An Inspector Calls Essay Guide

10/9/12 An Inspector Calls Essay Guide
1/11 www.scribd.com/doc/2306271/An-Inspector-Calls-Essay-Guide
Upload
Log In
Sign Up
Search books, presentations, business, academics...
Search
Explore
Documents
Books - FictionBooks - Non-fictionHealth & MedicineBrochures/CatalogsGovernment DocsHow-To Guides/ManualsMagazines/NewspapersRecipes/MenusSchool
Work+ all categories
RecentFeatured
People
AuthorsStudentsResearchersPublishersGovernment & NonprofitsBusinessesMusiciansArtists & DesignersTeachers+ all categories
Most FollowedPopular
Language:
English
Download
9
Go BackComment
Link
Embed
Zoom
7
of 12
Readcast
Tweet Tweet
0
Like 100
Share Share

Inthissection,youareaskedtocommenton
howthewordsandphrasesJBPriestlyuse
helptocreatemeaningandgiveadditional
informationtothereader.
Ericsfirstwordsisaguffaw(laugh)whenGerald
assuresSheila,Iwill,Iwill[becarefulnottolet
herfindoutabouthisaffairswithwomen].Thissug-
geststhatheknowsaboutGerald'saffair,butbe-
causeofhisown,andhewillnottellSheilaeven
thoughsheishisownsister.
Apolitewayofsayingsomethingoffen-
sive.Usedbythosewhowishtosound
professionalordignified.
Example)passedaway=died
Sayingthingsinanespeciallystrong
manner.Canbeusedtopersuadeothers.
Mayusesomeexaggeration.
Languageofthetimethatisnolonger
usedtoday. Canshowsomethingabout
thecharactersorthetimeperiod.
Languagedesignedtocreatean
emotionalreactioninthereaderor
Audience.
Differencesinthewayacharacterspeakscanshowchangesinmood,oroverlongerpe-
riodsoftime,changesinthecharacters'ideasorpersonality
Eric'smoodintheopeningminutesischeerful,but
hebecomes uneasy whenhethinksBirlingand
Geraldknowsomethingabouthim,respondingto
Gerald'sassurancethattheywerehavingajoke
with,Well,Idon'tthinkit'sveryfunny.(p.10).This
suggestshehasa guiltyconscience, andisafraid
ofhissecretsbeingexposed.
Soonafterwardshe`burstsout'WellIthinkit'sa
dam'shame(p.16),andshowsunderstandingfor
Eva'swishforhigherwages,andrespectforherhav-
ingabitmorespiritthantheothers.
Aposhsnob,sheisbotheredbywhatpeoplearoundher
say (reproachfully)Arthur,you'renotsupposedtosay
suchthings-(p.2)andsheisshockedatSheila'slan-
guageReallythethingsyougirlspickupthesedays(p3)
ShecallsGooleatrifleimpertinent(p.30),andEva's
callingherself`MrsBirling'grossimpertinence(p.43).
ShespeaksofTherudewayhe[Goole]spoketoMr
Birlingandme- itwasextraordinary!(p.61).Toher,
anyspeechwhichislessthanhumbleandrespectfulis
impertinentbecauseasaladyoftheupperclasswithan
importanthusband,she`deserves'specialtreatment
You knowofcoursethatmyhusbandwasLordMayor
onlytwoyearsagoandthathe'sstillamagis-
trate(p.31).MrsBirlingissousedtodominatingpeople
bysuchthreatsthatwhensheencounterssomeonewho
resistsher bullying shereactsangrily.

