An Inspector Calls

Question 1

‘(The lighting should be pink and intimate, until the Inspector arrives and then it should be harder and brighter)’ - Act 1, Stage directions

Answer 1

These stage directions highlight how detached the Birling’s and Gerald are from the working class and can reflect the impact of the inspector. The adjective ‘pink’ displays comfort and this mirrors the Birling’s lifestyles as they live in a rose-tinted world. The adjective intimate reflects the way in which the Birling’s close themselves off from others in society and are self interested.
However, when the Inspector arrives, the adjective ‘harder’ is used. This reflects the bluntness and harshness of the inspectors message as it is meant to make the Birling’s feel uncomfortable, forcing them to partake in social responsibility. The adjective ‘brighter’ is also used, this portrays how the inspector is bringing the flaws of both the Birling’s and Edwardian society to light and this light imagery could add authority to his role as a supernatural figure.

Question 2

‘(champagne glasses… decanter of port… Edna… clearing the table)’ -Act 1, Stage directions

Answer 2

The props mentioned within the stage directions establish the Birlings as the wealthy upper class of Edwardian society and this further illuminates how detached they are from the working class. The nouns ‘champagne’ and ‘port’ connote wealth and extravagance, this again establishes the clear differences between the working and upper class. This also shows a direct contrast to Eva Smith as the Birling’s are drinking liquids of luxury for pleasure, while Eva Smith drinks disinfectant.

Question 3

‘(an impression of massiveness ,solidity and purposefulness’)- Act 1, The inspector, stage direction

Answer 3

These stage directions describe the Inspector as a figure of immense authority and he seems intimidating. This may hint at his higher purpose and the importance of his mission. The semantic field of size highlights the importance of his character and his power. The abstract nouns ‘massiveness’, ‘solidity’, ‘purposefulness’, imply authority to the inspector and presents the socialist ideology as a more powerful and strong view of society.

Question 4

‘young women counting their pennies in the dingy little back bedroom’- The Inspector

Answer 4

The Emotive language of the inspector encourages the Birlings and also the Edwardian audience to consider the plight of the working classes. The Noun ‘pennies’ draws attention to the extreme poverty in society. There is a clear vivid description of ‘dingy little back bedroom’ this highlights the extreme conditions that the working class are living through. The adjective ‘young’ evokes emotion from the audience as they are more vulnerable and innocent

Question 5

‘If you don’t come down sharply on these people they would soon be asking for the earth (Mr Birling)’
‘Its better to ask for the earth than to take it’

Answer 5

This metaphor powerfully captures the capitalist ideology which suppresses the poor, this allows there to be a contrast to the inspectors tone of compassion. The Adverb ‘sharply’ connotes force and damage but also a sense of cutting, this relates to how the upper class would prevent the growth of the working class.The Juxtaposition between the verbs ‘ask’ and ‘take’ emphasises the inspectors message of the destructive impacts of capitalism.
Priestly is able to display Mr Birling as ignorance, cynical and cruel

Question 6

‘Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges’- The inspector

Answer 6

The Direct address reinforces the inspectors attack on Mr Birling who is a symbol of the upper class. The abstract noun ‘responsibilities’ draws the audience’s attention to one of Priestly’s key concerns, the need to take responsibility for others in society. The abstract noun ‘privileges’ shows how priestly is critiquing the luxurious lifestyle of the upper class. The harsh plosive sounds could reflect the frustration of Mr Birling’s selfishness.

