introduction to inspector calls essay

An Inspector Calls: A* / L9 Example Intro + Paragraph

Here are some samples of an essay on An Inspector Calls, on the theme of responsibility. I wrote these myself as a teacher to show students an example of the standard required to get a high level at GCSE. I’ve also broken down the structure below so you can see what to put into each paragraph and how to organise all of your ideas – this is the most important thing for getting a high level in an essay !

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How does Priestley explore the theme of responsibility in the play?  

EXAMPLE INTRO: 

Responsibility is a very important theme in An Inspector Calls, as the Inspector reveals one by one that all the Birling family are partly responsible for Eva’s death. Eva represents the lower classes, and Priestley uses the tragic ending of her character to spread his message about social responsibility, a message which is delivered by the Inspector himself, who acts as a mouthpiece for Priestley’s own views on socialism and equality. Overall, the audience realizes that their actions affect other people’s lives, so they are responsible for looking after and caring for everyone in society. 

An Inspector Calls: Character Revision

EXAMPLE MIDDLE PARAGRAPH: 

• Point (one sentence that answers part of the question, your idea)
• Evidence (quotes/references that prove your point) 
• The technique (language features/dramatic features/structure features)
• Explanation (analysis – how/why the evidence proves the point)
• Development (context/alternative interpretations)
• Link (linking back to the argument/thesis in the Intro)

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JB Priestley embedded strong political messages in his play, and you need to understand those well to be able to write a high level essay or exam answer on the text. This course will enable you o revise the major characters and social messages in the play, and go deeper into the themes and context so you can get the most out of each essay

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How to crack the ‘An Inspector Calls’ essay: a suggested structure

Happy easter year 10 and 11. i do hope you’re channeling your energy into some purposeful literature revision and that re-reading ‘an inspector calls’ is an integral element of this process. you see, swatting up on the literature texts means knowing the texts inside out , upside down (impressive) and front to back; it’s not enough to have read the texts once with me in class, the examiners can tell a mile off a student who knows the texts from those who have merely regurgitated what their teacher has told them about it., so in leaving the knowing of the text up to you and your independence now, i thought i’d put together a one stop shop for how to structure a top band ‘an inspector calls’ essay in exam conditions – this i can help with. here goes….

STEP ONE: The Introduction In your introduction, you need to set up the parameters for debate – your big bossy idea that will be constantly referred back to in the main body of your essay. This means you need to outline your argument and show that you know exactly what the question is asking you. You will also need to show how you are going to focus your answer.

If you are asked about a character, you should provide an overview of this character’s importance to the play and his/her function . if you are writing about a theme, you should talk about how that theme pervades the play and the reason you find it important. if you are asked about the opening or ending of the play, you should ensure you open by talking about its significance to the play as a whole., here’s an example of a meaningful, purposeful introduction:, what is the function of sheila in an inspector calls sheila has been celebrated as the most dynamic character in the play by many readers and viewers of ‘an inspector calls’. this is because she is deliberately crafted as a mouthpiece for priestley as well as being a physical representative of the younger generation – a generation that has the potential power to aid the socialist progression of society. whilst she has been raised as a member of the upper middle class, she is able to shake off her capitalist views in favour of a more socialist perspective, encouraging her family to recognise the importance of looking after those in less privileged positions. sheila, by the end of the play, is indeed the very portrait of change priestley sought in a post ww2 context. .

Step two: The main body of your essay for a character based essay:

As my highly scientific diagram of a veggie burger above suggests, the main body of your essay is the most essential – it carries the sustenance, the weight to the ideas posed in your introduction. for character questions you might want to break it down like this:, section 1: how the character is presented before the inspector’s arrival – contrast with another character e.g. sheila vs her mother, section 2: how the character is presented when they hear news of eva smith or daisy renton – compare and contrast with other characters;, section 3: how the character is presented during their interrogation – compare or contrast with another character and also discuss how the inspector treats them., section 4: how the character is presented at the end of the play once the inspector leaves – compare and contrast with other characters., for each of the sections identified above, you need to do the following: – provide a clear topic sentence, e.g. when we are first introduced to sheila, we feel…..; – provide at least one piece of evidence from the play, ideally 2-3; – analyse the evidence (the language) and provide inferences about the character, using analytical verbs from your word bank; – contrast or compare with another character; –  explain how priestley may want us to feel about the character and how this connects to his ideas., for some of the sections, you need to also: – discuss a dramatic device used at this point in the play e.g. stage directions. entrances and exits, props etc. – introduce contextual information to develop your interpretation of character. , approaching a theme based question:, a typical question might appear like this:, how does priestley present the theme of conflict in an inspector calls, the structure for an essay on themes is fairly straightforward. you need to decide on 3-4 ways in which the theme is presented and then examine each of these in turn. try to have something unusual up your sleeve for your final paragraph. remember, that for each section of your essay, you need to follow the same rules as above also., here are two visual examples of how you can approach themes:.

Essays on structure / specific scenes

Sometimes, you will be offered a question which is a little unusual so expect the unexpected. it may ask you to consider a part of the play and its relationship to a whole, or it may draw your attention to a structural device. these questions can be more challenging in terms of how to organise your response., an example: how is the opening of an inspector calls effective in setting up the events and ideas in the play, in order to tackle this, you will need to decide on four key aspects of the opening scene to explore, but you will still need to talk about the play as a whole since the question asks about the scene’s importance to the events and ideas presented later. here is an example plan for tackling this question:, 1. the use of lighting – the mood created and how this changes later in the play; 2. the use of props – how atmosphere is created and what these props symbolise, linking to ideas later in the play and context of edwardian era; 3. the stage directions and what we learn about each character merely from first impressions – how these are then demonstrated later in the play; 4. edna – her voice and lack thereof; 5. birling’s big, bold speeches; 6. the sharp ring of the doorbell – how it provokes a change in events, mood, ideas, and how it links to what happens at the end of the play; 7. any early foreshadowing..

The Tricky Conclusion If in doubt, leave it out! A conclusion is important in drawing your ideas together, but  there is little worse than a bad conclusion! If you are simply going to waffle and repeat  yourself, stick to a very brief and compelling single sentence to round off your essay.

If,  however, you wish to gain access to the higher levels of the mark scheme, you need to  develop a carefully crafted conclusion to your debate. you should draw together your  ideas to formulate your overall view on the theme or character, and ideally say something compelling to leave your essay on a high. the conclusion is to give your essay a sense of completeness and let your readers know that they have come to the end of your argument. it might restate the thesis in different words, summarise the main points you have made, or make a relevant comment about the literary work you are analysing, but from a different perspective. do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion., example conclusion:, what is the function of sheila in an inspector calls by the time we reach the final moments of the play, sheila has fallen silent, along with the rest of her family. however, this is not the silence of guilt; it is the telling silence of defeat: she has tried desperately to convince her family to “learn something” and reproaches them like a parent when she exclaims “it frightens me the way you talk”, but all of her efforts have been in vain. we see her as a reformed character and recognise priestley’s cry for help from his audience – we are all left wanting to help sheila in her quest to change the stagnant dangerous attitudes of the upper middle class – attitudes that repress the lower class citizens of society. therefore, we can see that sheila’s function is not merely to teach simple lessons about looking  after thy neighbour, but political lessons: we need to learn from the mistakes of our past, which led to two harrowing world wars, and seek to create a more caring and inclusive society., so you see, in the end all essays have a process and a logic behind them. just make sure you’re saying something passionate and telling throughout. never forget that the play is a construction and serves a political purpose. the characters aren’t real people but serve metaphorical and allegorical functions. your essay must be well structured sure, but it must also be a display of your passion for the text itself – let this shine through the formalities.  .