Heisextremely commandingandauthoritative,
inhisspeechandinhispersonalpresence: hecre-
atesatonceanimpressionofmassiveness,solidity
andpurposefulness. Thestagedirectionsrepeat-
edlyshowhim cuttingthroughmassively(p.12),
cuttinginmassively(p.22),massivelytaking
charge(p.28),Withauthority(p.34),taking
charge,masterfully(p.55).
Gooleremains calmandunruffled, thoughspeaking
coolly(p.30)andimpeturbably(p.31).
Hislanguage blunt,emotive and harsh:Twohours
agoayoungwomandiedintheInfirmary.She'dbeen
takentherethisafternoonbecauseshe'dswalloweda
lotofdisinfectant.Burntherinsideout,of
course.(p.11)AsBirlingpointsoutlater,Justre-
peatingitshakesyouabit.Andthat'swhathehadto
do.Shakeusatonce-andthenstartquestioningus
untilwedidn'tknowwherewewere.(p.69).
Heis disgustedandenraged bywhathasbeen
donetoEva,sayingShediedinmiseryandagony
hatinglife(p.28).Hewarns,Publicmen,MrBirling,
haveresponsibilitiesaswellasprivileges(p.41).
PriestleyuasesGooletovoiceviewswhichhehimself
held.MrBirlingsaystheInspectorwasProbablya
Socialistorsomesortofcrank-hetalkedlike
one(p.60).
Heis boastful,makingboringspeeches-hethinkshe
hasearnedtherighttodothis:Wecan'tlettheseBer-
nardShawsandHGWellsesdoallthetalking.Wehard-
headedpracticalbusinessmenmustsaysomething
sometime.Andwedon'tguess-we'vehadexperience-
andweknow(p.7)
He triestointimidate GoolebytellingthattheChief
Constableisanoldfriendofmine,andthenactually
threateningI'vehalfamindtoreportyou(p.17).Heis
willingtousehispowerandinfluenceto bullypeople.
Sheilais honestandrealistic.ShesaysWereally
mustdropthesesillypretences(p32)andcomments
thatErichasbeendrinkingtoomuchforthepasttwo
years. Shesays,we'venoexcusenowforputtingon
airs(p.41) i.e.behavingasiftheyarebetterthan
everyoneelse.
Sheilafeels remorse ,andpassionatelybelievesthat
theyshouldlearnfromtheInspector'svisit.Anddon't
let'sstartdodgingandpretendingnow.Betweenuswe
drovethatgirltocommitsuicide.(p.66).
Gerald'smannerintheopeningscene,beforeGoole's
appearance,reflectshisconfident,relaxedapproachto
life.Birlingtellshim,you'rejustthekindofson-in-law
Ialwayswanted.(p.4).Geraldprovestobe similarto
MrBirling inhisviewsofbusinessandofwomen.
SheisSheilaisa perceptive- thefirsttorealisethat
theInspectorisnoordinarypoliceman,Why -youfool-
heknows. Ofcourseheknows. AndIhatetothinkhow
muchheknowsthatwedon'tknowyet. Similarly,she
isthefirsttorealisethatthefatherofEva'sbabyisnone
otherthanEric,andtriestogethermothertostopin-
sistingthatheshouldbeheldresponsible:(Withsudden
alarm) Mother-stop- stop!(p.48).
Gerald flatters MrBirling,agreeingwithhisopinions
(p.6)anddoesntarguewithhim.WhenBirlingis
explainingwhyhesackedEva,Geraldapprovesofhis
action Iknowwe'dhavedonethesamething.
(p.17),andreferscontemptuouslytothestriking
women,sayingThey'dallbebroke -ifIknow
them.(p.15).GeraldchallengesGoole,sayingwe're
respectablecitizensandnotcriminals.(p.22).
Theinspectorsfinalspeech(pg56)hasastrange,
powerfulandpropheticquality.Thisisnotthelan-
guageofapoliceman.Hisimagesarealmostbiblical.
Hehastakenontheroleoftheprophetofdoom.
Hisarrogantbeliefthatheknowsisseemsfoolishto
theaudiencebyhisconfidenceintheunsinkable,abso-
lutelyunsinkable(p.7)Titanicandbythefactthathe
dismissesthethreatofwar Isaythereisn'tachance
ofwar(p.6). Theimplicationisthatitistragicthat
someoneasstupidasthisshouldbeinaposition
ofpower.
Hehas noconscience,anddismissesanysuggestion
thatheshouldshowresponsibilitytowardshisemploy-
ees:Ifyoudon'tcomedownsharplyonthesepeople
they'llsoonbeaskingfortheearth(p.15).Goole'sre-
sponse,it'sbettertoaskfortheearththantotakeit,
showsthathethinksBirlinghasdonethis taken
powerhedoesn'tdeserve.
Search This Document
Search
Search History:
Searching...
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.

