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An Inspector Calls Revision
An Inspector Calls Revision
Literature
OR
GCSE
ECT
I NSP LS
CAL
Paper 2
YOU WILL HAVE A
IN THE CHOICE OF 2
QUESTIONS.
EXAM. CHOOSE THE ONE YOU
FEEL YOU COULD ANSWER
.. WELL.
BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR
CHOICE AND STICK WITH
IT.
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They are
on the wall
displays,
Marked out of
grade
30.
descriptors
(4 marks
and your
available for
advice
SPAG)
slips!
How the marks are split up.
How does Priestley show How and why does Sheila change
in An Inspector Calls? How does
change in An Inspector Calls?
Priestley show this change?
Write about: Write about:
The ideas about people How Sheila responds to her
changing or not changing family and the inspector
How Priestley presents those How Priestley presents Sheila by
ideas by the way he writes. the way he writes.
EITHER
0 Question 1 Explain the significance of Mr Birling in
J.B. Priestleys An Inspector Calls. Write about:
how Mr Birling responds to character and plot
how Priestley presents Mr Birling by the way he
writes.
[30 marks] AO4 [4 marks]
OR
0 Priestley had fought in World War I and like many of the men who
came back home he wanted a new England, where men were
equal and the wealth of the nation was shared more evenly he
wanted a socialist government and society.
When Inspector Goole is announced, Birling and Gerald make a joke about Eric who
shows his guilty conscience by reacting strongly to this. The inspector informs Birling
about the death of a young woman who has committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. It
emerges that Birling had sacked the girl, Eva Smith, two years earlier after she had been
one of the ring-leaders in a strike and demanding higher wages.
Sheila Birling is also connected to the girl, having had her sacked from her new job at
Milwards. She is horrified by what she did and is genuinely remorseful.
The inspector seems to know details of the familys involvement before they speak and
when he tells them that the girl changed her name to Daisy Renton, Geralds reaction
tells us that he, too, knew the girl. When they are temporarily left alone, Sheila warns
Gerald not to try to hide anything from the inspector. By the end of the first act, the
audience is expecting the inspector to reveal further connections with members of the
Birling family.
Act 2 Summary
Although Gerald tries to get Sheila to leave the room, she insists on staying.
Gerald admits to having had an affair with Eva Smith, the girl he knew as Daisy
Renton, the previous summer. Sheila is hurt and disappointed in Gerald who had
told her he was busy at the works at that time. After Gerald broke off the affair,
Eva/Daisy had left Brumley for a few months. After Sheila has returned her
engagement ring to him, Gerald goes out, seemingly genuinely affected by the
news of the girls death.
Despite Sheilas warnings Mrs Birling tries to intimidate the inspector, believing
that she could have no possible connection to the girl. When the inspector
reminds her of the pregnant girl she turned away from the charity organisation she
chaired, Mrs Birling concedes but felt herself to be justified because the girl had
lied to her about her name (calling herself Mrs Birling). She also disbelieved the
girls claim that she had refused the offer of help from the father of her baby
because she believed that he had stolen the money. Mrs Birling digs herself
deeper into a hole by insisting that the father of the baby should be made to pay.
Eric has been out during this exchange but re-enters right at the end of the scene
to expectant faces we are expecting Eric to be the father of the baby.
Act 3 Summary
Eric immediately realises that they all know and tells them of how he met Eva and of her
subsequent pregnancy. Questioned closely by the inspector, he also reveals that he had
tried to support the girl by giving her money but he had stolen it from his fathers
business. The Birlings seem more horrified by this than his responsibility for the girls
condition. Having done his job, the inspector makes a speech about social responsibility
and leaves the Birlings to examine their behaviour.
When Gerald re-enters he has news that there is no Inspector Goole employed by the
local police. Birling and Gerald now set about disproving the inspectors case, although
Sheila and Eric feel that that is not the point. When Gerald confirms that no girl has died
of drinking disinfectant by telephoning the infirmary, the Birlings and Gerald are delighted
and their mood of jollity and good-humour of the beginning of Act 1 returns.
Sheila and Eric do not feel the same way, continuing to feel guilt for what they have done
and are appalled at the behaviour of Gerald and their parents. When Birling suggests
that Sheila take back her engagement ring from Gerald, Sheila remarks that it is too
soon.
Just at the point where Birling is teasing them for their lack of sense of humour, the
telephone rings and Birling is obviously stunned by what he hears: a girl has died in the
infirmary and a police inspector is on his way to act them some questions.
characters
What should you
0 Mr Arthur Birling know?
0 At least 5 quotes for
0 Mrs Sybil Birling each character
0 Sheila Birling 0 Have a good
0 Eric Birling understanding of the
characters part in
0 Gerald Croft
events and what
0 Inspector Goole Priestley is using them
0 Eva Smith/Daisy to show
Renton 0 You should be able to
link each character to a
theme.
An Inspector Calls Mr Birling
AO1 AO3
What is Priestley trying to teach us
Find Quotations about the historical context through
for the following: the character of Mr Birling?
How is Priestley teaching us this?
He cares more about Which themes does Mr Birling link
his business than his to and how?
family
AO2
He will not take
Analyse the following quotations. What devices have been
responsibility for used? What is the key word and its connotations?
others Arthur Birling is a heavy-looking, rather portentous man
easy manners but rather provincial in his speech.
He is made to look
foolish by Priestley The titanic absolutely unsinkable.
Capitalist views
A man has to make his own way has to look after himself
Tries to have authority and his family too, of course.
over the Inspector
Youd think we were all mixed up together like bees in a
hive community and all that nonsense.
Theres every excuse for what both your mother and I did
it turned out unfortunately, thats all
An Inspector Calls Mrs Birling
AO1 AO3
What is Priestley trying to teach us
Find Quotations about the historical context through
for the following: the character of Mrs Birling?
How is Priestley teaching us this?
She refuses to take Which themes does Mrs Birling link
responsibility to and how?
She is selfish
AO2
Treats Eric/Sheila like
Analyse the following quotations. What
children
devices have been used? What is the key
She is not sorry for word and its connotations?
what happened
Main
Theme
s
Class Age
The play is concerned with both
Responsibility personal responsibility and social
responsibility
Primary theme
Words responsible and responsibility are used by most characters
throughout the play
The Inspector wanted each member of the family to share the responsibility
of Evas death:
"One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and
millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their
lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness,
all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do."
The Inspector gives the Birlings a warning:
And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not
learn that lesson, when they will be taught it in fire and blood and
anguish.
What would Priestly want his audience to think of when providing the Birlings
with such warnings?
Character Attitude to Social Responsibility
Mr. Birling a man has to make his own way has to
look after himself and his family too, of
course when he has one
Doesnt believe that an individual has a social
responsibility to others.
Mrs. Birling
Sees social responsibility in a limited way while
she is involved with a womans charity she has a
very narrow sense of responsibility. She takes no
responsibility for Evas death.
Eric
Has some innate sense of social responsibility Why
shouldnt they try for higher wages. He felt
enough responsibility to offer Eva money.
Shelia
Shelias sense of social responsibility is awakened
throughout the play and she feels compassion for
workers like Eva But these girls arent cheap
labour theyre people.
Class
Apart from Edna, the maid, the characters in the play are from the rich, upper
classes. However, a lot can be learnt about the lower classes through the
attitudes of the characters and their interactions with Eva Smith.
Again make sure that you consider how each character views the lower classes
at the beginning and the end of the play.
Eric
Feels awkward about the
Easy sex at the end of a
benefits from his social
drunken night out.
status.
Gender
Because of her sex Eva was in an even more vulnerable position. When the
play is set women were not yet valued in their own right by society and had
not been awarded the right to vote.
Even upper class women had limited choices and were under the control of
men. The situation was even worse for working class women. Eva Smith
encompasses this plights and her life is heavily influenced by the men she
encounters.
Age
generations deal with the
Inspectors call in different
ways.
The Old (Mr. and Mrs. Birling) The Young (Shelia and Eric)
More open to new ideas. Their
The old are set in their ways.
views change throughout the
They are confident that they are
play and they express sympathy
right and the young are wrong.
for the striking workers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g75ZigJMBM
Stage directions concerning the
Inspector what can you say?
We hear the
sharp ring of a
front door bell
Stage directions concerning the
Inspector what can you say?
He speaks carefully,
weightily, and has a
disconcerting habit of
looking hard at the person
he addresses before
actually speaking
Stage directions find one pertinent
stage direction for each of the main
characters and be prepared to explore
it
Birling:
Eric:
Sheila:
Gerald:
Mrs Birling:
Cycles
issues
The dining room furniture symbolises
objects etc
The decanter of port and the cigars This symbolises outward displays of wealth
Small
symbolise
The photograph of Eva symbolises
lighting/ directions
Bigger staging/
P12 the Inspector cuts through others These actions symbolise that to expose the actions of ignorant people you
speaking and interposes himself need to
between them when they try to see the
photo
P7 Sheila and Sybil leaving after
dinner
P70 Birling wipes his brow/ Sheila
shivers
Eric symbolises
Sheila symbolises
Dont forget to
number these- So, Mr Birling is
to give a sense presented as
ignorant, stubborn,
of coherence! traditionalist and a
social climber.
Planning
So, Mr Birling is
presented as
ignorant, stubborn,
traditionalist and a
social climber.