The summary provides the essential details of the play "An Inspector Calls" in 3 concise sentences:
The Birling family's dinner party is interrupted by an inspector investigating the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith. The inspector questions each family member and Gerald, revealing that they each played a role in Eva's downward spiral by firing her from their jobs and refusing her aid. Though the inspector's identity is later doubted, a real police call confirms a woman has just died, tying the story together.
Mr. Birling is a wealthy factory owner who believes in individual responsibility and denies any responsibility for the death of a young woman named Eva Smith. The Inspector questions each member of the Birling family and their fiancé Gerald about their interactions with Eva Smith earlier in the year, revealing how each person's actions contributed to her downward spiral and eventual suicide. By the end, the Inspector has the family questioning their beliefs about social responsibility.
1) Juliette wants to sell her villa for 200,000 francs as she needs money and is tired of the place.
2) An agent sends a couple, Gaston and Jeanne, to look at the villa but Gaston is not interested in buying it.
3) While the women are upstairs, another customer, Mrs. Al Smith, mistakes Gaston for the owner and offers to buy the villa from him for 300,000 francs. Gaston is able to pocket the extra 100,000 francs for himself without any effort.
An Inspector Calls - Character and ThemeRoss Docherty
The document provides an overview of key characters and themes in An Inspector Calls. It summarizes:
1) Arthur Birling represents the wealthy middle-class who are unaware of the effects of their actions on workers.
2) Sheila realizes her responsibility for Eva Smith's fate most quickly and questions social responsibility.
3) The Inspector advocates for the rich to care for the poor and represents the play's message about social responsibility.
This document provides context and summaries of characters and plot points from J.B. Priestley's play An Inspector Calls. The play is set in 1912 and tells the story of the Birling family, a wealthy industrialist family, who are visited one evening by an inspector investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman named Eva Smith. Through his interrogation of the various family members and their fiancé Gerald Croft, it is revealed that each person's individual actions contributed to Eva's downward spiral and eventual death. The document analyzes the characters, their roles and evolution over the course of the play, as well as Priestley's intentions and themes regarding social responsibility.
The play explores themes of social responsibility and the interconnectedness of society through the interrogation of a wealthy British family by a police inspector about the suicide of a young pregnant woman named Eva Smith. Each family member is revealed to have played a small role in Eva's downward spiral through selfish actions like firing her from a job or refusing charity, showing how the attitudes and choices of all members of society can impact others. The inspector's compelling arguments seek to persuade the family that true change is needed to build a more just post-war society where people support each other.
The document provides background information on J.B. Priestley, the author of An Inspector Calls, and context about the play. It discusses Priestley's life and experiences, including fighting in WWI. It outlines some of the key themes in the play like class conflict, social responsibility, and the roles of women. It also provides historical context for when the play is set in 1912, covering events like the Titanic and women's suffrage movement.
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The document provides a timeline of events involving Eva Smith and members of the Birling family between 1910-1912. It shows that Eva was sacked from her jobs by Mr. Birling and Sheila Birling. She later became Gerald Croft's mistress before he broke things off. Eva discovered she was pregnant by Eric Birling and was denied assistance from Mrs. Birling. She ultimately committed suicide in April 1912. The timeline establishes the connections between Eva and each member of the Birling family that will be explored in the play.
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Critical analysis of 'A view from the bridge' by Arthur Miller. Husain Necklace
This essay explores the theme of 'choices' illustrated by Arthur Miller in his play 'A view from the bridge'. The essay enumerates the theme through three main characters: Eddie and Beatrice Carbone and Catherine.
This document discusses the context surrounding William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet from multiple perspectives. It examines the original 16th century Elizabethan English context, where theatre was a main form of entertainment. It also looks at the modern 21st century context of today's readers in school. Finally, it analyzes the original context of Romeo and Juliet, set in a world where marriage was arranged and going against social order caused chaos, compared to Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film adaptation set in a modern city culture with emphasis on media, violence, and wealth.
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I have made another educational power point with even more slides to help students with their English literature exams coming up soon. This is based on An Inspector Calls which is a play written in 1945 made by Priestly. I hope you enjoy and learn, please follow and like to discover more power points. Thank you! (Reference: Bitesize: English literature)
~ Suzan G
(Info is from Bitesize, I don't own it)
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.
