Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

English literature- an inspector calls Eric birling

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Reply 20

1234e

Hi, I am sitting this exam. If the question asked about tension in the play what sort of thing could you write?

Reply 21

danosaur_maisy

I'm only picking up a few ideas that i wrote in a practise essay on this topic.. but i would consider things like:

Tension between Mr Birling and Inspector, they are both powerful figures - vying for dominance (symbolic of capitolism vs socialism ) and they seem to be in constant conflict

This then becomes tension between Eric and Mr Birling because he takes the side of the inspector, and then by Sheila

Maybe look at dramatic tension caused by the stage directions?

The structure of a who dunnit, we get carried along - don't pick up the flaws in the inspector until Gerald suggests it..

And then the three possible endings - when Inspector delivers socialist message and the different reactions to this - when Gerald discovers its a hoax and how this shows the responses of Mr Mrs Birling and Gerald contrasting with Sheila and Eric (it frightens me the way you talk) and then the actual ending - TENSION because we don't know how it will end whether they will get away with it?

These are only a few of my ideas.. hope it helped :smile:

(sitting my english lit in May so good revision)

Reply 22

bethany2306

What school are you from?

Reply 23

danosaur_maisy

I am home educated :smile:

Reply 24

alinapulickan

Eric isan important in the play as; Priestley introduces him to be coming from a trouble-free, spoiled and wealthy family background where there are no problems, although later we find out that this is not the case. Firstly, they are important since, they represent the younger generation who are open to change and equality. They are open to new ideas as well as, improvements. The evidence for this is found in act1 when, Eric express his sympathy for the strikers which, Birling completely disagrees with being, a business man, who can only think of money and doesn’t care about others emotions and worries.Eric, who was described by Priestley as shy and childish. This changed as we realised his part in Eva’s death. Eric was honest and admitted his faults. Eric refuses to try to cover his part up, saying, what he did is what he did and he can’t change it. He was embarrassed that he was a hardened drinker. He is a thief and he later feels the guilt of this when he realises he contributed in encouraging Eva Smith's death and that he was the father of her unborn child. Moreover, when Eric realises that his mother is partly responsible for the death of his unborn child he is petrified, shocked and turbulent. By the end of the play Eric had taken responsibility for his actions. Overall, without eric and Sheila there would be no moral to the play nor any hope. They are the future generation meaning they are the most important because you can’t change the past but you can change the future.