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Inspector calls -- overview - Coggle Diagram
Inspector calls -- overview
Plot
Starts in the dining 1912 celebrating Sheila and Gerald's engagement.
He makes a speech dismissing war and saying technology such as the titanic will prevent war
The party is interrupted by inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of a young girl
He links the girl to the Birling Family
Links to the Birling family
She worked for Mr Biriling, but was fired after going on strike for better wages. He denies that he is at fault
She then work at Milwards, but she was sacked after Sheila loged a complaint about her, the complaint came from Sheila's jealousy and not any wrong doing from Eva. Sheila shows remorse for her actions (distraught, guilty and determined not to repeat the actions)
Gerald met her after she changed her name to Daisy Renton, he met her the palace bar. He moved her into his friends house he was looking after, but soon she became his mistress. Gerald also shows some remorse, but only becuase she is dead and not because his actions are imoral.
Mrs Birling met her at the meeting of the Brumly Women's Charity (there to provided financial help to those in need) where Eva Smith uses the name Miss Birling to try and get help for a baby she is having (Eric's son). However she is denied because she used the Birling name. Mrs Birling holds no regret and blames it on the father, which the audince can tell is Eric and although she is warned by Sheila Mrs Birling calls to punish the father.
Eric had raped Eva when they first met and then they fell into a physical relationship afterwards, when he finds out Eva is pregnant he begins taking money from his father business to give to her. Eva refuse the money when she learns it was stolen as she doesn't want Eric to get in trouble.
The Inspector tries to explain that everyone is at fault for Eva's death, he then leaves. Eric and Sheila see that they are wrong and contributed to her death, no else does. Gerald returns from a walk he went on and explained a theory that the inspector was not real, they then phone the chief constable and the infirmary and find that he was fake. Everyone apart from Eric and Sheila celebrate that they are fine, Eric and Sheila say they still did those things and should be sad. The play ends with a phone call that an inspector is arriving with questions about a suicide.
Tone
The tone of the play changes as it progresses and the secrets of the Birling family are revealed.
It opens in the middle of a celebration, the tone is light-hearted and joyous. The lighting specified by Priestley in act 1 reflects this as it is pink and intimate only changing when the inspector arrives.This is also displayed in the moods of the characters who are all "pleased with themselves."
The tone alters slightly when Mr Birling talks about what the engagement means to him as a man of business. He sees this engagement as an opportunity to further his business interest. This along with the use of dramatic irony (improbability of war and the unsinkable titanic) around Mr Birling's speech makes the party seem less perfect.
His views lack credablity
When the inspector arrives the lighting becomes brighter and harder, indicating the actions of the Birlings are going to be scrutinized. The characters reactions describe the change in tone.
Eric is uneasy
Mr Birling Impatient
Gerald becomes annoyed
The description of Eva Smith's gruesome death destroys the original happy tone of the play and the tone becomes accusatory. As one by one each of the dinner party members are implicated in her death, the characters react in different ways to the death:
Mr Birling is defensive and refuses to admit fault
Sheila is horrified by her involvement and her parents refusal to see the wrong they caused.
Gerald appears saddened
Mrs Birling remains arrogant and superior
Eric is distressed by the death and blames his parents especially his mother for not helping.
The family which was set as the epitome of respect is now set to face a scanal
The final change in tone occurs in act 3, with the inspectors final speech he takes control and breaks through the squabbles of the characters telling them to stop, he then gives his lesson. The tone of it which takes the form of a sermon with the language being almost biblical. It also supports Priestley's political message and advocates socialism.
Setting
It is set in 1912, not long before WW1 and the sinking of the Titanic both of which are referenced within the play.
The use of dramatic irony early in Mr Birling's speech when he talks about the "impossibility of war" would discredit him and almost vilify him, as the audience may have lived through 2 world wars
The action of the play takes place in one place only, the Dinning room of the Birlings house.
The audience is told that the house is in the city of Brumly a fictional industrial city.
Brumly is portrayed as an important town as it has a lord mayor and Chief Constable.
The political scene is important enough that his involvement justifies him getting a knighthood.
