An Inspector Calls – Knowledge Organiser

Plot Punctuation Grammar

Act One – The play begins in 1912 with a dinner celebrating the marriage of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft. Type Example Type Example
Gerald gives Sheila her ring, and Sheila and Sybil leave the room to try on wedding clothes. Eric goes For example, ___
upstairs. Arthur tells Gerald he knows the Croft family considers themselves social superiors of the Goole is fair, stern, logical, and he Cohesive In conclusion, ___
Birlings, but that is easily remedied, he says, as he expects a knighthood for his business successes. Eric Listing comma
annoys the Birlings. device However, ___
returns, and Arthur gives the two young men advice about life, saying that people ought to look out for Similarly, ___
themselves and their families, and not fall prey to socialist propaganda about the collective good. Edna,
Arthur Birling, who is a capitalist, Minor Alone.
the maid, announces that an Inspector Goole is here to speak to Arthur. He announces that a girl named Parenthetic comma
Eva Smith has died of an apparent suicide. The Inspector asks Arthur if he knows anyone by that name. likes profit. sentence Dead.
Arthur initially denies it, but after seeing a picture, he admits to employing Eva at his factory, and firing Even though Sheila is a higher Active
her when she incites a failed strike for higher wages. Arthur says he is not sorry for doing so, even though Subordinating comma She drank disinfectant.
class, she accepts responsibility. voice
he is sad to hear of the girl’s death. Arthur believes that his foremost obligation is to his profits. When
Sheila returns to the room, the Inspector begins interrogating her. It is revealed that Sheila got a girl fired The Birlings got what they
Passive The disinfectant was
from Milward’s, a local shop, for giving Sheila mean looks as she was trying on clothing. Sheila regrets to Colon deserved: their actions
hear that the person she incriminated was none other than Eva Smith, and that she and Arthur are voice drunk by her.
scrutinised.
responsible, in part, for Eva’s poverty and suicide. The Inspector turns to Gerald and asks if he knows
someone named Daisy Renton. Sheila realizes, from Gerald’s expression, that Gerald knows this name. Brackets for stage Simple The Inspector highlighted
[telephone rings sharply]
When all but Sheila and Gerald leave the room, Sheila accuses Gerald of having had an affair with Daisy directions sentence their issues.
Renton the previous summer. Gerald admits to this. He asks Sheila to hide this information from the Terminology Definition Example
Inspector, but she says it will not be possible because the Inspector probably already knows.
INSPECTOR: “We are responsible for
Act Two begins with the same set. The Inspector questions Gerald about Daisy Renton, and Gerald admits The last speech of a character, each other. And I tell you that the time
to the affair in front of Sheila and her parents, Arthur and Sybil. Gerald is embarrassed by his indiscretion, Final Speech designed to have an impact and will soon come when, if men will not
but insists his concern for Daisy was authentic. Sheila wonders if she can forgive Gerald enough to give a message. learn that lesson, they will be taught it
continue their relationship. Gerald tells the Inspector he is going to leave for a walk. The Inspector moves in fire and blood and anguish.”
on to Sybil, who, on being questioned, says that she, as director of a charity, refused assistance to a “Miss Birling has just been made to
pregnant woman. The Inspector tells them that the girl Sybil turned away was Eva Smith, or, as Gerald
understand what she did to this girl. She
knew her, Daisy Renton. The Inspector also says that Gerald was not the one who got Eva pregnant. Sybil The state or fact of being
says she feels no regret, as Eva/Daisy had claimed she was pregnant but was not married to the child’s feels responsible. And if she leaves us
Responsibility accountable or to blame for
father. To this, Sybil responded that Eva/Daisy should ask the child’s father for money. Sybil blames the now, and doesn’t hear any more, then
something.
unnamed father for the situation, and for Eva/Daisy’s suicide. Sheila and Arthur tell Sybil to stop talking. she’ll feel she’s entirely to blame, she’ll
In this moment, Sybil realizes that her son, Eric, must be the father of the child, since Eva/Daisy presented be alone with her responsibility.”
herself to the charity as “Mrs. Birling.” Eric returns to the room. INSPECTOR: “We are responsible for
A socialist viewpoint expounds
each other. And I tell you that the time
Act Three, with the same set, begins with Eric admitting to an affair with Eva/Daisy, and to a drinking the principles of equality,
Socialist viewpoint will soon come when, if men will not
problem that makes many of the details hazy. The Inspector demonstrates that each member of the communal sharing, and
Birling family, and Gerald, has played a part in Eva/Daisy’s suicide, and that all should consider learn that lesson, they will be taught it
responsibility
themselves guilty. Before he leaves, the Inspector says that people must look out for one another, and in fire and blood and anguish.”
that society is “one body.” The Inspector departs. Sheila, wracked with guilt, wonders aloud whether the A group of words, which relate to Semantic field: Death
Inspector is a member of the police force. The family puzzles this out, and when Gerald returns, he says Semantic field
a common theme or motif. Murder, suicide, weapon, poison.
he spoke to a sergeant outside who does not know of any Inspector with the name of Goole, the man Simile “…as if we were all mixed up together
who just visited the Birling home. Arthur believes that the family has been hoaxed, and that this is a good A comparison using like or as
like bees in a hive”
thing, since their misdeeds will not now result in public scandal. Sheila resents Arthur’s rationalization of
the family’s behaviour, and she says they are still guilty for Eva/Daisy’s death, even if the Inspector was When the audience knows
not a genuine officer. Gerald, however, notes that no family member saw the picture of Eva/Daisy at the Dramatic irony information that the characters Macbeth having Banquo murdered.
same time, and that the Inspector might have conflated the family’s stories by offering pictures of do not.
different women, and changing the names from Eva Smith to Daisy Renton. The phone rings, and Arthur
answers. He alerts the family that a girl has been admitted to the hospital just now, and that her death is To give an indication of what is to A clue or hint is given at the start of a
Foreshadowing
a suicide. As the play ends, Arthur relays to the family that a police inspector is headed to the house to come. novel and reappears throughout.
begin an inquiry.
 Reading Success Criteria - PEARL Top 10 quotes to learn
 interpret the key ideas that the Priestley is communicating through his text? (What?)
 explore and develop explicit and implicit techniques that create meaning for the audience? 1. Birling: the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look
(How? For what effect?)) after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community
 identify Priestley’s techniques such as dramatic irony and explore their effect on the and all that nonsense. (Act 1)
audience? 2. Birling: Still, I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that
 explore and comment on Priestley’s intention within the text?
happened to everybody we'd had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn't
 Can I respond personally to the text and suggest alternative interpretations?
 use evidence selectively to support/justify my ideas? it? (Act 1)
 explore and explain the use of techniques/conventions? 3. Inspector: They might. But after all it's better to ask for the earth than to take it. (Act 1)
 explore how Priestley uses language to develop/create tone and atmosphere? 4. Inspector: (massively) Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges. (Act
 Explore and analyse quotations and key words to write a lot about a little. 2)
 develop my ideas fully and fluently? 5. Inspector: One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva
 interpret the key ideas that Priestley is communicating through his text? (What?) Smiths and John Smiths still left with us (Act 3)
 explore contextual ideas from time written/set & comment on attitudes towards age etc. 6. Sheila: But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people. (Act 1)
Key Characters
7. Sheila:(rather wildly, with laugh)No, he's giving us the rope –so that we'll hang ourselves.
Arthur Birling Represents the capitalist class that Sybil Arthur’s wife of a higher class. An
controls the wealth and means of Birling unsympathetic woman who (Act 2)
production: more concerned with represents the bourgeoise (female) 8. Mrs B: I'm sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it
material gain and conventional upper class. More than any other at all. (Act 2)
attitudes. He is a wealthy factory character, she is adamant that she is
9. Mrs B: Really, from the way you children talk, you might be wanting to help him instead of
owner in his mid 50s. blameless in Eva Smith's suicide.
Eric Birling Same age and of the same mind as Sheila Early twenties, bright, lively and us. (Act 3)
his sister. He is adolescent in his Birling optimistic. Unlike her parents and 10. Eric: (bursting out)… You're beginning to pretend now that nothing's really happened at all.
manner ('half shy, half assertive', fiancé, she expresses deep regret And I can't see it like that. This girl's still dead, isn't she? (Act 3)
according to Priestly) and drinks for her role in Eva Smith's suicide.
too much, perhaps because he has
Context
not yet found a meaningful role in
life.
Gerald Croft Gerald Croft represents the Inspector A mysterious figure. His name  A play in three acts, set in Brumley, an English manufacturing town in the north of the
aristocracy, the highest class of Goole evokes the word 'ghoul', meaning Midlands, in 1912 .
society, comprised of rich land evil spirit or phantom. He doesn't  Set in 1912, before the beginning of the First World War, but was written during the winter
owners and people who inherit officially exist, and appears to have of 1944/45, first reaching the stage in 1945, the year in which the Second World War ended.
their wealth from their parents. supernatural powers of perception  It champions socialism – a political system that means the production, distribution, and
Engaged to Sheila and persuasion. Reflects socialist exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. After WWII, the
PoV. Labour Party (a socialist party at that time) won the general election in a landslide victory
Key Themes against Churchill.
Responsibility INSPECTOR: Each of you helped to Age BIRLING: ‘Now you three young
 1945 was probably the most crucial period in domestic British politics this century” - a time
kill her. Remember that. Never people, just listen to this… by the
forget it. (He looks from one to the time you’ll be living in a world that’ll
when people were asking, “Do we want to go back to the Edwardian period or to create
other of them carefully.) But then I have forgotten all these Capital something vital and new, a romantic vision of the future?”.
don't think you ever will. (Act 3) versus Labour agitators and these  Priestley fought in WWI and saw the horrors. At the end of the WWII he saw the class, age
silly little war scares’ and gender divides all broken down and campaigned for the country to keep it like that,
rather than go back to Edwardian attitudes of 1912.

Gender BIRLING:"...not only something to Class BIRLING: “you’d think everybody has
make 'em look prettier - but - well, to look after everybody else, as if
a sort of sign or token of their self- we were all mixed up together like
respect." bees in a hive”