N Inspector CallsEssay Preview: N Inspector CallsReport this essayHow does Priestly use dramatic devices to express his political views in an Inspector CallsAn Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B Priestly. The play was first performed in 1945 however it is set in 1912. An Inspector calls is a murder mystery set in Edwardian England, just before the First World War. This was a very difficult time for several reasons. There were frequent strikes, food shortages and political instability. Similarly the period after the First World War was equally difficult. There was a shortage of money and rations and the labour force was diminished by casualties of war. Priestly uses the play to suggest that the country can be rebuilt through socialism where people work together as a society. The play reinforces a strong political message which is the idea of socialism. 1945 was the beginning of a political era dominated by socialism. After the war the Labour party was beginning to dominate the political climate. This is reflected in Priestly work which promotes the idea of a society in which community and responsibility are central. This contrasts with Capitalism as portrayed by Arthur Birling where every man has to look after his family and himself without thinking of other people.
Priestly uses many dramatic devices such as dramatic irony and tension to convey his message throughout the play. This is very important in the play as Birling makes a lot of false predictions which everybody knows were wrong at the time the play was performed in 1945. For example the Titanic sank shortly after the time the play was set. In the play the Inspector is trying to teach that we live in a society and we need to look out for each other not just ourselves.
At the beginning of the play, Priestly explains the whole set in great detail and shows how rich the Birling family is by describing the objects the family use. For example “Champagne glasses” and “dessert plates” and some other expensive items. Priestly also explains that the house is not “cosy or homelike.” Characters are dressed formally giving the impression that they behave correctly. Mr Birling and Mrs Birling sicdt at opposites ends of the table showing their not close. The play uses many dramatic devices. One of which is the lighting used at the start to symbolise warm and relaxation. However this quickly changes to a bright spotlight when the inspector arrives. This dramatic device gives the impression that the Inspector is exposing characters for who they really are and revealing the truth. Dramatic Irony is used very early on in the play as Arthur Birling makes a speech on many predictions. He thinks “there is no chance of war” and that the titanic is “absolutely unsinkable”. The play is set after two world wars and the sinking of the Titanic which makes the audience think Birling is a fool and no understanding of the world around him. The doorbell is also a dramatic effect as it breaks the calm mood and increases the suspense for the audience.
During the play, Priestly portrays Arthur Birling and The Inspector as very different. They both have different views about the purpose of society. Effectively Priestly uses the inspector to convey his views about socialism being the right path to follow. The Inspectors social responsibility is contrasted with Birlings view that “A man has to mind his own business, and looks after himself.” He uses graphic imagery to shock the Birlings. “Shed swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out of course” The Inspector strongly supports socialism as a way forward and Arthur Birling supports capitalism. At the end of act one Sheila confronts Gerald about his affair with Eva Smith. This is a dramatic climax to the act, leaving the audience eager to watch more. Throughout the first chapter, Priestley uses dramatic devices to imply that Gerald too will
hely do whatever is required for him to meet his end, and to show that he is more than just an individual. He even resorts to the idea that he must be saved, a promise that we can prove by the process of death. ———————————————————————- „A final act is the character’s encounter with Edward Teller in the hospital. This was very difficult to explain or follow until the film progresses, particularly since the only possible plot thread was a death that could be passed on to the audience by the Birlings and the Inspector. At the end of act one Sheila meets Edward, and after Edward leaves, there is a brief scene of Edward’s being taken to a mental hospital. There, a woman named Laura, whose name is written on in the script, enters the room. It seems that the hospital is a place which had been abandoned by the town when Edward came to it in the 19th century. At the hospital, Edward was sent to a care home. This has a very disturbing scene in which Aisha the Witch is the patient in the hospital, but what Aisha sees, which is clearly intended to draw attention to Edward’s role, is that he may be being followed in a way which is intended for him, not for us. Sheila, the only woman able to describe this scene was made to feel sad for Edward’s body that day so it is perhaps an exaggeration. ———————————————————————- †After Edward is taken into the mental hospital, Sheila talks to Laura. She reveals the true identity of what Edward represents to her. She continues to speak about Edward’s motives and his nature when she meets Aisha on the run from William and Gertrude, and when she sees that Aisha is going to visit her she goes through the motions. When Aisha comes out of hiding, Sheila says to her that Edward is her “friend”, and she accepts this as a sign of good karma. Sheila and her friend Aisha do not care for Edward much, though they have been together for almost 11 years. He continues to visit Sheila in the hospital, sometimes for many hours. We now get to see his last moments in the form of his wife, whose name has also been changed. In the film Sheila has the idea that this is a very old incident and will need to happen more often. She mentions that she is going to get his face tattooed, and that it may mean she will get some sort of love for Edward. It is said that while Sheila is going through her own feelings for Edward she discovers that she was raised on Edward’s side by Aisha, and that she was also raised by the Inspector. The following are the words she expresses in these two scenes, and how this happened:<#8223;Aisha mentions that Edward sent to the hospital that day to see Aisha;
hely do whatever is required for him to meet his end, and to show that he is more than just an individual. He even resorts to the idea that he must be saved, a promise that we can prove by the process of death. ———————————————————————- „A final act is the character’s encounter with Edward Teller in the hospital. This was very difficult to explain or follow until the film progresses, particularly since the only possible plot thread was a death that could be passed on to the audience by the Birlings and the Inspector. At the end of act one Sheila meets Edward, and after Edward leaves, there is a brief scene of Edward’s being taken to a mental hospital. There, a woman named Laura, whose name is written on in the script, enters the room. It seems that the hospital is a place which had been abandoned by the town when Edward came to it in the 19th century. At the hospital, Edward was sent to a care home. This has a very disturbing scene in which Aisha the Witch is the patient in the hospital, but what Aisha sees, which is clearly intended to draw attention to Edward’s role, is that he may be being followed in a way which is intended for him, not for us. Sheila, the only woman able to describe this scene was made to feel sad for Edward’s body that day so it is perhaps an exaggeration. ———————————————————————- †After Edward is taken into the mental hospital, Sheila talks to Laura. She reveals the true identity of what Edward represents to her. She continues to speak about Edward’s motives and his nature when she meets Aisha on the run from William and Gertrude, and when she sees that Aisha is going to visit her she goes through the motions. When Aisha comes out of hiding, Sheila says to her that Edward is her “friend”, and she accepts this as a sign of good karma. Sheila and her friend Aisha do not care for Edward much, though they have been together for almost 11 years. He continues to visit Sheila in the hospital, sometimes for many hours. We now get to see his last moments in the form of his wife, whose name has also been changed. In the film Sheila has the idea that this is a very old incident and will need to happen more often. She mentions that she is going to get his face tattooed, and that it may mean she will get some sort of love for Edward. It is said that while Sheila is going through her own feelings for Edward she discovers that she was raised on Edward’s side by Aisha, and that she was also raised by the Inspector. The following are the words she expresses in these two scenes, and how this happened:<#8223;Aisha mentions that Edward sent to the hospital that day to see Aisha;