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Language and Style in
An Inspector Calls
For IGCSE English Literature
Mr Elkin-Jones, Late November 2011
[email protected]
This PowerPoint will not…
• Tell you the plot
• Describe characters
• Let you sit there and say
nothing – engage!
• Go over what you
should ready know
• Replace the re-reading
and general revision
you need to do
Style: articulate critical concepts
The struggle between the embattled patriarch Arthur
Birling and Inspector Goole has been interpreted by
many critics as a symbolic confrontation between
capitalism and socialism, and arguably demonstrates
Priestley's Socialist political critique of the selfishness
and moral hypocrisy of middle-class capitalist society.
While no single member of the Birling family is solely
responsible for Eva's death, together they function as a
hermetic class system who exploit neglected vulnerable
women, with each example of exploitation leading
collectively to Eva's social exclusion, despair and suicide.
The play also arguably acts as a critique of Victorian-era
notions of middle-class philanthropy towards the poor,
which is based on presumptions of the charity-givers'
social superiority and severe moral judgement towards
the "deserving poor". The romantic idea of gentlemanly
chivalry towards "fallen women" is also debunked as
being based on male lust and sexual exploitation of the
weak by the powerful. In Goole’s final speech, Eva Smith
is referred to as a representative for millions of other
vulnerable working class people, and can be read as a
call to action for English society to take more
responsibility for working class people, pre-figuring the
development of the post World War II welfare state.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inspector_Calls
Style through Themes
Priestley’s social conscience was awakened by
growing social inequalities in the 1930s
Outlined in “English Journey” (1934), where he
raged at the treatment of veterans and the
desolation of places like Rusty Lane.
His plays were impeccably crafted, sometimes
experimental and are characterised by pre-War
settings and tricks with time. They include:
“Dangerous Corner” (1932)
Comedy “When we are Married” (1938)
“I Have Been Here Before” (1937)
“An Inspector Calls” (1945).
The latter combined his fascination with the
nature of time with his ideas about society.
Source
http://www.jbpriestleysociety.com/biography.html
Themes into language
Priestley had a clear aim when writing the play.
Firstly he wished to entertain the audience; secondly he
wished to get across the central theme of responsibility.
The message is clear and simple: if individuals behave more
responsibly towards each other then the world can be a
better place for all.
Each of the Birling family is responsible in pushing Eva
Smith towards suicide. He advocates clearly that
responsibility begins at home with individuals. If individuals
take responsibility for their actions then this will fan out
into Society and collective action can make the lives of
people better and war can be prevented.
Source:
http://www.jbpriestley-society.com/education.html
Themes into language
We now live in a very individualistic consumer-driven Society.
It is worth thinking about the two quotations below.
They show a clear difference in thinking between what the world was like in 1944/5,
what it has grown into today and what it was like in Edwardian times.
There is no such thing as
society. There are
individual men and
women and there are
families.
Margaret Thatcher
Conservative Prime
Minister
I could not be entirely
serious about anything,
except the well being of
our society itself.
J.B. Priestley
Author, Broadcaster,
Social Commentator
Source:
http://www.jbpriestley-society.com/education.html
By what are style and theme shaped?
The action of the play is set in 1912 before the outbreak of the First World
War. Because it was written at the end of the Second World War in 1944 it
offers a clear comparison of the world at these two crucial moments in
history. In 1944 people were questioning whether they wished to return to a
world of Edwardian style values or break out and create a new world.
Priestley was one of the foremost advocates of political and social change
from the 1930s right up to the end of the Second World War.
By what are language and style shaped? 2
The Inspector is the central
figure in the play.
Ask yourself who he is and
where he comes from.
Has he come back in time
from 1944 to try and give
the Birlings the opportunity
to share their guilt; accept
responsibility; and change
and improve the spiral of
their lives?
Is this the author’s voice?
Priestley’s experience, vision…and thus style
Born in Bradford in 1894 Priestley was a
reforming patriot who had an instinctive
understanding of the less fortunate and
believed passionately in social justice.
He was never a member of a political party,
but described himself as more or less a leftwing intellectual and a socialist of the old
style.
