ideas.

Classical Greek Drama

The Unities

( In Classical Greek Drama, plays conformed to the structure of The Unities.

The three unities of drama are:

▪ action; (This means that the plot focuses on one storyline.)

▪ time; (This means that the timescale of the drama must not be more than 24 hours. In its purest form, unity of time meant that stage time and real time were identical.)

▪ and place. (This means that there is only one setting.)

( To what extent does An Inspector Calls meet the criteria of The Unities? Think about the following:

▪ Is there one major storyline being unraveled? What is it?

▪ Is the timescale of An Inspector Calls less than 24 hours. What is the timescale?

▪ What is the setting of the play? Does it ever change?

(See separate resource sheet on Location and Setting.)

The Greek Chorus

( The Chorus in a Greek drama served a number of purposes. These included:

▪ offering a summary of what has happened so far;

▪ commenting on the characters within the play;

▪ explaining to everyone the lessons to be learned.

( Who, in the play, has a similar role to that of a Greek chorus? Find an example where this character does each of the above.

The Dénouement

( The denouement (or ending) of a Greek Drama should have been a learning experience for both the characters and audience. At the end of An Inspector Calls, not all of the characters have learned their lesson.

( Who are they?

( In order to counter this, Priestley introduced ‘another’ dénouement.

( What is it? Is it really an ‘ending’? To help you answer this, think about:

▪ What does Priestley force us to imagine?

▪ Do we want some of the characters to go through this again?

▪ Have we, as an audience, learned anything?

Other Considerations

( Other dramatic features that Priestley relies on include:

▪ detective story or ‘whodunnit’;

▪ morality play;

▪ stage directions;

▪ dramatic irony.

Detective Story or Whodunnit

( This is a story (play) in which a mystery, frequently involving murder, is unraveled by the careful questioning of a detective. In a traditional 'whodunnit' mystery, the criminal would be revealed.

( Is An Inspector Calls a traditional whodunnit? Think about:

▪ the nature of the mystery in this play (Is there a 'murder'?);

▪ the 'crimes' committed by the Birlings and Gerald Croft;

▪ whether they could be punished, in law, for what they did to Eva Smith.

Morality Play

( This was a type of play performed in the late middle ages. Its purpose was to instruct and guide an audience as to the ‘correct’ way to live, behave and treat others.

( Does Priestley’s Inspector have a moral for us? Explain your answer.

Stage Directions

( Stage directions take the form of information (which is not part of the dialogue) given to an actor, director or designer. Some may be basic instructions such as: ‘Exit stage right’. Others may provide detailed information on things such as setting, action or a character’s personality. Look at the opening stage directions to the play. (See separate resource sheet on stage directions.)

( Which does Priestley tend to use?

Dramatic Irony

( The term dramatic irony refers to the situation that arises when a character in a play speaks lines that are understood in a double sense by the audience, though not by the characters on stage.

( There is one character in An Inspector Calls whose speeches are particularly ironic.

( Who is this and explain some examples? (See separate resource sheet on Dramatic Irony.)

Context: Contemporary Reviews

JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls, 1 October 1946

“The play wasn’t the success it might have been, and the criticisms that it was sententious and stodgy stuck.”

(Samantha Ellis, The Guardian, May 7th , 2003.)

|The Times |Daily Mail (Lionel Hale) |( Reread these reviews by theatre critics of the time. They were|

| | |all reviewing the opening night performance of the play at the New|

|"Bang! Bang! Mr Priestley lets drive with both barrels." |"Only severe self-control prevented hollow groans rising |Theatre, London on 1st October 1946. |

| |throughout the last act from seat No. E1 in the stalls: my seat.” | |

| | |( In groups, discuss their opinions. Find examples from the play|

| | |that support their opinions. Find examples from the play that |

| | |prove them wrong. |

| | | |

| | |( What’s your opinion of the play? |

| | | |

|The Observer (J. C. Trewin) |The New Statesman | |

| | | |

|"[It] could have been stripped to half its length: though their |Stephen Potter applauded Priestley’s "beautiful craftsmanship" and| |

|offence is rank we feel that the Birlings are hardly worth this |claimed that the ending was "the best coup de thétre of the year".| |

|prolonged clatter of skeletons." | | |

| | | |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download