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Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

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An inspector calls - An introduction

An inspector calls

The play “An Inspector calls” was written by J.B. Priestly in 1945. It was set in a Midland Industrial town in 1912. The plot of this dramatic play is based around a visit by an inspector to an apparently normal and well-respected family. All the characters are affected by the death of Eva Smith, but Sheila Birling shows the greatest remorse and changes the most. In this essay, I will discuss how Sheila changes during the play and her role in the death of Eva Smith. I am also going to briefly discuss about the other characters.

  In the play “An Inspector calls”, each character reacts differently. Mr Birling, Sheila’s father is arrogant and outspoken about his self-centred beliefs of the world “a man has to mind his own business and look after his own.” He is less vocal as the inspector starts questioning them and appears somehow ashamed as the story develops. His involvement

In Eva Smiths’ case is that he sacked her from a job she needed dearly. The inspector mentions that this plays a part in her suicide. However at the end, when the inspector departs he returns to his old self, choosing to ignore the inspector’s lesson. He puts it aside stating the fact that Goole was a “hoax”.  He is only concerned on how it might have

Affected his knighthood.

  Lady Birling, is the most reluctant to admit her guilt in the girl’s

Death. She is portrayed as determined but narrow minded, out of touch with what really happens. Her involvement in the case was that she rejected Eva at a time of need. This was the final straw before her suicide. The most Mrs Birling bends towards sympathy is to say: “ I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end”. She still remains untouched by the inspector’s questioning and refuses to see how her actions could have lead to Eva Smith’s death. “I accept no blame for it all”. After the inspector leaves, she returns to her old self. When the inspector is discovered to be a hoax, she states: “He certainly didn’t make me confess”. She refuses to allow the ordeal any value in her life.

This is a preview of the whole essay

  Gerald, Sheila’s fiancé is also involved in this case of Eva Smith. He had an affair with her the summer before. Gerald had thought his involvement with Eva Smith was “all over and done with last summer” but generally comes to recognise that his actions have had lasting consequences. When inspector Goole reveals the death of Eva Smith, he responds with the phrase: “My God”.  Priestly shows Gerald in a more sympathetic light. Gerald is the one to reveal to the others the fact that Goole is a hoax. He is described as smiling as he says, “everything is alright now”. Although he helped Eva Smith, he fails to understand that whether or not he has actually driven a girl to suicide; he is just as guilty of selfishness and hypocrisy. His guilt seems to evaporate after the inspector leaves.

  Eric, the son of Mr Birling is shown to have the honesty the others lack. He is the only one to respond spontaneously to details of the girl’s death. He had slept with Eva Smith and caused her to become pregnant. When he found out, he offered her money stolen from his father’s account, but Eva refuses to accept it. Although Eric is not a particularly pleasant character, he is still sincerely ashamed of his behaviour and is capable of changing for the better. After the inspector has gone, him and Sheila are the only ones that seem to have learnt a lesson from the incident.

  In this play “An Inspector calls”, Sheila is shown to be the most affected by this ordeal. In the start of the play she is described as a “pretty girl” who is very “pleased with life”. Later however, her prettiness is revealed as vanity and her happiness selfishness, bought Eva Smith her job. At first Sheila’s reaction is superficial, she seems upset her evening has been spoilt, “and I have been so happy tonight”. But unlike her parents, Sheila quickly realises her part in Eva Smith’s death. She comes to see Eva as an individual. “These girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people”. As the story is revealed, Sheila immediately learns about Eva’s unfair dismissal from Mr Birling’s factory, she is critical of her father. Sheila is readier than the others to admit her guilt and express her regret to her actions. She makes minimal effort to excuse herself from her behaviour. Her reaction is very different from her father’s. She denounces the act for what it was “I think it was cruel”. She also admits she behaved badly and that she is “ashamed of it”. She feels deep remorse while the inspector is there. After the inspector leaves she still remembers the story and still feels sorrow. She is concerned at the rate that her parents recover. She is amazed they haven’t learned anything from it. Even though the inspector was a hoax, she still thinks they all behaved in an unsuitable manner. She learns to be responsible even to those less fortunate than her.

  Sheila has a very important role in the play. She represents Priestley’s point of view. After the inspector leaves she states:  “It doesn’t make any real difference if he was a real inspector or not” because in her own opinion the inspector has fulfilled his purpose. She acts as the conscience in this play. Hers is the voice that challenges the older generation and the great moral divide between people. She helps the inspector during his questioning. Her bond with the inspector is shown in her echoing of his words when she says to Gerald: “we haven’t much time”. The inspector is always aware of the lack of time and everything controlled by it. Both Sheila and Eric represent the younger generation and they seem to stand up against the older generation. Priestly also shows the audience the contrast between Sheila and Eva Smith. They are both approximately the same ages yet are shown to live completely differently lives.

  In the production of “An Inspector Calls”, how Sheila changes could be illustrated in different ways. At the beginning of the play when celebrating her engagement, she would speak in a light-hearted, jovial tone to show how contented with life she is. However in the final act, her tone of voice would be more serious and this would show the audience, that she is much more mature and more serious about life. She could also be shown moving from an enclosed life into a real world, by moving into the inspector’s light. This would show her being enlightened by the truth of Eva’s death. To reveal Sheila’s growing concern for others in the society, the director could have the actress change costumes. When she runs out of the room in Act 1, she could return wearing a simple dress.

This would suggest to the audience she has began to feel regret for her actions and is becoming more serious minded.

  In many ways the engagement ring symbolises Sheila’s transformation. When Gerald gives her the ring in Act 1, before the inspector arrives, she accepts it happily. In Act 2 she returns the ring to him after hearing of his involvement with Eva. Finally in Act 3, after the inspector leaves and is discovered to be a hoax, Gerald tries to persuade her to

accept the ring again but she reacts by saying “No, because I remember what he said”. This shows she has not just put the matter aside and she is still shaken by it.

  Priestly expresses his views about the society in 1912. He is inviting the audience to examine the great moral divide between the rich and poor. He sets the play in 1912 before the Titanic and the two world wars, so the audience can see how the characters values and attitudes are very different to theirs. In the play Mr Birling states “ The Titanic, unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”. The irony in this sentence is that the audience know the Titanic sinks, but the characters do not. Irony is also used when Mr Birling states, “There isn’t a chance of war”. Two years later a war broke out. Priestly uses this to show how capitalist caused the war.

  Sheila’s language changes at different points of the play. In the beginning of the play she quite childlike and uses the word “mummy” to her mother Mrs Birling. As the play progresses the word “mummy” changes to “mother” after she realises all that has happened and different people’s attitude to things. She also becomes much more inquisitive and evaluates each member of her family and their actions. She helps the investigation in many ways, to bring out the truth. She is willing to learn from her

Mistakes and tries to encourage the others to learn as well. Sheila’s changes reflect the political idea that we need to take responsibility towards others less fortunate. Priestly uses Sheila to encourage socialism and equality, he discourages capitalism. The fact that she questions the values and attitudes of her parents, reflect the changing attitudes of the younger generation and increase in women’s independence.  The only other person that shares her attitude is Eric. This shows that the younger generations are more open-minded and are able to learn from their mistakes and change. The older generation is being forced to learn appropriate values of life by the younger generation. Priestly uses Sheila and Eric to represent socialists who can bring hope to the future.

  To sum it all up, Sheila changes the most in “An Inspector Calls”. She helps the inspector in bringing out and questioning different people’s views of life. Priestly uses Sheila to express his views about capitalism. He uses Sheila to show the audience that there is room for change to bring about a better future for all.

Document Details

• Word Count 1698
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• Subject English

Related Essays

An Inspector Calls

AN INSPECTOR CALLS

An Essay Writing Guide for GCSE (9-1)

So you now know the play – but how do you structure your essay?

This clean & simple new guide from Accolade Press will walk you through how to plan and structure essay responses to questions on J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls . By working through nine mock questions, these detailed essay plans will show you how to go about building a theme based answer – while the accompanying notes will illustrate not only how to masterfully structure your response , but also how to ensure all AQA's Assessment Objectives are being satisfied.