Living in Bradford he saw at first hand the
consequence of a class of people working
long underpaid hours, living in squalid,
crowded housing along dirty streets. Of
Bradford he once wrote:
‘I watched the smoke thicken and the
millionaires who made it ride away. I
saw broken old women creep back to
the mills, and young men wither
because there was no work for them to
do and nobody wanted them. I saw the
saddest waste of all, the waste of
human life’.
Source: http://www.jbpriestley-society.com/education.html
The language of Priestley, also of the Inspector?
The Great War 1914-1918 was
transforming event of Priestley’s
life.
Saw at first-hand what the
Inspector meant by men being
taught a lesson in ‘fire and blood
and anguish’.
He lost virtually all of his friends in
the war and emerged from it with a
deep-rooted class consciousness.
He blamed the officer class and
believed till the day he died that
the lies told to make young men
enlist and the war strategies of the
generals were responsible for the
deaths of so many.
In 1962 he wrote:
‘I still feel today and must go on feeling until I
die, the open wound, never to be healed, of
my generation’s fate, the best sorted out and
slaughtered... The tradition of an officer
class, defying both imagination and common
sense, killed most of my friends as surely as
if those cavalry generals had come out of the
chateau with polo mallets and beaten their
brains out. Call this class prejudice if you
like, so long as you remember that I went into
that war without any such prejudice, free of
any class feeling. No doubt I came out of it
with a chip on my shoulder; a big heavy chip,
Source: http://www.jbpriestley-society.com/education.html
probably some friend’s thigh-bone.’
Styles of Speech: which character uses which
and when do they change?
• Referential: utterances that provide information.
• Expressive: utterances that express the speaker’s
feelings.
• Transactional: utterances where the main purpose is
to get something done or acquire something.
• Interactional: utterances where the main emphasis
is on the social relationship between the
participants.
• Phatic: utterances devoid of any serious content
‘small talk’, usually conducted with strangers or
people only slightly known.
The language of Inspector: 1
INSPECTOR’S FINAL SPEECH, Act 3, pg 56
But just remember this. Once 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. We don’t live alone.
We are members of one body. We
are responsible for one another.
And I tell you that the time will soon
come when, if men will not learn
that lesson, then they will be taught
it in fire and blood and anguish.
Good night.
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Feels like a speech
Does not feel spontaneous but deliberate
It is both Referential (utterances that
provide information) and Expressive
(utterances that express the speaker’s
feelings).
Compare with Romans 1, v about 13 style
in KJV
Compare with style of Christ in Gospel
According to St Luke or St Mark (“I tell you
the truth…I tell you now”)
Assertion
Simple use of conjunctions: ‘and’
Simple language
Multi-layered extended metaphor: John
Smiths like the John Bull of C18th satire
Simple sentence – complex sentence – x3
simple sentences – final complex sentence
– final salutation…which feels like it
should be the end of the play, and is, in
the literal mode
Then the metaphysical coda truly beings:
they slips back in attitude (and time?)
Then the real inspector of the inevitable
present comes to call – play ends on
cliffhanger.
The Language of Sheila
“But these girls aren’t
cheap labour – they’re
people.” (p19)
“I couldn’t be sorry for
her.” Account of Sheila’s
treatment of Eva Smith.
“I behaved badly too. I
know I did. I’m ashamed
of it.”
Mr Burling
“…a man has to make his
own way – has to look
after himself.” (p9)
“She has a lot to say – far
too much – so she had to
go.”
“Still, I can’t accept any
responsibility.”
Mrs Burling
“I must say, we are
learning something
tonight” (p35)
“Go and look for the
father of the child. It’s his
responsibility.”
“I did nothing I’m
ashamed of or won’t bear
investigation.”
Eric’s Language
“Suddenly, I felt I just had
to laugh.” (p3)
“Oh my God – how stupid
it all is!”
“It’s what happened to
the girl and what we all
did to hear that matters.”
Style: philosophical interest in time
Priestley was influenced by the Russian mystic
philosopher Peter Ouspensky( (1878-1947).
Ouspensky believed in the theory of eternal
recurrence.
This is a theory that holds to the concept that
the universe has been recurring, and will
continue to recur in a self-similar form an
infinite number of times (everything happens
again and again and again).