Asyoureadtheplay,itisimportanttoimagineyourselfwatchingandlistening
totheaction.Itisadramanotanovel!The stagedirections areimportantin
helpingustoimagineexactlywhatisgoingon:theycanhelpuspictureeach
character'sactionsandreactions.
The Setting and Lighting areveryimportant.Priestleydescribes
thesceneindetailattheopeningofAct1,sothattheaudiencehas
theimmediateimpressionofa "heavilycomfortablehouse." The
settingisconstant(allactionhappensinthesameplace).Priestley
saysthatthelightingshouldbe "pinkandintimate" beforetheIn-
spectorarrives-arose-tintedglow-whenitbecomes "brighterand
harder." Thelightingreflectsthemoodoftheplay
The mysterygenre isinteresting.TheInspectorcontrolsthe pace
and tension bydealingwithonelineofenquiryatatime.Thestory
isrevealedgradually,piecebypiece,likeina'whodunit'orapuzzle.
Entrances and exits arecrucial.Forexample,theInspectorarrives
immediatelyafterBirlinghastoldGeraldabouthisimpendingknight-
hoodandexplainedhisviewsonresponsibility.Ericleavesandar-
rivesat key * , * # + 10 &`+ ( , 2 1 1&# + 0 - # ! 1, / 0 # 5 `1 + " # / )" 0
/ # 12 / + 4 `1& proof
Cliffhangers ( # # - 1&# 2 " `# + ! # , + 1&# # " %# , $ 1&# `/ 0 # 10 + "
4 + 1`+ % * , / # ! 1 # + " 0 `+ 1&# * `" " )# , $ 1&# + 0 - # ! 1, / 0 . 2 # 0 1`, +
ingofGerald + 0 - # ! 1, / Well? ! 1 # + " 0 0 `* `) / )6 1&# 2 " `
enceandSheilahavefigureditout,suddlenly Ericenters,looking
extremelypaleanddistressedCurtainfallsquickly InAct3
1&# `/ )`+ %0 # )`# 3 # " 1&# * 0 # )3 # 0 1, # , $$ 1&# &, , ( &`0 / # )# 0 # 0
someofthetension-butthefinalcall,announcingarealinspector,
suddenlyrestoresthetensionverydramatically.Itisanunexpected
finaltwist.
The timing oftheplayis'realtime'-inotherwords,thestorylasts
exactlyaslongastheplay.TheBirlingfamilyandGeraldchange
from self-satisfied toextreme self-doubt inthistime.Whathap-
penstocreatesuchadramaticcontrast?Howisthedramamain-
tainedandtheaudienceinvolved?