R.P. Davis has a First Class degree in English Literature from UCL, and a Masters in Literature from Cambridge University. Aside from teaching GCSE English (which he's done for nearly a decade now), he has also written a string of bestselling thriller novels.

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Alternatively, you can purchase and download an electronically delivered PDF directly from us here .

Sample from the Guide

In your GCSE English Literature exam, you will be presented with two questions on J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls , and you will then be asked to pick just one to answer. Of course, once you’ve picked the question you prefer, there are many methods you might use to tackle it. However, there is one particular technique which, due to its sophistication, most readily allows students to unlock the highest marks: namely, the thematic method . 

To be clear, this study guide is not intended to walk you through the play act-by-act and sequence-by-sequence: there are many great guides out there that do just that. No, this guide, by sifting through a series of mock exam questions, will demonstrate how to organise a response thematically and thus write a stellar essay: a skill we believe no other study guide adequately covers!

I have encountered students who have structured their essays all sorts of ways: some who’ll write about the play chronologically, others who’ll give each character their own paragraph. The method I’m advocating, on the other hand, involves picking out three to four themes that will allow you to holistically answer the question: these three to four themes will become the three to four content paragraphs of your essay, cushioned between a brief introduction and conclusion. Ideally, these themes will follow from one to the next to create a flowing argument. Within each of these thematic paragraphs, you can then ensure you are jumping through the mark scheme’s hoops. 

1) Priestley’s profile as rendered in Ivegate Arch, Bradford. Copyright © Tim Green

So to break things down further, each thematic paragraph will include various point-scoring components. In each paragraph, you will include quotes from the play (yes, that means you’ll have to have some committed to memory!), offer analyses of these quotes, then discuss how the specific language techniques you have identified illustrate the theme you’re discussing. And in most every paragraph, you will comment on the era in which the play was written and how that helps to understand the chosen theme.  

Don’t worry if this all feels daunting. Throughout this guide, I will be illustrating in great detail – by means of examples – how to build an essay of this kind.

The beauty of the thematic approach is that, once you have your themes, you suddenly have a direction and a trajectory, and this makes essay writing a whole lot easier. However, it must also be noted that selecting themes in the first place is something students often find tricky. I have come across many candidates who understand the play inside out; but when they are presented with questions under exam conditions, and the pressure kicks in, they find it tough to break their response down into themes. The fact of the matter is: the process is a creative one and the best themes require a bit of imagination. 

In this guide, I shall take nine different exam-style questions, and shall put together a plan for each – a plan that illustrates in detail how we will be satisfying the mark scheme’s criteria. Please do keep in mind that, when operating under timed conditions, your plans will necessarily be less detailed than those that appear in this volume. 

2) A statue depicting Priestley at his typewriter. Copyright © Tim Green

Now, you might be asking whether three or four themes is best. The truth is, you should do whatever you feel most comfortable with: the examiner is looking for an original, creative answer, and not sitting there counting the themes. So if you think you are quick enough to cover four, then great. However, if you would rather do three to make sure you do each theme justice, that’s also fine. I sometimes suggest that my student pick four themes, but make the fourth one smaller – sort of like an afterthought, or an observation that turns things on their head. That way, if they feel they won’t have time to explore this fourth theme in its own right, they can always give it a quick mention in the conclusion instead. 

Before I move forward in earnest, I believe it to be worthwhile to run through the four Assessment Objectives the exam board want you to cover in your response – if only to demonstrate how effective the thematic response can be. I would argue that the first Assessment Objective (AO1) – the one that wants candidates to ‘read, understand and respond to texts’ and which is worth 12 of the total 30 marks up for grabs – will be wholly satisfied by selecting strong themes, then fleshing them out with quotes. Indeed, when it comes to identifying the top-scoring candidates for AO1, the mark scheme explicitly tells examiners to look for a ‘critical, exploratory, conceptualised response’ that makes ‘judicious use of precise references’ – the word ‘concept’ is a synonym of theme, and ‘judicious references’ simply refers to quotes that appropriately support the theme you’ve chosen.

The second Assessment Objective (AO2) – which is also responsible for 12 marks – asks students to ‘analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ As noted, you will already be quoting from the play as you back up your themes, and it is a natural progression to then analyse the language techniques used. In fact, this is far more effective than simply observing language techniques (metaphor here, alliteration there), because by discussing how the language techniques relate to and shape the theme, you will also be demonstrating how the writer ‘create[s] meanings and effects.’ 

Now, in my experience, language analysis is the most important element of AO2 – perhaps 8 of the 12 marks will go towards language analysis. You will also notice, however, that AO2 asks students to comment on ‘form and structure.’ Again, the thematic approach has your back – because though simply jamming in a point on form or structure will feel jarring, when you bring these points up while discussing a theme, as a means to further a thematic argument, you will again organically be discussing the way it ‘create[s] meanings and effects.’ 

AO3 requires you to ‘show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written’ and is responsible for a more modest 6 marks in total. These are easy enough to weave into a thematic argument; indeed, the theme gives the student a chance to bring up context in a relevant and fitting way. After all, you don’t want it to look like you’ve just shoehorned a contextual factoid into the mix.

3) A photo of the Titanic in Southhampton in April 1912, prior to its disastrous maiden voyage. Birling’s comments about the Titanic are key to understanding his character.

Finally, you have AO4 – known also as “spelling and grammar.” There are four marks up for grabs here. Truth be told, this guide is not geared towards AO4. My advice? Make sure you are reading plenty of books and articles, because the more you read, the better your spelling and grammar will be. Also, before the exam, perhaps make a list of words you struggle to spell but often find yourself using in essays, and commit them to memory. 

My hope is that this book, by demonstrating how to select relevant themes, will help you feel more confident in doing so yourself. I believe it is also worth mentioning that the themes I have picked out are by no means definitive. Asked the very same question, someone else may pick out different themes, and write an answer that is just as good (if not better!). Obviously the exam is not likely to be fun – my memory of them is pretty much the exact opposite. But still, this is one of the very few chances that you will get at GCSE level to actually be creative. And to my mind at least, that was always more enjoyable – if enjoyable is the right word – than simply demonstrating that I had memorised loads of facts.

Essay Plan One

How does Priestley explore responsibility in An Inspector Calls?

Introduction

I often suggest kicking off the introduction with a piece of historical or literary context, because this ensures you are scoring AO3 marks (marks that too often get neglected!) right off the bat. It’s then a good idea to quickly touch on the themes you are planning to discuss, since this will alert the examiner to the fact that AO1 is also front and centre in your mind.  

“Given that in the wake of WW2 the world found itself cleaved between two competing ideologies – an Anglo-American capitalism and Russian style communism – it is unsurprising that Priestley’s 1945 play found itself preoccupied with these duelling ideologies.1 Indeed, a key discrepancy between these ideologies comes under particular scrutiny: their conceptions of social responsibility. If Birling is the voice of the self-interested capitalist who abrogates all social responsibilities, Goole is Priestley’s mouthpiece for a socialist dogma that insists social responsibilities be acknowledged: a dogma that sways the younger Birlings yet not the older contingent .2 ” 

Theme/Paragraph One: Priestley explores responsibility at the societal level: Birling is the voice of a capitalist laissez-faire attitude towards social responsibility, whereas Goole backs a socialist model of heightened responsibility. 3 By casting Goole as the protagonist, and Birling as antagonist, the play tacitly suggests the socialist model is morally superior. 