Ouspensky believed that our time on the
planet was spent travelling along an everrecurring spiral and that the aim of all
individuals should be to change and improve
this spiral and stop making the same old
mistakes.
In all our lives we are presented with
opportunities to learn and change and
therefore swing out in a new direction.
The Inspector comes back from the future or
from some place outside time to offer the
Birlings an opportunity to change – an
opportunity they appear not to take.
In the end they have learned nothing and so
will have to go through it all over again.
For more information about Peter Ouspensky click here: www.ouspensky.info
Style, genre and critical evaluation
“After
the new wave of social realist theatre in the 1950s and
1960s, the play fell out of fashion, and was dismissed as an
example of outdated bourgeois "drawing room" dramas, and
became a staple of regional repertory theatre.
Following several successful revivals (including Stephen
Daldry's 1992 production for the National Theatre), the play
was “rediscovered” and hailed as a damning social critique of
capitalism and middle-class hypocrisy in the manner of the
social realist dramas of Shaw and Ibsen.
It has been read as a parable about the destruction of
Victorian social values and the disintegration of pre-World
War I English society, and Goole’s final speech has been
interpreted variously as a quasi-Christian vision of hell and
judgement, and as a Socialist party manifesto.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inspector_Calls
Paper 1 – Literature exam: AIC and
OMAN
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Paper 1 (70%): Drama and Prose
Taken by all students
Section A: Drama
Section B: Prose
Students must answer ONE question from each
section.
• Choice of TWO questions for each text in both
sections.
• Texts not to be taken into examination.
Can we predict the question types?
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Exam question guide:
Paper 1 - Drama & Prose
Questions tend to follow a set pattern:
(a) One question usually focuses on
characterisation
• (b) The other question examines another
central aspect of the play:
• theme or social/cultural setting
What are they marking for?
Assessment Objectives and Weightings
Assessment Objectives Percentage within the IGCSE
AO1 33⅓%
A close knowledge of texts and the contexts in
which
they were written
AO2 33⅓%
Understanding and appreciation
of authors’ uses of the following
as appropriate: characterisation,
narrative, plot, setting and language
AO3 33⅓%
A focused, sensitive, lively and
informed personal response to texts
So do you need to do to get an A*?
AO1
• A* is a grade above A, and is reserved for only the most
outstanding students.
• Students who gain an A* show a highly detailed
knowledge of the
• text; use only relevant material in the answer; make
highly skilled
• use of close reference and quotation; demonstrate
clearly informed
• insight into the social, historical and cultural context of
the text, where appropriate.
And…
AO2
Students who gain an A* show a sensitive, mature
and critical understanding and appreciation of
themes, events, techniques, structure,
characterisation and language in the text where
appropriate; show evidence of sophistication in
appreciation of writer’s craft; show confidence in
using technical vocabulary in analysis of text and
demonstrate analytical interpretative skills.
Is there more…?!
AO3
Write with a clear focus on the terms of the
question; write clearly identifiable points which
show insight and originality; convey ideas
confidently and with conviction and
demonstrate an informed and well argued
personal response.
Show me a typical exam question
This isn’t from An Inspector Calls, so work out what it wants from students:
A View from the Bridge:
How successful does Miller present two or more male characters in
the play?
Or
In what ways does Miller present the difficulties experienced by
illegal immigrants in the play?
Why do questions like these invite judgement and a personal response?
Can you show me an A* AIC answer?
Well, a bit later I will…..but for now….
Here’s an A* for Of Mice and Men
Paper 1 – Section B - Prose
Of Mice and Men:
In what ways is the friendship between George and
Lennie presented in this novel?
With a partner, examine extract C to this question.
1.List the top three strengths in this response.
2.How are students taught the skills needed to respond
in such a way?
Answer: part 1
Steinbeck presents George and Lennie’s significant friendship in the first
section of the novel, one that is incomparable with any other. This central
theme is explored through George and Lennie’s relationship, introduced to
the reader as one that is beyond compare, ‘we got a future’, although, they
are very different companions. They look, converse and behave very
differently, ‘behind him walked his opposite’; despite this, they continue to
travel around together and look after one another, ‘because I got you to
look after me and you got me to look after you’. Steinbeck presents a
poignant portrayal of two men that strangely, complement one another.