Question 7

‘there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths’ -The inspector

Answer 7

The repetition of the noun ‘millions’ highlights the immense number of those suffering in Edwardian society. The syndetic list creates a sense of hyperbole which reinforces Priestley’s message. The proper noun ‘Smiths’ is symbolic of the working class due to its common nature, Eva is an allegory of the plight of the working class. The biblical allusion through the similarity of ‘Eva’ and ‘Eve’ reminds the audience that we are all connected as we share common ancestors ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’

Question 8

‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’- The Inspector

Answer 8

The declarative tone gives the factual authority to his speech. The repetition of the personal pronoun ‘we’ reinforces Priestley’s message about social responsibility and community. The Metaphor of ‘one body’ reinforces the idea that society cannot function unless they are all working together. The biblical allusion of ‘one body’ reflects on Christian values of togetherness which appeals to the highly religious nature of the Edwardian audience. The adjective ‘responsible’ draws the audiences attention to social responsibility - one of Priestley’s main concerns

Question 9

‘fire and blood and anguish’- The inspector

Answer 9

The imagery of hell proposes final judgment which indicates the harsh consequences of not caring for others. The Allusion to war and revolution appeals to a post-war audience, this could imply that Priestly is suggesting history will repeat itself unless something changes. The Noun ‘fire’ reveals that society need to be cleansed or purified of its sinful way, this also reiterates how the inspector is seen as supernatural with an important message.

Question 10

‘a hard-headed practical man of business’- Mr Birling

Answer 10

The Adjective ‘hard-headed’ has connotations of coldness and a lack of compassion with regards to his business. We can see that Priestley is using Birling as a symbol of capitalism and its cruel ideology. Mr Birling is referring to himself in third person which can reflect his self- absorbed nature and how he views himself as a man of authority. This is ironic as Mr Birling is trying to compliment himself through this description however Priestley uses it to critique the capatilist mindset.

Question 11

‘Crofts and Birlings… working together- for lower costs and higher prices.’ -Mr Birling

Answer 11

The semantic field of business and money reflect how glutton Birling is as he values his daughter’s engagement in business terms. The nouns ‘costs’ and ‘prices’ reflect Mr Birling’s priorities; he values profit more than his daughters happiness. This is also symbolic of the capitalists in Edwardian society

Question 12

‘The titanic… unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable… war is inevitable… fiddlesticks!’- Mr Birling

Answer 12

Dramatic irony is used to present Mr Birling as foolish and dim- witted. This is because the audience are already aware of his wrong predictions, Priestley does this to convey how capitalist views of society are also wrong. The repition of the adjective ‘unsinkable’ emphasises Mr Birlings certainty which reiterates his ignorance. The use of punctuation defines Mr Birling as passionate and confident which reflects on his foolishness. The titanic could be used as a metaphor for the Birling family as they are a symbol of wealth which ultimately came to its downfall. The sinking of the titanic is also famous for prioritising he survival of the upper class over the lower class. The Edwardian audience are directed to dislike Mr Birling.

Question 13

‘you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else… like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense’- Mr Birling

Answer 13

The simile ridicules socialistic ideas about everybody working together. The image of a ‘hive’ connotes chaos. The abstract noun ‘nonsense’ connotes foolishness and therefore mock ideas about community. This is a contrast between Mr Birling’s capitalist views and Socialist views of the inspector. The dramatic pause ‘-‘ could mimic a mocking exhalation.

Question 14

‘The whole story’s just a lot of moonshine’- Mr Birling

Answer 14

The metaphor highlights Mr Birling’s ridiculing of the events of the play and his refusal to change or take responsibility. Priestley is suggesting that the older generation and ruling classes never learn and are stubborn to change. The noun ‘moonshine’ connotes foolishness and nonsense. This is ironic as the audience are aware from act 1 that Mr Birling is ignorant and foolish.

Question 15

‘Look at the pair of them- the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke’ - Mr Birling

Answer 15

Reflects on the stubborn nature of the older generation. Priestley depicts Mr Birling hasn’t changed or learnt anything as he dismisses what happened as a joke. The sarcastic tone of ‘the famous younger generation’ reflects the unchanging arrogant attitude of the older generation. The noun ‘joke’ emphasises the lack of empathy or seriousness in Mr Birling’s mindset. He is presented as a character who has learnt nothing

Question 16

‘Look you better ask Gerald for the ring you gave back to him, hadn’t you. Then you will feel better’- the inspector

Answer 16

Priestley highlights that society is destined to repeat its cycle unless the ‘ring’ can be broken.
He hasn’t learnt anything as he has returned to the heartless, corrupt and superficial character from the beginning of the play.