This document provides revision notes for the play "An Inspector Calls" by J.B. Priestley. It summarizes the key plot points of each act and discusses the main characters. The notes identify external events that influenced the time period and key structural elements of the play. They provide a quick summary of each act and pose important questions to consider from the act. The document aims to help students revise and prepare for their GCSE exam on the play.
This document provides revision notes for An Inspector Calls, including:
1) A brief introduction noting some historical context that could be further explored in the play.
2) Key notes on the play's structure, setting, and themes.
3) A quick summary of each act, highlighting the main events and revelations about Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
4) Important questions and points to consider about the characters, relationships, and lessons learned in each act.
5) Brief descriptions of the main characters like Mr. Birling.
The document provides a revision sheet on the plot and characters of An Inspector Calls. It summarizes the plot in 12 points and describes the 7 main characters. It also analyzes key themes of the play such as responsibility, class, attitudes, and age. The themes section compares the attitudes and reactions of the older and younger generations to the inspector's message about their responsibility for Eva Smith's death.
Here are some of the key ways that Russell develops characters in Blood Brothers:
- Through song - Songs often reveal a character's inner thoughts and feelings. Both Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons have signature songs that develop their characters.
- Use of a narrator - The narrator provides crucial background on the characters' lives and circumstances, helping the audience understand their motivations and perspectives.
- Dialogue between characters - What the characters say to each other, and how they interact, reveals aspects of their personalities and relationships.
- Physical description and stage directions - Details about a character's appearance, body language, actions etc. help the audience visualize them and interpret their character.
- Character's relationships and interactions
The document provides a revision guide for J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls". It includes summaries of the play's chronology, themes of responsibility, love, time, women's roles and class. It analyzes the significance of the play being set in 1912 but written in 1946. It examines the enigmatic Inspector and provides character analyses of Mr. Birling and Sheila. The revision guide comprehensively covers many key elements and interpretations of the play in under 7 pages.
This document provides context and notes about J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls". It includes notes from the director, descriptions of the characters, a summary of the plot, and discussion of themes like social class and responsibility. The play examines the responsibility of a wealthy family after a surprise visit from an inspector investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman named Eva Smith. Each family member is found to have played a small role in the events that led to her death.
The document provides a story outline and summary of Pygmalion by G.B. Shaw. It summarizes the key events and characters including Professor Higgins transforming a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle into a lady through speech lessons. It also discusses themes around class, gender roles, and morality. The summary analyzes aspects like Shaw's use of humor, paradoxes, and the unconventional ending that subverts expectations.
Peter Sutcliffe had difficult family relationships. He was the oldest of five siblings and grew up in a religious household with his parents in Bingley. His mother Kathleen could be illicit and his father John was often distant. As an adult, Sutcliffe had a toxic marriage to Sonia, who suffered from schizophrenia. She was very controlling of Peter but also had an affair. Sutcliffe's relationship with his victim Anna Rogulski is unknown, as he denies she was a "ripper victim", though he admits to attacking her. There is debate around whether Sonia knew of Sutcliffe's murders, with arguments on both sides.
J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls" examines social responsibility through the story of Eva Smith's death. Each member of the upper-class Birling family contributed in some way to Eva's downward spiral, whether it was Mr. Birling firing her, Sheila firing her from another job, Eric impregnating and abandoning her, or Gerald having an affair with her. By the end, the family realizes how their individual actions impacted Eva's life but Mr. Birling refuses to accept responsibility. The play leaves the audience contemplating their own social responsibilities.
2. Biography
John Boynton Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire on September 1894
and known as J. B. Priestley. His mother died in the same year and his father,
who was a school master remarried four years later. He was an English novelist,
playwright and broadcaster. Many of his plays are structured around a time-slip,
and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that
link past, present and future. At the age of sixteen, Priestley decided to leave
school rather than work towards a university scholarship. In 1910, he became a
'very junior clerk' with the local wool firm of Helm and Company. Before the First
World War, Priestley gained much of the experience which was to color his writing
career. There were no professional writers among the people who read a great
deal and surrounded Priestley; rather him, having grown up into his father's circle
of socialist friends, and joined in with their political arguments: 'I was politically-
minded to some extent but never able to put politics first.' At the age of twenty; in
1914, he joined the infantry. And in 1919, he left the army. In 1940, he broadcast
a series of short propaganda talks that were credited with saving civilian morale
during the Battle of Britain. In 1941 he played an important part in organizing and
supporting a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the London Philharmonic
Orchestra, because of his deep love for classical music. In 1977, the Queen
made him a member of the Order of Merit, an honour he enjoyed until his death
in 1984 at the age of eighty-nine.