The reader quickly becomes conscious, that George is Lennie’s minder,
Lennie tags along behind George‘…and even in the open one stayed
behind the other’; like a guardian George is thoughtful and watches out for
him and both praises and encourages Lennie to make him feel content and
at ease, ‘Good boy. That’s swell’. George knows him well; he knows when
Lennie is up to no good. Lennie is meant to be collecting firewood before
they eat; George instinctively knows he has returned to the river to look for
his dead mouse, ‘George stopped whistling and listened…George held out
his hand’
Answer: part 2
Lennie complies with most of George’s commands, ‘George snapped his
fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand’. When
Lennie snorts the dirty water from the pool, George steps ‘nervously beside
him’ and addresses him ‘sharply’. George is concerned he might become
unwell, ‘you never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie’, Lennie
is like a child who acts first without considering the repercussions of his
actions. George often feels frustrated; travelling with Lennie means that he has
responsibilities. George has to keep repeating information as Lennie often
forgets what he has been told, ‘Might jus’ as well spen’ all my time tellin’ you
things and then you forget ‘em, and I tell you again.’ When Lennie asks for
ketchup the reader witnesses a pantomime of emotions as Lennie threatens,
half-heartedly, to go and live in a cave. George’s temperament subsides; he
recognises his verbal attack was cruel and unfair. Like most close companions,
they have fun together, ‘You can jus’ as well go to hell’; it is clear that Lennie
looks up to George, often mimicking his actions like a son replicating his
father, ‘Lennie…imitated George exactly…looked over to George to see
whether he had done it just right’. When George relents and narrates their
dream, it is obvious this is not the first time it has been told; Lennie has
memorised many elements of the dream ’You got it by heart. You can do it
yourself‘’. George shows to be compassionate as he comforts Lennie with this
story before they sleep.
Questions on An Inspector Calls
These questions should give you further ideas about preparing and revising
for the examination. You may wish to practise answering to time (50
minutes), or producing a plan and short quotations for an examination
answer. Remember the following points about your answer:
• Focus on the wording and requirements of the question.
• Plan the structure of your answer, with opening and closing paragraphs and
perhaps four or five other paragraphs.
• Link your sections together in a logical way, using clear ‘signpost’ words like
‘therefore’ and ‘however’.
• Introduce short, embedded quotations.
• Show how you yourself have responded to and engaged with the play.
‘A’ grade answer: An Inspector Calls
As a character, Sheila certainly changes and develops greatly during the
course of the play and this makes her particularly interesting for the
audience. At first, she seems frivolous and flippant when faced by the
Inspector, and comes across as very immature in her approach. When
he mentions Milwards, she begins commenting ‘archly’ to Gerald about
her wedding again. Although she does seem concerned about the girl,
the audience is shown that she has a temperamental attitude by her
having Smith fired in the first place. After she sees the picture, however,
her attitude changes. She ‘lets out a half-stifled sob’ and admits herself
to have behaved wrongly almost immediately. This shows that she has
a compassionate side to her character and a sense of conscience. She
says to Eric ‘I’ll never do it again to anybody’, showing that she has
been affected and accepts a degree of responsibility. She is also very
receptive to the Inspector’s influence. She exclaims to Gerald: ‘Why he
knows, of course he knows!’, perhaps indicating that she is more
susceptible to being changed than the other characters.
‘A’ grade answer An Inspector Calls 2
By the end of the play, Sheila could be said to be a reformed
character. She is keenly aware of what she has done and has
learned from her actions. When she discovers the Inspector’s
deception, she says ‘I suppose we’re all nice people now’,
ironically, which shows that she understands that the moral
consequences of her actions reach beyond the consequences that
apply directly and only to her and her family, such as the arrest of
Eric. In this way she proves that she has developed over the
course of the play. This change stands as a striking contrast to the
other characters, most of whom have clearly learned nothing.
When Sybil is asked why they shouldn’t behave just as they did
before, she replies ‘Well, why not?’ This strikes the audience as a
particularly unfeeling remark, as though she is still denying that
her actions have been at all wrong. Gerald even offers Sheila her
ring back, as if he had not had an affair. In this way the older
characters show that they have not developed or changed, while
Sheila clearly has.