Question 17

‘(In her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited)’ -Sheila

Answer 17

These stage directions give a sense of naivety and immaturity. The adjective ‘pleased’ connotes smugness and contentment, she faces no difficulty in her life, perhaps due to her privilege. ‘Early twenties’ establishes that she is part of the younger generation and is the embodiment of the future. The qualifiers ‘very’ and ‘rather’ implies the extent of her privilege.

Question 18

‘(Taking out the ring)… Now i really feel engaged’ -Sheila

Answer 18

The prop of the ring is used to represent her materialistic outlook on life. The emotional connection her and Gerald share is not enough to ‘feel engaged’- there must be a symbol of wealth for the relationship to be valid.

Question 19

‘but these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people’ -Sheila

Answer 19

The conjunction ‘but’ demonstrates how her view opposes her parents. The fragmented language can also reflect her passion at the situation with the dramatic pause ‘-‘ drawing attention to her message that the working classes are to be respected and valued. The juxtaposition between nouns ‘labour’ and ‘people’ mirror the opposing views of capitalist and socialists. The adjective ‘cheap’ and the noun ‘labour’ suggests how dehumanised the working class is that can be exploited.

Question 20

‘If they didn’t get rid of that girl… I’d persuaded mother to close our account with them’ -Sheila

Answer 20

Priestley exposes Sheila’s class privilege. The noun ‘account’ has connotations of money, wealth and power and may stand as a metaphor for capitalism. The noun phrase ‘that girl’ is derogatory and dismissive, which we also see in Mrs Birling’s dialogue. The determiner ‘that’ highlights the divisions between the classes and presents how Sheila puts herself on a pedestal, dehumanising the lower classes. At this point in the play, Sheila mirrors the older generation by using her class and power to suppress Eva. Her actions are viewed as unjust and cruel.

Question 21

‘You musn’t try to build a wall between us and that girl’ -Sheila

Answer 21

The metaphor of ‘a wall’ represents the social divide in the Edwardian era. This also indicates how Sheila embraces Priestley’s message. The verb ‘build’ suggests that Mrs Birling is actively attempting to separate and distance herself from the lower classes. This is a direct contrast to ‘girls of that class’

Question 22

‘Yes, go on, mummy’ to ‘mother’ -Sheila

Answer 22

The transition from ‘mummy’ to ‘mother’ symbolises Sheila’s growth and maturity and the acceptance of Priestley’s message. ‘Yes, go on, mummy’ demonstrates how initially Sheila accepts her mothers authority.

Question 23

‘I remember what he said, how he looked and what he made me feel’ -Sheila

Answer 23

The listing highlights the impact of the inspector on Sheila and emphasises the transformation from the naive, materialistic girl in Act 1. The semantic field of impression is shown through verbs ‘remember’, ‘looked’ and ‘feel’ which signifies how much of an impact that the inspector has had on Sheila. The verb ‘feel’ has connotations of empathy and emotion which ultimately reflects the beliefs of socialism.

Question 24

‘I know I’m to blame - and I’m desperately sorry’ -Sheila

Answer 24

The repetition of the personal pronoun ‘I’ reflects how she is accepting full responsibility for her actions, which is a direct contrast to Mrs Birling ‘I did nothing I’m ashamed of’.
The dramatic pause and fragmented language could reflect the genuine distress and upset that Sheila feels. The adverb ‘desperately’ emphasises her regret and remorse.

Question 25

‘(Bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now’ -Sheila

Answer 25

The stage directions of the adverb ‘bitterly’ reflects Sheila’s criticism of the older generations refusal to change or accept responsibility. The use of sarcasm insinuates that Sheila is mocking her parents’ views

Question 26

‘fire and blood and anguish’ -Sheila

Answer 26

Sheila repeats the inspectors words as she has become his mouthpiece for his Socialist views and reiterates her character development.