Explore the ways a key theme (collective responsibility) is developed in the drama (An Inspector Calls). Use evidence to support your answer. An Inspector Calls written by socialist writer J.B Priestley in which he employs the characters within the story to portray a message for the rest of society, presenting collective responsibility in a dramatic way. There was a great social divide in the Victorian era and with the introduction of labour in the Edwardian era, things began to change. His opinions of the capitalist society are represented through the events in one dining room in this polemic.
In the play “An Inspector Calls”, J.B Priestly makes many different contrasts, all of which would relate to the problems in 1912 (Sexism, Ageism and Eliteism), these contrasts are shown in the play through the characters of the Birlings, Gerald and Eva Smith, all of which had varied opinions on the matters raised. One of the contrasts Priestly made was that of Capitalism and Socialism; the play is set in 1912, when there was conflict between the two views. Throughout the play Priestly conveys the messages of the two by creating characters in the play that have these views. Mr Birling is a prime example of this, as he portrays the stereotype of the upper-class business man and is seen as having capitalist views throughout the entirety of the play, which are the views that contrast with that of the two younger Birlings, as they are seen to have had more modern, socialist views than that of the rest of the family. Mr Birlings views also contrast with that of the Inspector – who Priestly, most probably, gave his own views, as Priestly's own views definitely leaned more towards that of a socialist, which is shown in the fact that he makes Mr Birling (a Capitalist) selfish and arrogant, whereas he makes Sheila and Eric seem regretful and more likeable than Mr Birling.
When referring to Greek Tragedy there were three prolific writers who influenced the theatre as we know it today; they were Aeschylus (525-456 B.C. ), Sophocles (496-406 B.C.) and Euripides (480-406 B.C.). Each of these three writes included the character of the chorus in their plays. The tragedies that they were writing drew on the same “reservoir of stories about the distant heroic past and its great dynasties and wars, especially those set at Thebes and Troy (Brown J.R. 1995).
According to which the unrealistic element includes in reality and you accept it as real, as normal. For example, drama, a pay. Reminds you “the willing suspension of disbelief”. 4) Explain the relationship of the play to time it is set and to the time in which it was written. inspector calls' is set in 1912 but written in 1944 by the left wing politically minded writer J B Priestly.
Oscar Wilde is credited for being a provocateur for change in nineteenth century England. Wilde provides his audience with the opportunity to witness the inner-workings of Victorian society and their rebellion against following the social norms. Oscar Wilde uses the fabricated identities of Jack and Algernon, the main characters of the play, to show the rebellious nature of the aristocracy. Wilde portrays the Victorian upper-class as rigid and the secret lives are necessary to provide the freedom to express who they really are. While the middle-class of England looks up to the upper-class Victorians with respect and envy, both Jack and Algernon dislike the propriety of it all.
The play is a satire on the attitudes and aspirations of the working class. He shows this through such things as the different characters, relationships, materialism. The focus of events and dialogue centre around Beverley and Laurence’s attempts to present their status in the form of conversation, food, drink and culture and how other characters react to them. The comedy arises from the conflict between the different values of the different characters and culminates in absurd when Laurence has a heart attack in Act 3. A prime example of the working class and their struggle is the character of Beverley, who to tries to maintain a façade of being of a higher class than she is to her neighbours.
Social Disparities in Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” Bernard Shaw should be a required reading in any British Literature course. He was an interesting individual with messages that are still pertinent today. Shaw was obsessed with the inequalities of society which led to his interest in socialism, and he used his public persona to promote his ideas concerning social reform. Shaw viewed social inequalities between the classes and the lack of women’s rights as morally unjust.
Do women prove stereotypes as incorrect? Although one might argue that women have made many advances in society, today in the media, women still often play lesser roles than those of men. They are usually represented as sexual objects or secondary characters that the male lead must either save or win over in the movie. In contrast, in the television series Alias, the female lead Sydney Bristow was depicted as being strong both physically and emotionally. She had to deal with the considerable emotional trauma she had experienced over the years and the changes involved in being a spy on a daily basis.
This thinking has caused much heartache for young women across the world and could be rectified by further studying the differences between men’s and women’s social development. While this article may be older I think that the usefulness in writing a research paper on this topic would be beneficial. It has relevant ideas and examples on the topic of social development in regards to women. It could also be used as the cornerstone for further research on the topic of differing models for the social development of women versus the social development of men. Women are often thought to be not as competent in certain industries, because of the gender roles portrayed, such as in the Information Technology fields and this could article could help in this area and many other areas
Priestley presents ideas about responsibility in an 'An Inspector Calls' by portraying the inspector as a conscience ,using him to represent a good example of responsibility in society. He uses the sound of the doorbell to interrupt Birling's rant on his views on society. Priestley uses the shocking announcement of Eva Smith's death to highlight the consequences of a lack of responsibility. The clarity of Eric and Sheila's realisation of the consequences of their actions sends a strong message to the audience about responsibility. The character of the inspector is written by Priestley as a representation of morality in the play.