• In the play’s opening act, Priestley has Birling sing the praises of the capitalist mentality of minimal social responsibility: in an after-dinner speech, Birling asserts that ‘a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself,’ and dismisses the idea that ‘everybody has to look after everybody else’ as ‘nonsense.’ Birling’s vitriol for the socialist model is perhaps best conveyed in a simile likening it to ‘bees in a hive’ – an image which, by equating the mindset of socialists to that of insects, suggests it to be intellectually regressive and dehumanising. However, Priestley seeks to subvert Birling’s attitude from the off. Exploiting the fact that the play is set in 1912, Priestley places comments steeped in dramatic irony in Birling’s mouth: Birling dismisses the likelihood of war (‘the Germans don’t want war’) and pronounces the Titanic ‘unsinkable.’4 The self-evident foolishness of these comments immediately throws his entire worldview into question. [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote; AO2 for the close analysis of the language; AO3 for placing the text in historical context ].

• Of course, Priestley deconstructs Birling’s worldview more emphatically through the character of Goole. The timing of Goole’s arrival (almost immediately after Birling’s pronouncements) instantly hint that he will offer a counterpoint, and the mere fact he bothers chastising Birling for firing unionised workers, or Sheila for having a shop attendant sacked, points to his socialist bona fides: these are not legal transgressions an inspector would ordinarily follow up, but rather social ones.5 However, the clearest articulation of his ideology of heightened social responsibility comes in the staccato sentences just prior to his departure in Act 3: ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote; AO2 for discussing how form and structure shapes meaning ].

• The arc and staging of the story – in which the unflappable Goole, who is repeatedly described as ‘taking charge,’ exposes Birling’s blustering hypocrisies – ensures that Goole’s view on social responsibility, the one that the socialist-minded Priestley in fact favoured, is the one the audience is encouraged to favour, too. [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote ].

Theme/Paragraph Two: As the play unfolds, Goole is able to instil a sense of responsibility in the Birling children, yet fails to achieve the same with their parents. The play is an exploration of the degree to which people might be awakened to the ideology of social responsibility.  

• As Goole turns his attentions to Sheila later in Act 1, and dredges up the occasion she had a woman (supposedly Eva Smith) sacked from her job at a clothing store, Sheila proves credulous to Goole’s idea that this incident, while perhaps not a legal transgression, had contributed to that girl’s suicide. Goole explicitly asserts that Sheila is ‘partly to blame,’ and Sheila internalises the notion: by the start of Act 2 (a heart-beat later in the play’s structure), Sheila is keenly shouldering the responsibility: ‘I know I’m to blame – and I’m desperately sorry.’ Even when Gerald, in Act 3, discovers that Goole was in fact not on the police force and there had been no woman in the infirmary, Sheila maintains a sense that they still ought to be shouldering responsibility: her sardonic response to her parents’ blame dodging – ‘So there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn’ – makes clear she thinks the exact opposite.6 [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote; AO2 for the close analysis of the language and for discussing how structure shapes meaning ].

• Although more reluctant to face responsibility in the first place (as symbolised by his fleeing the household in Act 2), Eric also eventually proves amenable to Goole’s philosophy of responsibility taking (as symbolised by his voluntary return). Of course, in many respects Eric’s transgressions are heftier and more legally perilous – he stole, and potentially committed rape – and thus the onus on him to shoulder responsibility is surely greater. Nevertheless, he does indeed do so, echoing Sheila’s sentiments in the play’s final sequences. [ AO2 for discussing how structure shapes meaning ].

• However, whereas the Birling children internalise the concept – so much so that Sheila starts advocating for this worldview almost as vehemently as Goole – Priestley presents the older Birlings as so repulsed by the idea of social responsibility that, even when faced with their historical acts of cruelty, they refuse to budge: as Mrs Birling puts it near the end of Act 3, ‘I have done no more than my duty.’ [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote ].

Theme/Paragraph Three: Priestley’s play explores the difference between taking responsibility and being held responsible. Although the older Birlings may refuse to take responsibility, Priestley explores how all of the Birlings, plus Gerald, are held responsible through Goole’s interrogations. 

• Given that submitting to Goole’s interrogations might be considered a kind of punishment in its own right, the persistent questioning each of the dinner attendees face ensures that, even if the character in question refuses to take responsibility, they are still held responsible. Often it is Priestley’s stage directions that best reveal the distress the characters are undergoing as they take their turn under Goole’s spotlight. Even the stubborn Birling and Mrs Birling are variously described as behaving ‘angrily,’ ‘bitterly’ or ‘annoyed’ as they weather Goole’s interrogations. Gerald occupies a more equivocal position than the duelling Birling generations: he is contrite, yet does not become an evangelical adherent of Goole’s mentality.7 Nevertheless, he too is held responsible by Goole, and meets with a very real punishment: losing his fiancée. [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote; AO2 for the close analysis of the language].

• Although the crimes in question are of course not analogous, this notion of holding individuals responsible – including those who may refuse to acknowledge their responsibility – was particularly pertinent in the year the play was released.8 After all, four months after the play premiered in July 1945, the Nuremberg Trials got underway: trials specifically designed to prosecute the key players in the Nazi regime, including the unrepentant among them. [ AO3 for placing the text in historical context ].

• However, it is not just Goole that holds the Birlings to account, but the fictional universe in which they exist, too. In what Priestley surely wishes the audience to construe as a supernatural twist, the Birlings and Gerald, after satisfying themselves that at least a portion of the night’s proceedings had been a hoax, receive a call informing them that a girl had just committed suicide and that officers are en route to quiz them.9 This suggests that their collective punishment is about to recommence – indeed, given Birling’s ‘panic-stricken’ face, one assumes it already has. [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote ].  

• While it has previously been noted that the Birling parents are unrepentant, it is perhaps worth noting that the final stage direction describes all the Birlings and Gerald as staring ‘guiltily,’ raising the possibility that this final turn of events might have finally forced the older Birlings to acknowledge some responsibility. [ AO1 for advancing the argument with a judiciously selected quote ].

We have a very meaty essay here, so I don’t think a standalone fourth theme is necessary – and yet I do have one last idea up my sleeve: namely, that Priestley also asks the audience to consider the extent of their own responsibility. As a result, I have slipped this argument into the conclusion, thereby ensuring that I go out with a bang! 

4) A statue of Priestley in his hometown of Bradford, UK. Copyright © Tim Green

“The idea of responsibility is inseparable from Priestley’s play, and bleeds into its every nook and cranny. One might even reflect how Priestley subtly uses his play to explore responsibility on the audience’s part as well. Given Goole’s systematic grilling of everyone in the room, the audience might be left with the uncomfortable feeling that they might also come under scrutiny themselves at any moment. This dynamic cunningly invites the audience to consider (and, where appropriate, take responsibility for) their own complicity in capitalism’s excesses, too.”

1 Capitalism and communism are hugely significant terms, but can be tricky to define. I’ll try and do so briefly.

Capitalism is a philosophy that suggests that a society should be run on the basis of the free market. Goods and services are provided by private companies, and the prices of goods and services depend solely on supply and demand. In capitalist societies, governments tend to intervene far less, and keep spending to a minimum.  

In contrast, communism suggests that all wealth and property should be shared equally among the population, and all the means of production should be owned by the community. 

Socialism, another term you will encounter, is a less extreme cousin of communism. It advocates for government to tax the rich more heavily, and to spend more readily on the poor, in order to redistribute wealth, with the aim of creating a more equitable society.  

These definitions should be treated only as a jumping off point, since these terms are far more complex than these short definitions give them credit. There is also frequently a wide gulf between these ideas as theories, and how they pan out when implemented in real life.

2 If you are abrogating responsibilities, it basically means you’re evading or dodging responsibilities. 

A dogma is a formal set of beliefs. So you might have communist dogma, capitalist dogma, socialist dogma, catholic dogma – and so on!

3 Laissez-faire is a French term and it means ‘to leave alone.’ It is often used by economists to describe how the capitalist system works: the government is encouraged to simply leave things alone, and let the free market determine how things pan out.

4 You may well know this already, but war between Britain and Germany broke out in July 1914 – this was of course World War One. You may well also know that the Titanic sank in April 1912.

5 Someone’s bona fides are their credentials. 

To transgress is to go beyond or exceed what is permissible.