There is also a suggestion of poverty in the town, this is most shown by the exstitance of the Brumley Women's Organisation which is there to help women in poverty.
The poverty is contrasted with the prosperity of Mr Birlings factory, which provides employment and the shop Milwards which caters to the needs of the rich in the area.
The Birlings dinning sets them out as one of the richer families. It is describes as substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike. This description describes the nature of the Birlings as they are portrayed as materialistic with a focus on money and wealth.
There is also a state of general squalor or seediness
This is shown by the actions of Alderman Meggarty who is a powerful man, who is able to take advantage of those less fortunate then himself.
Mr Birling as a factory owner is expected to live within the city
The realistic wealth of the Birling's and how they set out there homes provides a grounded aspect compared to the mysterious inspector.
Stage directions
Mr Birling
Rather portentous
Mrs Birling
Cold
Eric
Half Shy
Half assertive
Sheila
Pleased with life
Gerald Croft
Well bred
The lighting to start with is pink, suggesting a romantic mood of celebrations, but it becomes lighter and harder as the inspector shines as light on the actions of the characters. Early view is then portrayed as the characters having worn rose tinted glasses and no sense of reality
genre
Murder mystery play as the inspector seeks out the reasons to why Eva Smith committed suicide
It is slightly different to murder mysteries as it is about a suicide that might not have happened. It is also different as the Inspector knows everything that has happened as Sheila points out, all he is doing is fitting the events together to show the Burlinings the effects of their actions.
It could also be seen as a morality play, as Priestly through the role of the Inspector teaches the characters and so the audience the lesson of social responsibility and talk about the misuse of power.
Show the audience the benefits of socialism
Members of one body
Background
The play is set in 1912, but was written in 1945.
Many key events such as both world wars have occurred and Priestly uses this to create dramatic irony around Mr Birling over his claims that war will not happen, this also decreases the audience opinion of him as they may have lived through both wars.
Society changed with calls for more liberty and the increase in support for socialist politics, all of which Priestly backed.
There was lots more inequality in the time compared today.
During WW2 Priestly made weekly radio broadcasts (BBC) to the British public, these were very popular and were directed towards the workers. He was critical of the government which led to the cancellation of the program.
He was a socialist and worked to set up the Commonwealth party which later merged with the Labour party, worked towards the wealfare state as well.
Like the time period Mr Biriling has a high social status, because of his wealth.
However Eva is worker has little to no liberty.
He was concerned what the soldiers would come home to.
structure
It is split into 3 acts, but these are not used to change the setting and they don't effect the straight forward actions of the play.
The time at which the acts take place do not change.
The play obverses the 3 unities
Unity of place
There is only one setting of the play.
Unity of time
The actions take place in the space of 24 hours
The events happen in real time
Unity of action
There is only one plot and no sub plots
How the 3 acts are split up
Act 2
Gerald and Mrs Birling
Each character is examined and there actions placed into the bigger picture.
Act 2
Eric and the end
Act 1
Mr Birling and Sheila
Language
Priestly frequently says how the characters are speaking
The Inspector speaks carefully and weightily
Suggests that his speech is consider and important
In the beginning the inspectors language is characterized with questions and instructions.
This sets him up as the character driving forward the action.
He is not always polite interpreting characters and refuses to be defected from his duty.
However at the end of the play his language changes and becomes more religious. Priestley's ideas are taught through the inspector and his speech sounds almost biblical.
"We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other."
"Fire and blood and anguish"
The Inspectors language is very different from Mrs Birling's which is very correct and precise.
This reflects her sense of superiority over the other characters
She is shocked by her children's use of slang words and expressions such as squiffy.
She has a very similar language to Gerald, whose language is much more correct when compared with Sheila and Eric
He uses careful comments and shares the sensitivity of the age towards women by using a euphemism to describe a prostitute, he calls them "Lady's of the night" which is intended to protect the sensibilities of the female sex.
The differences in the language used by Eric and Sheila when compared to Mr and Mrs Birling highlights the generational gap between the children and their parents.
He uses this to show that things are changing as Sheila and Eric don't speak in the same way their parents did just as they don't react to the inspectors lessons in the same way as their parents.
The younger generation is more open to change in language and social behavior.