The Inspector Flashcards
How does the stage lighting change after the Inspector arrives?
After the Inspector arrives, the lightning changes from being “pink and intimate” to “brighter and harder”.
Which of these words best describes the Inspector’s personality?
A. generous
B. authoritative
C. Modest
B. The Inspector is authoritative. He manages to take control of the situation and get people to confess to things and they don’t want to.
What does the play tell you about the Inspector’s physical appearance?
He is described as being “in his fifties” and he is wearing “a plain darkish suit of the period”. In Act Three, he is described as “tall” and “clean-shaven”, although the stage directions make it clear that this can be changed depending on the actor who plays the role.
The Inspector often uses emotive language. What effect does this have on the audience? Give reasons for your answer.
The Inspector’s and emotive language makes the audience feel sorry for Eva / Daisy. For example, he describes her as “lonely” and “half-starved”. These words drew the audience’s attention to how desperate her situation was and her lack of family and friends, which creates sympathy for her.
What is significant about the timing of the Inspector’s arrival in Act One?
The Inspector rings the bell just after Arthur tells Eric and Gerald that a man has to “look after himself and his own”. This makes it seem almost as if Arthur’s selfish attitude is what summons the Inspector, and hints that the Inspector will go on to contradict Arthur’s beliefs.
What tone does the Inspector use when he first tells Arthur about Eva / Daisy’s death?
The Inspector uses a harsh, blunt tone to describe Eva / Daisy’s death. This makes her death seem more shocking, because it is delivered in a direct manner with nothing to soften the unpleasant nature of the facts.
How does the Inspector explain his knowledge of Eva / Daisy’s life?
He claims he found that “letter” and that “sort of diary” in Eva / Daisy’s room.
What reason does the Inspector give for showing Eva / Daisy’s photo to one person at a time?
The Inspector claims he wants to pursue “one line of inquiry at a time”.
According to the Birlings, how is the Inspector different to other police officers? Use examples in your answer.
Sybil doesn’t believe a real police officer will talk to them in such a rude tone. She says he doesn’t speak like a police inspector and “never even looked like one”. Arthur doesn’t believe a police officer would tell him to “shut up”.
What tactics does the Inspector use to get the other characters to confess?
Give two tactics and explain your answer.
- He bluntly asked personal
questions, such as asking
Eric if he “made love” to
Eva / Daisy. - He repeats the same
question multiple times or
asks follow-up questions
so that the characters can’t
avoid answering fully. For
example, after Sybil avoids
explaining her role in Eva /
Daisy’s appeal being
rejected, he asks “was it or
was it not your influence?” - He uses exits as a tactic.
For example, when he
leaves Sheila and Gerald
alone, Sheila and
interrogates Gerald herself,
making it easy for the
Inspector to get Gerald to
confess.
Give one example from the text where the Inspector appears to have knowledge about the future.
He predicts the upcoming world wars, claiming men will learn their lesson “in fire and blood and anguish”.
The stage directions state the Inspector has a “disconcerting habit”. What is it?
The Inspector has a habit of “looking hard” at someone before he speaks to them.
What is the Inspector’s surname, and why might it be significant?
The Inspector’s surname is Goole. This sounds like ‘ghoul’, which could be a light-hearted hint that he’s a ghost or some other supernatural being.
Why do you think the Inspector’s true identity is never fully revealed? Explain your answer.
Priestley never explains the Inspector’s true identity because it isn’t important. It doesn’t matter whether the inspector is a real police officer, a ghost or something else — the Birlings should learn from the Inspector’s visit because it is a moral thing to do, not because they are scared of a scandal or any legal consequences.
What impression does the Inspector’s final speech have on the audience?
Use examples from the speech in your answer.
- The speech acts as a
moral lesson for the
audience. When the
Inspector tells the Birlings
that “We are responsible
for each other”, the use of
the inclusive pronoun “We”
makes the audience feel as
if the lesson is also aimed
at them. - By linking Eva to the
“millions of Eva Smith’s”,
they Inspector to
emphasise the scale of the
suffering faced by the
people in society. This
might even leave the
audience feeling shocked.