6 The word sardonic is very similar to sarcastic – a sardonic comment is usually a sarcastic one.

7 By an equivocal position, I mean an ambiguous/unclear position; a position that is somewhere between the two extremes.

8 If something is analogous to something else, it means that it is similar to that thing.

9 En route is a French phrase. To be en route somewhere means to be on the way somewhere.

Photos 1, 2 & 4 Copyright © Tim Green. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 .  

Photo 1: ‘Smoke Ring’  

Photo 2: ‘JB Priestley’  

Photo 4: ‘OM’

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An Inspector Calls

J. b. priestley.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

An Inspector Calls: Introduction

An inspector calls: plot summary, an inspector calls: detailed summary & analysis, an inspector calls: themes, an inspector calls: quotes, an inspector calls: characters, an inspector calls: symbols, an inspector calls: theme wheel, brief biography of j. b. priestley.

Historical Context of An Inspector Calls

Other books related to an inspector calls.

• Full Title: An Inspector Calls
• When Written: 1945
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1945 (play premiered in Soviet Union)
• Literary Period: mid-20th century British drama, social realism
• Genre: Mystery drama
• Setting: 1912; a comfortable home in Brumley, England
• Climax: Gerald returns to the Birling home after Goole has left, to report that the Inspector wasn’t actually a real inspector, and to hypothesize that the whole thing was a hoax—that there was no single girl that all of the Birlings had offended, and no suicide that they precipitated.

Extra Credit for An Inspector Calls

Ghoulish Goole. Many interpretations of the text consider the Inspector’s ghostly name to be symbolic of the mystery that surrounds his character.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Keep an eye out for An Inspector Calls games, puzzles and quizzes throughout the site

Below, you'll find everything you need to revise for an inspector calls - and if you need anything else, just let me know and i'll do my very best. it's what i ask of you, and so it's only right that i offer it in return....

Key Themes:

Responsibility

Capitalism vs Socialism

Dramatic Devices

Revision Materials:

Essay titles, you should base your revision around these essay titles., if you can plan an essay for each of these you'll definitely have something great prepared whatever comes up in the exam....

The best way to learn to write great essays is to read great essays.

Click here and you'll find loads of them...., join the class, click here for even more quizzes, exercises and examples - all designed to get you ready for the big day, to join the class, simply click on the link above or go to google classroom and enter the code agcgujo.

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AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE: PAPER 2

How to answer a question on an inspector calls, the first question you’ll answer on english literature paper 2 will be on an inspector calls by j.b. priestley. you have 2 hours 15 minutes for his paper, so you should spend around 45 minutes on this question. unlike the two questions in paper 1, you will not be given an extract to analyse for this question. this gives you greater freedom in terms of which parts of the play you write about, but it makes analysing ao2 more difficult. we will discuss ways to overcome this difficulty in this guide., contents of this guide, some ways to structure this essay, the different argument structures, example essay plans, how to get marks for ao2, how to get marks for ao3 by writing about priestley’s purpose, frequently asked questions.

The structure for this essay is pretty straightforward because you’ve got no extract that you’re expected to start with. However, you do have some options for how to structure your argument in the analysis paragraphs:

Introduction: outline your thesis which summarises your overall argument

Either 2 or 3 analysis paragraphs – generally you’ll work chronologically, though some other options are available too (see below for more detail on this):

Beginning / Middle / End (5-paragraph structure)

At the start / At the end (4-paragraph structure)

On the one hand / On the other hand (4-paragraph structure)

This / And also this (4-paragraph structure)

Conclusion: summarise your thesis and provide clear links back to the context and Priestley’s purpose

The essay structure outlined above includes 4 different possible ways to structure the argument in the middle of the essay. These can be understood in the following ways:

Beginning / Middle / End

This structure is useful for character questions, charting development across the whole play, but it works for all questions.

At the start / At the end

This is a simplified version of the Beginning / Middle / End structure, with 4 paragraphs instead of 4. It works for all questions.

On the one hand / On the other hand

This is a 4-paragraph structure that works well for evaluation questions (‘How far…’).

This / And also this

This structure is useful for theme questions, if you want to make different points about how that theme is presented.

Below are a couple of example essay plans using the structure above. The first uses a 5-paragraph (Beginning / Middle / End) structure and the second a 4-paragraph (At the start / At the end) structure.

How does Priestley present a class-ridden and hypocritical society?

Thesis: Priestley uses the play to highlight how British society in 1912 was still highly stratified in terms of social class. He suggests that this led to the wealthier upper classes behaving selfishly and hypocritically, resulting in the unnecessary suffering of the working class.

Paragraph 1: Priestley introduces social class into the play during the first Act when he presents the Birlings as a family who are highly concerned with class.

Paragraph 2: Priestley shows the real difference between the social classes when the audience learn of the Birlings’ treatment of Eva Smith, the first working-class character in the play.

Paragraph 3: Priestley shows the hypocrisy of Edwardian society through the difference between the way the upper-middle class Birling family treat each other, and how they treat the working-class characters.

Conclusion: This part doesn’t need to be planned – just write it on the fly, providing you have time. Finish with Priestley’s purpose, though.

How does Priestley present Sheila as a character who learns important lessons about herself and society?

Thesis: More than any other character, Sheila is used to portray the idea that people can change. Priestley initially presents her as an entitled and self-satisfied middle-class young woman, but through the intervention of the Inspector, she learns about the suffering of the working class, including the suffering she herself has caused, and, ultimately, she becomes the mouthpiece for Priestley’s socialist views.

Paragraph 1: At the start of the play, Priestley establishes Sheila as a typical upper-middle class young woman of the Edwardian period, shallow, immature and pleased with herself.

Paragraph 2: By the end of the play, however, she has changed almost beyond recognition, becoming a compassionate and empowered young woman, who fights for social justice and stands up for her beliefs.

More than for any of the other English Literature texts, analysing methods can be tricky in this essay.

First, you don’t get given an extract to close-read, so the question isn’t geared around certain methods that the exam board want you to analyse

Second, with a few notable exceptions, the language is fairly naturalistic and lacking in juicy methods like metaphors and similes, unlike Macbeth or the poetry anthology

There are some things you can do, though. Ideally, you’ll want to do all three of these in your essay.

1. Write about Priestley a lot, focussing on how he crafts the play – treat all the characters and dialogue as constructions of the playwright. ‘Characterization’ is a useful term for this.

For example

The characterization of Birling as foolish – used to convey the idea that individualism, which Birling stands for, is also foolish

The idea that the characters are used to represent certain types of people and attitudes

The structure of the Birling’s stories – used to create dramatic irony and show the myopia and hypocrisy of the upper classes

2. Write about stage directions, including lighting, speech modifiers and character descriptions

For example:

“pink and intimate … brighter and harder”

“he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”

“(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business.”

3. Memorise quotations for each character and each theme that do have clear methods; then include whichever is relevant to the question so you can zoom into it and analyse the language

Sybil: “deserving cases” [both words worth zooming into]

Inspector: “fire and blood and anguish” [polysyndeton, triad, war/Hell imagery]

Birling: “lower costs and higher prices” [antithesis]

We have created a list of useful quotations to learn for this purpose, which you can find here .

While An Inspector Calls can be tricky to analyse for AO2, it is an absolute gift for AO3 . Not only are there two different contexts to write about (1912 and 1946), but the play is highly didactic, with a simple and easy to understand message that can be linked back to any question. Essentially all roads lead here:

Priestley’s didactic message, in a nutshell

Priestley wants to show his post-war audience that, though they may have fond memories of life before the horrors of WW1 and WW2 in the ‘good old days’ of the Edwardian Era, life was not, in fact, better back then, especially for the working class. With the war over, Britain does not need to return to these ‘good old days’ but rather to move forward with the socially progressive policies promised by Clement Attlee’s Labour government. These, Priestley believes, will usher in a fairer and more compassionate future, founded on the collectivist principals of socialism, rather than the individualist principals of the pre-war period.