3. Characters
A.Protagonists:
-Eric: is an opposite of his sister and ‘not quite at ease’. Like
his sister, however, he feels both a strong sense of guilt and
real sympathy towards Eva Smith.
-Sheila: is the Birling’s daughter, engaged to be married to
Gerald Croft. She is in her early twenties and is ‘pretty’.
-The Inspector: named ‘Goole’, is described as creating
‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’.
He is the one who makes things happen in the play.
-Eva Smith/Daisy Renton: is linked to all the other
characters, except for the inspector and Edna, who all
seemed to have played a part in her downfall. Her existence
and death are in direct contrast with the wealthy lives of the
Birlings and Gerald Croft.
4. -Edna: "The parlour maid." Her presence onstage is a
timely reminder of the presence of the lower classes, whom
families like the Birlings unthinkingly keep in thrall.
B. Antagonists:
-Mr. Birling: A successful business man, a magistrate
and someone who is active in local politics. Mr. Birling has
also had the honour of being Lord Mayor of Brumley.
-Mrs. Birling: is like her husband, a woman of some
public influence and sitting on charity organizations. Owing to
her coldness and lack of conscience, she is seen as being
unsympathetic and out of touch with reality.
-Gerald Croft: Sheila’s fiancé and the son of her father’s
industrial rival. He is respected by Mr. Birling with whom he
shares an opinion on the way to conduct business.
5. Plot
A. Introduction: The Birling family was enjoying a
family dinner together, as a result of Sheila’s
engagement to Gerald.
B. Raising Action: Their evening was interrupted by
the arrival of a police inspector by the name of Goole,
who was making enquiries into the suicide of a young
woman.
C. Climax: The Birling family together with the inspector,
started arguing about their responsibility in the suicide
of the young woman.
D. Falling Action: The inspector leaves, the Birling
family and Gerald had doubts, and then a second
phone call took place.
6. Summary
The Birling family was enjoying a family dinner
as a result of Sheila’s engagement to Gerald, but
unfortunately their evening dinner was interrupted by
the arrival of a police inspector by the name of
Goole. He was making enquiries into the suicide of a
young woman called Eva Smith. This is because
there seems to be a lot of reasons which have driven
the victim into suicide and he might think there’s a
crime behind. He then showed them a photograph
that he had of the woman, and from it Mr. Birling
admits that he once employed her in his factory but
had sacked her over an industrial dispute over
wages.
7. Upon seeing the photograph herself, Sheila
realizes that she also sacked the same woman
from her job as a shop assistant. The inspector
has an uncanny knowledge about the family’s
dealing with the girl and wants to make them
realize that they’re responsible for others. When
the inspector mentioned that Eva Smith has in fact
changed her name into Daisy Renton, Gerald
reacted. This made it obvious that he knows the
girl. After confessing his affair, Sheila solved the
engagement; she broke up. Actually, she isn’t very
angry anymore, but she needs some time to
think.
8. When Eric was out of the room Mrs. Birling was forced to
admit that she also has an involvement with the girl. Two
weeks earlier she had refused the girl who had come
to her seeking help. It is then revealed that the girl
was pregnant and the suspicion now points at Eric as
being the father of the unborn child. Eric confesses
that he was he who had got the girl pregnant. He also
admits to having stolen money from his father’s firm
in an attempt to support her. When he hears that his
mother refused to help the girl he is horrified and
blames her for the death of the girl and of the unborn
child. The inspector has therefore done his job at this
point by showing each of them that they had a part to
play in ruining the girl’s life, so he leaves.
9. Gerald and Mr. Birling begin to have doubts about
the inspector’s identity and are gradually able to
prove that the man was not a real police inspector.
This then raises further doubts between them all
about whether they have been talking about the
same girl or indeed whether any girl had actually
killed herself at all. Gerald telephones the infirmary
who confirm that they have no record of any girl
dying there that afternoon. At that point the
telephone rings and Mr. Birling answers it. It is the
police calling to say that a young woman has just
died on her way to the infirmary and that an
inspector is on his way to make enquiries about her
death.
10. Evaluation
The method of writing and delivering the
sequences of the play's events to the reader besides
the words used, play an effective role.
In this play, John Priestley used strong,
expressive and poignant words, which fit the
situation and the place where he used. These words
made the play an interesting one, although it started
in a boring way. Further, these words made me
enthusiasm to read more and excited to know what
will happen next.