.
A grade answer An Inspector Calls 3
.
However, there is another character who learns
and changes during the course of the play –
Eric. From having quite an unformed
personality he also shows that he is penitent by
the end of the play. While the others are talking
about whether their reputation is in danger, Eric
cuts in with ‘The girl’s still dead, isn’t she?’ As
he says, ‘I’ll never forget’, he shows that the
whole affair has changed him. He therefore
rivals Sheila in complexity of character.
‘A’ grade answer An Inspector Calls 4
By the end of the play, Sheila could be said to be a reformed character.
She is keenly aware of what she has done and has learned from her
actions. When she discovers the Inspector’s deception, she says ‘I
suppose we’re all nice people now’, ironically, which shows that she
understands that the moral consequences of her actions reach beyond
the consequences that apply directly and only to her and her family,
such as the arrest of Eric. In this way she proves that she has developed
over the course of the play. This change stands as a striking contrast to
the other characters, most of whom have clearly learned nothing.
When Sybil is asked why they shouldn’t behave just as they did before,
she replies ‘Well, why not?’ This strikes the audience as a particularly
unfeeling remark, as though she is still denying that her actions have
been at all wrong. Gerald even offers Sheila her ring back, as if he had
not had an affair. In this way the older characters show that they have
not developed or changed, while Sheila clearly has.
‘A’ grade answer An Inspector Calls 5
However, there is another character who
learns and changes during the course of the
play – Eric. From having quite an unformed
personality he also shows that he is penitent
by the end of the play. While the others are
talking about whether their reputation is in
danger, Eric cuts in with ‘The girl’s still dead,
isn’t she?’ As he says, ‘I’ll never forget’, he
shows that the whole affair has changed him.
He therefore rivals Sheila in complexity of
character.
ENDS.
Questions on An Inspector Calls
These questions should give you further ideas about preparing and
revising for the examination. You may wish to practise answering to
time (50 minutes), or producing a plan and short quotations for an
examination answer. Remember the following points about your
answer:
• Focus on the wording and requirements of the question.
• Plan the structure of your answer, with opening and closing
paragraphs and perhaps four or five other paragraphs.
• Link your sections together in a logical way, using clear ‘signpost’
words like ‘therefore’ and ‘however’.
• Introduce short, embedded quotations.
• Show how you yourself have responded to and engaged with the
play.
Source: IGCSE Literature student book, Cd-Rom
4 typical IGCSE questions on
An Inspector Calls
1.
2.
3.
4.
How far does your view of Eric Birling change during the
play?
What methods does J B Priestley use to create tension and
drama in the play?
‘The setting of the engagement party is important to the
plot and structure of the play.’ How far do you agree with
this statement?
Do you think that Inspector Goole persuades the other
characters about their responsibility for others?
Source: IGCSE Literature student book, Cd-Rom
Links you ought to look at
What do the postures of the actors in these production images tell you?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/gallery/2009/sep/29/stephen-daldry-an-inspectorcalls-west-end#/?picture=353561505&index=8
Abbreviated review of this production: so, do the “Edwardian toffs get their
comeuppance?”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/28/an-inspector-calls-review?intcmp=239
Mini- TV documentary about a different play by J.B. Priestley: are there related
themes?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/video/2009/may/06/jb-priestley-rupert-goold-timeconways?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
For the intellectually lazy…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inspector_Calls
Links you ought to look at: 2
The obligatory BBC Bitesize website – it has all the answers, so do yourself a favour...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramainspectorcalls/
Learn some contextual information about the author at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._Priestley
Why is it that this play is so well regarded, if he wrote so many other things?
http://www.jbpriestley-society.com/education.html
So you need a decent interactive website: video, music, decent photos and a scare?
http://www.aninspectorcalls.com/
Get some freebies to gave your exam grade!
http://www.aninspectorcalls.com//pdf/insp_pack_new.pdf
Remember, that some of these
issues battle have still to be won…
Thank you; that concludes:
Language and Style in
An Inspector Calls
For IGCSE English Literature
Mr Elkin-Jones, Late November 2011
[email protected]