Consider the following questions, which can all easily be linked back to this over-arching message.

Why does Priestley present Birling as an avid capitalist?

Because capitalism is the opposing ideology to socialism. Priestley wants to show his audience an avid capitalist who they might initially admire, before exposing his foolishness and the terrible consequences of his views. We don’t want to go back to those days, surely? We don’t want more of those people.

Why does Priestley make the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation so corrupt?

Because in the Edwardian period the welfare system was facilitated by upper-class charity. Priestley does not want this kind of individualistic altruism in the future; he wants a collectivist Welfare State. Therefore, he implies that these charities were malign, corrupt institutions, and not benign, helpful ones.

Why doesn’t Priestley make Gerald more of a villain? Why does he have the Inspector defend him in his final speech?

Because he wants his audience to see that, even if there were somewhat kindly and charitable upper-class people in the ‘good old days’, this didn’t help, at least not in the long term. We don’t need individualistic posh people trying to be nice, Priestley tells us; we need a proper collectivist Welfare State.

Why does Priestley present remorse as such a powerful agent of change?

Because he wants his audience to feel remorse for their old actions, or at least for their old opinions and their tacit support of the actions of others. Rather than returning to their attitudes from the ‘good old days’, the audience can change, like Sheila, and see that the future is, in fact, brighter than the past.

We could play this game all day — and perhaps you should in your revision. But the crucial thing to remember is that, at various points in your essay, especially in your conclusion, you must link your argument back to this broader purpose that Priestley has , and you need to do so in specific and concrete ways , mentioning people like Clement Attlee, as well as the specific years and historical periods. You need to sound authoritative.

How long should my essay be? Approximately 3 sides of A4 (average sized handwriting) – 4 sides in the answer booklet

Can I achieve a Level 6 in just 3 sides of A4, or do I have to write more? Examiners find that very long essays coast at the same level and lack the necessary depth expected in top level responses. So the answer is no, you don’t have to write a really long essay to get top marks.  In fact, examiners prefer a 3 page essay where you explore ideas in greater depth, but this requires you to be able to express yourself concisely and precisely, without lots of waffle.

The question says ‘Starting with this extract’, so does this mean I have to start my essay with a focus on the extract? No, you do not have to start with the extract.  The examiners have said that ‘Starting with this extract’ means that you should use the extract to start you off with ideas.  It is a thinking prompt.  Basically, it’s provided to get ideas rolling.  It’s also handy to use for evidence and close analysis.  The examiner doesn’t expect your essay to begin with the extract, but you can if you want to.

How to answer an 'A Christmas Carol' question

How to answer a poetry comparison question.

Mr Salles Teaches English

Full Mark An Inspector Calls Essay, from Jo Jo Mooc

Mr Salles Teaches English is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts which help you get top grades, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Writing about the characters as constructs is a sure fire way to let the examiner know that you are writing about the author’s ideas - as characters are constructed for a reason - to illustrate an idea.

This is a strong thesis statement, because it immediately explains what Priestley’s intention or idea is. There are 2: exploitation and death of millions of the working class.

Death is going a bit far, but the examiner doesn’t seem to object!

I prefer the thesis statement to be a paragraph on its own, but the examiner is not fussed about this either.

The next great skill is that Jo Jo launches into writing about quotes immediately. This is what gets Level 4 for AO1.

Jo Jo has also named a method - juxtaposition, so the examiner is already impressed.

Paid subscribers get a top grade answer, with my marking, every week.

They also get access to the 55+ already published.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

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An Inspector Calls

By j. b. priestley, an inspector calls essay questions.

Trace the different levels of tension throughout the play. How does Priestley create tension?

To answer this question, you might want to consider some factors associated with tension: twists, pace, momentum, and so on. It is important to consider what the audience knows and does not know at any given point, as well as the clues that Priestley drops. Note that some tension can be found within a character and that some can be found between characters. You can consider tension similarly to the way you consider conflict, but do not just name the conflicts; this question asks you to examine the different levels or magnitudes of tension and how Priestley produces tension for the characters and for the audience.

The Inspector is nothing more than a perfectly human hoaxer, and Priestley makes it clear. Do you agree?

This question asks you to focus on the role of the Inspector. You might begin by explaining how you might justify the premise in the question, noting the evidence that suggests he is a human hoaxer, then opening your answer out to take in some other points of view. Consider that Priestley might have left the Inspector's identity ambiguous on purpose.

How are Birling and the Inspector coming from "opposite ideological points of view"?

This question asks you to focus on two characters and how their political and social views differ. Use a lot of quotations from the play to develop an understanding of the different standpoints of each character. Consider what each one seems to believe about the role of an individual in society, and use the theme of responsibility as a major guide. It might also be helpful to consider a few similarities.

Delineate the "chain of events" that allegedly led to Eva Smith's death.

This question simply asks you to explain the chain of events that led to Eva Smith's death, from the point of view of the Inspector. A good answer to this question might go further and look at the idea of the "chain of events" itself, who believes in it, and its relevance as a metaphor.

Write a character analysis of Gerald Croft.

Outline his characteristics based on what he says and what he does, both during the play and before it begins. Try to assess both the good and the bad things about him before drawing a conclusion.

Why is time an important theme in Priestley's play?

Focus not only on time as a concept (consider what Priestley thought and wrote about time) but also on the pecularities of time as it applies to this play in particular. Think about how the Inspector in particular has to do with this theme, and consider how the past actions of individual characters build the scenario of Eva's death, the interrogations and judgments of the present, and the Inspector's warning about the future.

J.L. Styan has written that the play's final twist gives a "spurious emphasis irrelevant to the substance of the play." Might he be wrong?

This question asks you to engage with a critical opinion regarding the final twist of the play. First, outline your view of the final moments of the play, focusing on the strange news and the themes involved. Do these themes intensify or distract from the play thus far and the play as a whole? Does the news put a kind of bracket around the rest of the play that gives the whole episode with the Inspector a new meaning? If so, does this put us in the place of Mr. Birling, such that the theme of responsibility no longer has as much weight if it was all a hoax or a weird supernatural event--or does the prospect of it having been a supernatural event invest the idea of responsibility with even greater import?

Make the case for Edna being the play's most important character.

This question asks you to look at the role of Edna and consider how she, perhaps more than anyone else, might be central to the play and its themes. If Edna represents the living objects of all of the characters' present social responsibilities, she may be even more important than the deceased Eva. If in some sense the rich have a social responsibility toward the poor, then perhaps Edna embodies the central message of the play regarding the need to look out for one another. A good essay also will examine the counter-evidence: perhaps at best she is a symbol of the play's message and in that sense only a minor character. And isn't social responsibility really about each person's responsibility to all others, rather than the one-sided class-based responsibility, drawing on old notions of a social elite, that would narrowly see the class issue as central to the play?

Compare An Inspector Calls to another play by Priestley that you have read.

This play asks you to look at An Inspector Calls against another play by Priestley. Time and the Conways or I Have Been Here Before might be good choices. Consider the similarities and differences in the plays' plots, characters and, of course, dominant or important themes and apparent messages. Also consider the historical context of the plays.

To what extent is Birling essentially a comic character, lacking a serious or ominous side?

This question puts forward quite a provocative view of Birling. Most readers will disagree with the idea that there is no serious dimension to Birling's actions and words or that there is nothing ominous presented about his allegedly selfish views and politics. Yet, keen readers will notice the moments at which an audience might find Priestley's presentation of him and his views comic, especially for the sake of making his views seem ludicrous. Weigh both sides of the issue before drawing a conclusion for your essay.

An Inspector Calls Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for An Inspector Calls is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what bad point does Eric reveal about sheila?

Eric says, "She's got a nasty temper sometimes-but she's not bad really."

Why does Mrs Birling initially deny that she recognized the girl in the photograph?

Mrs. Birling denies recognizing the girl in the photograph because she recently denied her appeal for help. It was, in fact, Mrs. Birling's influence that left Eva without assistance.

what does birling tell gerald that he hopes will impress lady croft? act one

Study Guide for An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls study guide contains a biography of J.B. Priestley, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About An Inspector Calls
• An Inspector Calls Summary
• Character List

Essays for An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley.

• How J.B. Priestley Creates Sympathy for Eva Smith in "An Inspector Calls"
• Sheila's Evolution in An Inspector Calls
• What is the importance of the characters Sheila and Eric?
• Generation vs Generation
• The Interconnected Nature of Society in An Inspector Calls

Lesson Plan for An Inspector Calls

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to An Inspector Calls
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links

Wikipedia Entries for An Inspector Calls

• Introduction

Exemplar AQA An Inspector Calls Essays

Model an inspector calls essay - aqa june 2017 english literature exam - how society could be improved.

Model An Inspector Calls Essay - AQA June 2018 English Literature Exam - Importance Of Social Class

Model An Inspector Calls Essay - AQA June 2019 English Literature Exam - Selfishness And Its Effects

Exemplar English Literature Essays

AQA Power and Conflict Poems - Analysed In Detail

An Inspector Calls: Themes ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the play.

Below are some ideas which could be explored in An Inspector Calls. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to identify other ideas within the play. Below you will find sections on:

Responsibility

Capitalism versus socialism, generational divide.

Responsibility is one of the most prevalent  themes within the play and the role of the Inspector is to highlight that all actions have consequences. He demands that the other characters be accountable for their actions and that they take responsibility for others. This message is also intended for the wider audience and for society in general.

Knowledge and evidence:

• The Inspector demands each character be held accountable and admit personal responsibility  for the chain of events which led to Eva’s death:
• Each character had an individual connection with Eva, regardless of how fleeting , and their actions will have influenced her fate
• Sheila is the first character in the play to accept responsibility for her actions, which demonstrates her courage and empathy  
• Eric initially offers marriage to Eva which shows some attempt at responsibility:
• However, as the father of her child, he ultimately fails in his duty to protect both of them 
• The Inspector urges the characters (and the audience) to consider their social responsibility , arguing individuals have a civic duty to ensure their actions must benefit the whole of society:
• Through the Inspector, Priestley argues that members of a society have duties and obligations towards the welfare of others 
• He suggests they have a collective and social responsibility to take care of each other
• As Arthur and Sybil hold prominent positions within society, the Inspector suggests they have an even greater duty of care towards others:
• While the Inspector alludes to ideas of responsibility and duty, Arthur and Sybil also repeatedly use these words though they interpret them in very different ways
• In contrast, Priestley presents Eva as having a greater sense of moral responsibility than all of the other characters
• A pivotal part of Act III is when the Inspector leaves, as it provides an opportunity for the characters to reveal if they have learned anything from his message:
• Only Eric and Sheila have grasped Inspector’s message; Arthur, Sybil and Gerald are blind to it

What is Priestley’s intention?

• Priestley emphasises the importance of both personal and social responsibility :
• He insists this extends beyond the confines of a family unit and spreads to society as a whole
• It could be argued that some of the acts committed by the Birlings and Gerald may not individually seem to have been so terrible to drive Eva to suicide:
• However, Priestley emphasises that individual actions may well begin a chain of events which may have devastating consequences

An Inspector Calls is a play that deals with ideas of fairness and inequality. Priestley used the play to argue that the economic system of Capitalism  prevented equality and social justice and that another system, Socialism , which aims to share out wealth, would be fairer for all.

Knowledge and evidence: 

• Priestley presents a powerful social message in An Inspector Calls which is explored through the competing concepts of Capitalism and Socialism:
• While Capitalism seeks to benefit the individual, Socialism is focused on benefiting society
• Priestley depicts the comfortable, affluent life of the Birlings who thrive on Capitalism :
• This is contrasted with the distressing account of Eva, who is forced to live a wretched life due to their greed
• Despite being a good worker, Eva is exploited and marginalised  by those within the privileged Capitalist system
• Priestley maintains that such a system creates and perpetuates  inequalities in society and prevents social mobility:
• Eva is trapped in a cycle of poverty and despite her attempts to improve her situation, she cannot overcome it
• His message that “we are all part of one community” is firmly established
• He has no sense of responsibility or concern that his workers may need higher wages to live
• He treats the pay strike at his factory with contempt since it threatens his profits
• Through the Inspector, Priestley presents the Birlings and Capitalism in a negative light:
• They are individualistic , self-centered and amoral, placing profit and greed above the rights and concerns of others
• Priestley seeks to expose this selfishness and to encourage others to look after one another and to work towards a society where all members are treated more equally and fairly

Priestley explores the idea of generational change in An Inspector Calls: younger characters are more open to social and economic change, and as a result are in conflict with their parent’s generation, who are stuck in their ways.

• Priestley attempts to reveal the inadequacies of Arthur and Sybil as parents:
• They fail to acknowledge Sheila and Eric as adults and offer little support during the evening’s proceedings
• They ignore Eric’s alcoholism which may in part be due to their indulgence
• They attempt to shield Sheila from hearing sordid details about “women of the town”, despite Sheila being already aware of such realities
• Priestley portrays Arthur, Sybil and Gerald as fully entrenched in upper-class notions of superiority and unable to change:
• Arthur and Sybil mock the foolishness of Sheila and Eric for having been so affected by the Inspector
• Eric and Sheila do not share the sense of relief as the others when the Inspector is discovered to be a fraud, as this is irrelevant to them
• While he displays genuine remorse for his treatment of Eva, by the end of the play he reverts to his original stance 
• The older generation is more concerned with protecting their social positions and continues to perceive themselves as upstanding members of the community
• Gerald falls between the younger and older generations:
• In contrast, the younger generation is used to demonstrating their capacity for change and their acceptance of social responsibility:
• Sheila challenges her parents for not learning from the Inspector, thus illustrating a greater capacity to learn from her mistakes
• The younger generation present a symbol of hope
• Through Sheila and Eric, Priestley offers optimism to the audience that the younger generation is capable of change:
• Priestley depicts the younger generation as more compassionate and empathetic which suggests they will no longer avoid their social responsibilities 
• Priestley suggests the younger generation will avoid the errors of the previous generation:
• He suggests the selfish and exploitative Capitalist system will be replaced with a more Socialist agenda

For Priestley, guilt is the result of accepting personal and social responsibility for one’s actions. It is noteworthy that younger characters in An Inspector Calls express guilt, but not the older generation, suggesting that they are not willing to see their own flaws, or those of the society they live in.

• The Inspector contends that if the characters are to learn anything from his message, they must express their guilt:
• For the Inspector, the admission of guilt requires self-reflection and this is an important step in encouraging the characters to change
• For Priestley, their guilt is both individual and collective:
• At an individual level, he believes each character compromised their morals in their treatment of Eva
• At a collective level, they represent the upper classes who have enabled the lower classes to be exploited and mistreated for their own gain 
• Sheila is the first character to express her guilt and it is instantaneous:
• While Sheila acknowledges her guilt, the Inspector insists that the guilt, as well as the responsibility, must be shared by all
• Similarly, Eric eventually expresses his guilt, though he is only willing to do so in the last act:
• While he could appear to express a stronger sense of guilt than the others (through his emotional outburst), his immaturity may suggest he is unable to feel it as keenly as his sister
• While Gerald appears to express sincere and honest regret during his confession about Eva, his guilt is only temporary:
• He attempts to justify his actions towards Eva to make himself appear less culpable
• When he realises there are no consequences for his behaviour, he no longer cares
• This could be contrasted with his confession to Sheila over his affair with Eva, as he appears more concerned that his affair has been found out, rather than having betrayed his fiancée
• Arthur and Sybil are the only two characters who refuse to express any guilt for their treatment of Eva:
• They continue to fail to see or acknowledge that they have done anything wrong
• For Priestley, the guilt felt by the characters and society as a whole must be personal and collective, if the change is to occur
• At an individual level, Priestley suggests we are responsible for our personal conduct toward others
• At a collective level, Priestley suggests we should ensure all groups are treated fairly and equally

Priestley uses the characters in An Inspector Calls to criticise the inequality and unfairness of the British class system and argues that the privilege of class blinds people to their immoral behaviour.