Thereare subtlehints thatnotisallasitseems.Forexample,early
onwewonderwhetherthehappyatmosphereisslightlyforced.
SheilawonderswhereGeraldwaslastsummer,Ericisnervous
aboutsomething,LordandLadyCroftdidnotattendtheengage-
mentdinner.Thisarousesinterestintheaudience-wewanttofind
outwhatisgoingon!
Thereis dramaticirony .Forinstance,theaudienceknowshow
wrongMrBirlingiswhenhemakesconfident predictions about
therenotbeingawarandisexcitedaboutthesailingofTheTitanic:
famously,theshipsankonhermaidenvoyage.Thisputstheaudi-
enceatanadvantageoverthecharactersandmakesusmorein-
volved.
Soundeffects canaddalottoaplay.Thedoorbellisasoundthat
$`/ 0 1 " `0 12 / 0 1&# `/ )`+ %0 / # ) 5 # " # 3 # + `+ % theInspectorshatters
anyhopeforapeacefulevening.Thesoundofthedooralsoalerts
theaudiencetooff- 0 1 %# ! & / ! 1# / 0 ! 1`, + 0 / `! &# - &, + # ! ))
servesasimilarpurpose.Theaudiencewouldwanttoknowwhatis
Irony isdifferentthandramaticirony.Itiswhenwhatisbeingsaid/
donehastheoppositemeaning,ortheoppositehappens canbe
similartosarcasm)ThinkabouttheideasinAct1.Forexample,
`/ )`+ % 0 6 `+ % theresaverygoodchanceofaknighthoodso
longaswebehaveourselves,dontgetintoapolicecourtor
startascandal , , + $1# / 1&# `/ )`+ %0 + " 1&# - , )`! # / # `+ 3 , )3 # "
inalargescandal
The stagedirections giveinsightintohowPriestlywantedthe
dramatounfold.Payattentiontothemtoseeextracluesthat
dramatounfold.Payattentiontothemtoseeextracluesthat
Priestlywantedtogivetheaudience.Dotheyaddtoourunderstand-
ingofthecharacters?Themes?Dotheyaddtensionordrama?
Forgoodexamplessee:Ericp.10,55;Sheilap.23,71;Birlingp.6,8;
Inspectorp.28,55;Sybilp.46,48;Geraldp.36,39
OneofthemostimportantdevicesistheInspectorhimself,forheisthe
pathwaytotruth. Heislikeapriestinthewaythathegivespeoplea
chancetochange,butitisuptothemtoacceptandmaketheneces-
sarychanges.TheInspectorisalsolikethewarsbecausethefirstone
came,whentheydidnotrespond,anotherwassenttomakethempay
"infire,bloodandanguish."Peopleshouldhaveseentheerrorof
theirwaysandchangedwhileitwaspossible.Withouttheinspector,
1&# / # `0 + , - ) 6 # `0 ! # / 1 `+ )6 noordinaryinspector
An Inspector Calls Essay Guide
Detailled notes & quotes
Download or Print
Add To Collection
102.5K
Reads
133
Readcasts
50
Embed Views
Published by
Donoghue
Follow
Search This Document
Search
TIP Press Ctrl-FF to search anywhere in the document.
Info and Rating
Category: Uncategorized.
Rating:
(28 Ratings)
Upload Date: 03/19/2008
Copyright: Attribution Non-commercial
Tags: History
Free download as PDF File (.pdf), text file (.txt) or read online for free.
Flag document for inapproriate content
More From This User
10 p.
Literature Poem Quotations
Donoghue
91 Reads
2 p.
A Review of the Mudfog Papers
Donoghue
239 Reads
9 p.
Christmas Carol Quotes
Donoghue
23962 Reads
Next
Related
4 p.
An Inspector Calls Quotes and Notes
mrrambojoe
5681 Reads
12 p.
Inspector Calls
stephancollishaw
63424 Reads
11 p.
An Inspector Calls - Historical context
Donoghue
19679 Reads
Next
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: 400
Kathryn Rose Wilson
Thank you, a very detailed and useful guide to this play.
reply05 / 23 / 2012
deleted_fbuser_1291666053
this is not usefull !!!!
reply12 / 06 / 2010
chester41
Why can't I download or print this ? I'm happy to pay! cbrooks@hackneyfree.hackney.sch.uk
reply11 / 19 / 2009
inspector goole
really good! you click on download pdf free at the top to download it.
reply11 / 01 / 2009
cheekyyyy09
how to downaload it?
reply10 / 25 / 2009
becimai
I'm so pleased to find this. My son has just returned to school after a 2 year absence and is struggling to catch up. he was upset the other night as he doesnt know how to
tackle his homework. I found this, EXCELLENT, thankyou for posting!
reply06 / 04 / 2009
Carolina Roessler
What an excellent material!!!! I'm having the picture much more clear! Thank you!
reply04 / 28 / 2009
duncan.reid8559
yeah - how do you download this?
reply02 / 10 / 2009
Show More
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
About
About Scribd
Blog
Join our team!
Contact Us
Advertise with us
Get started
AdChoices
Support
Help
FAQ
Press
Partners
Publishers
Developers / API
Legal
Terms
Privacy
Copyright
Copyright 2012 Scribd Inc.
Language:
English

Login
An Inspector Calls Essay Guide
Donoghue
Detailled notes & quotes
File Types Available: PDF, TXT
Login with Facebook
Use my Scribd Login
Skip Login

An Inspector Calls Essay Guide

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

An Inspector Calls Essay Guide

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

10/9/12 An Inspector Calls Essay Guide

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen