J.B. Priestley’s Use Of Dramatic Devices To Convey

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J.B. Priestley’s Use of Dramatic Devices to Convey His Concerns and His Ideas to the Audience in An Inspector Calls An Inspector Calls was set in 1912, this is significant for several reasons, for one, it is just before WW1 was to take place, a period in which no-one expected a war, and if they did, they believed it would be over in a few months. It is considered a drama, whilst also being a social critique, commenting on Capitalism, and Victorian-era ideas about the way of life. It was written and first performed in 1945, but only in Russia, as its Communist views were at first considered too strong for a wartime English audience. It was first shown in 1946 in Britain; these dates are significant, as Priestly appears to have been trying to show is view on the struggle between Capitalism and Communism. Priestley’s concerns were the lack of responsibilities Capitalists felt as though existed between one another, and that Communists would form a stronger knit community, one which makes everyone feel responsible for one another’s actions. The Inspector wants to teach the Birling’s just this, that even though they feel as if they are ‘above’ Eva Smith in terms of class, their actions have massive effects on people, maybe even more so than what would happen to someone of their own class. As this is a play, a variety of dramatic devices are used throughout, to invoke emotions, questions, or ideas within the audience. Irony is a theme which Priestley carries throughout the play, but is used the most extensively within the first act. Two great examples of this are both in Mr Birling’s long speech, one being that the Titanic was ‘absolutely unsinkable’, whilst the other is when he says: ‘There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere – except of course in Russia, which will always be behindhand naturally.’ The first is ironic for tragic, yet obvious
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