• Class plays a significant role in An Inspector Calls and is a major influence on many of the characters and events
• The immense inequality between the classes is firmly established at the start of the play:
• The description of the Birlings’ opulent  home is sharply contrasted with descriptions of the workers in Arthur’s factory
• Sybil could be viewed as making incorrect assertions about the working classes (of whom she has no knowledge) and views them as morally and socially inferior:
• She ignorantly links class with morality and cannot believe Eva, as a working-class girl, would refuse stolen money
• Sybil’s hypocritical  stance means she overlooks her own selfish and immoral actions and those belonging to her class:
• She believes her class affords her the superiority to decide who is and is not deserving of charity
• She overlooks Gerald keeping a mistress and ignores her son’s immoral conduct with Eva
• Priestley demonstrates how the working classes, especially women, could be exploited and abused by those with wealth and power:
• Both Gerald and Eric abuse their power and status in their relationship with Eva and both men discard her when it suits them
• Gerald is entrenched in the views of his class system:
• This prevents him from genuinely empathising with Eva’s plight or that of the working classes in general
• Priestley demonstrates the fixation of the upper classes on their status and their poor morals
• Priestley further conveys the hypocrisy of the upper classes and the abuse of power over the working-classes
• This is clearest in the treatment of working-class girls by young, wealthy men

Priestley explores the inequality between male and female characters in An Inspector Calls to criticise his society’s suppression of women’s rights and the mistreatment of women in general.

• Gender is an important element within the play and it impacts most of the behaviour of the characters
• Eva would have been viewed as ‘cheap labour’ and therefore more at risk of being exploited and abused by employers because of her gender:
• Working-class women would have been one of the cheapest forms of labour available to Arthur
• Similarly, Eva is exploited by her gender (and class) by wealthy men and women:
• Sybil and Sheila use their power to suppress  another woman
• Both Gerald and Eric take advantage of Eva as a working-class girl and there is an imbalance of power in respect of social position and influence
• Gerald emphasises how Eva was in desperate need of his assistance and portrays himself as being chivalrous  in rescuing her
• Sheila can be viewed as a woman who is redefining the role of women at a time when women’s rights were being sought through the suffragette movement:  
• At the beginning of the play, she plays a typical role within her patriarchal society  and is obedient to her father 
• This can be contrasted to her behaviour as the play develops and she begins to challenge her father and refuses to take back Gerald’s engagement ring
• Priestley uses the male and female characters in the play to comment upon traditional gender roles:
• Sybil is presented as mainly subordinate  to her husband, while Sheila is beginning to challenge this traditional role
• Eva is presented as an assertive  female character
• Priestley also highlights the suppression of women’s rights and how men and women can abuse their power:
• The Birlings and Gerald Croft all take advantage of Eva in different ways because of her gender

It is crucial that you develop the skills to find your own ideas and arrive at your own meanings and interpretations to the text. Try to take a more exploratory and discursive approach to your reading of the play as the examiner will reward you highly for this approach. For instance, you could begin to develop your own interpretations by using sentence starters such as: ‘Priestley may have used the character of Sheila to highlight ideas about …’ 

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Author: Nick

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Responsibility — The Theme Of Responsibility In An Inspector Calls By J. B. Priestley

The Theme of Responsibility in an Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley

• Categories: An Inspector Calls Responsibility Social Responsibility

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“An Inspector Calls”: Theme of Social Responsibility Essay

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Introduction

“An inspector calls” is one of the plays produced immediately after the end of the Second World War in 1946. During this period, most scholars and human activists were majorly concerned with the welfare of the less privileged individuals within society (Priestly et al., 1992).

The poor individuals in the United Kingdom did not have people who could fight and address their grievances, leading to most leaving a low-quality life. Priestly wanted to address the issue of classism and how poor individuals can be empowered to climb up the social ladder. He advocates for successful individuals to help poor individuals to live a quality life in the community (Priestly et al., 1992).

Priestly also encourages that it is an individual’s responsibility to ensure that those close to them are safe and always available for each other when need be. This paper strives to highlight how Priestly has portrayed the theme of responsibility in different scenarios within the play.

Good neighborliness is when one cares about the well-being of those who are around them when things seem not to be okay on their side. One of the major points where Priestly portrays the theme of social responsibility is whereby Sheila feels a sense of duty when she realizes that she has a role to play in the death of Eva Smith. She tells Gerald to stop looking at her angrily since he also has once been involved in circumstances that are shameful (Priestly et al., 1992).

Sheila finally admits and agrees to be held culpable for her actions and talks out the truth. However, Gerald is also blaming her for various faults while he has declined to take responsibility for his actions that also contributed to the demise of Eva Smith (Priestly et al., 1992) . The target audience can learn the importance of taking responsibility for various aspects and how their actions may impact the well-being of other individuals.

When one lives a responsible lifestyle, members of the community will not be worried much about them compared to those who are careless with their lives. Priestley also explores the theme of social duty when Mr. Birling fails to take responsibility for various actions that led to Eva Smith’s death. His sentiments suggest that everyone should be held responsible for their own life and well-being (Priestly et al., 1992).

Individuals who take the responsibility of taking care of others mostly land into awkward situations in case an unlikely event with a devastating effect occurs to the individuals. Dr. Priestley strives to encourage the target audience to ensure utmost self-care and responsibility to maintain a good relationship with others within the community since there will be no unnecessary blames.

Putting one in an individual’s shoes is one of the major ways of understanding other people’s struggles. In the play, some of the characters also display social responsibility in some instances. For example, Erick feels socially responsible for some of his actions in the final parts of the play (Priestly et al., 1992). This indicates that Erick possesses some sense of social responsibility to ensure that other individuals within the society are always safe.

Erick’s mother and Gerald have withdrawn from being involved in Eva Smith’s incident, but he still insists that something could have been done to salvage Eva Smith’s actions that cost her life (Priestly et al., 1992). He takes Eva Smith’s Matter very seriously and even urges her mother to be responsible for the unfortunate occurrence too. The reader can learn that nobody can understand other people’s struggles unless they go through the same experience.

Responding quickly to other individuals’ struggles is also a major aspect of ensuring effective social responsibility and good neighborliness. Mrs. Birling, who is a close individual to Eva Smith as well, also elaborates on the theme of social responsibility when she fails to take control over the events that contributed to the death of Eva Smith. Even after being questioned by the inspector and the inspector elaborating that she had a responsibility to undertake during the process, Sybil Birling still does not want to take the responsibility. This can be seen when he negatively remarks on Erick’s sentiments by saying that he is ashamed of him (Priestly et al., 1992).

Telling Erick that she is ashamed of him indicates that she does not care about the inspector’s investigation and the impact the investigations have on other members close to Eva Smith (Priestly et al., 1992). This context enables the reader to stop being greedy and self-centered individuals and instead act responsibly when dealing with other individuals in the community.

In conclusion, responsibility is considered one of the most significant social characteristics since it enables individuals to care for other people. Human beings have universal rights, ensuring that no individual is subjected to circumstances against human rights.

Priestly also highlights how individuals in higher positions and social class should effectively use their influence by positively impacting community members. One should always adhere to the principle of supreme morality when dealing with fellow human beings. The target audience can understand that social responsibility begins with good and productive neighborliness.

Priestly, J. B., John Braine Priestly, & Bezant, T. (1992). An inspector calls . Heinemann.

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