An Inspector Calls

Hello 👋 I'd really appreciate it if anybody could give me a grade/ feedback for this answer for An Inspector Calls. Any advice on how to incorporate character and theme analysis into questions would be great too! Thanks in advance 😃

“How does Priestley present society as unfair in an Inspector Calls?”
An Inspector Calls is a didactic play which condemns capitalism, sexism and inequalities in the class system to encourage a reform in the unfair society of the 1900’s.
Priestley uses the character of Edna, the Birlings maid, to draw attention to the disregard shown towards the working class. To an audience of the 1940’s, even the fact that the Birlings employed a maid would seem outdated and an unnecessary commodity, inciting a condemnation of their lifestyle as soon as the play begins. Mrs Birling’s addresses towards Edna are most reflective of the way in which the working class were treated by the upper class. She reprimands Mr Birling for thanking the servants, saying, “You’re not supposed to say things like that,” displaying the perceived impropriety at interacting with those below your status. She also comments that she will have Edna “wait up” to open the door, a task that could easily be completed by the Birlings themselves, displaying a lack of respect for Edna’s life. Priestley does this to portray the mistreatment of the lower class by the upper classes and to urge the need for reform in the treatment of the poor. Edna is also the character to change the lighting from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘harsh and cold’ as the Inspector arrives, foreshadowing that it will be the lower and working classes to stimulate change in society.
Priestley also uses the characters of Gerald and Eric and their interactions with Eva Smith to draw attention to the sexism and exploitation of women in the 1900’s. Although Gerald describes Daisy Renton as being “happier than she ever had been,” when she was seeing him and that he was helping her “out of pity,” Priestley makes it clear to the audience that Gerald’s behaviour was only for self-gain. Gerald describes his friend leaving him an apartment for a short while, for which he does not have to pay to use. His friend was suggesting that Gerald install a mistress their while he was absent and Gerald took full advantage of this opportunity to satisfy his own sexual desires. He went to the Palace Bar to see out a mistress, selecting Eva because she wasn’t “dough faced” like the other women there. This derogatory description of the women presents how men viewed them as a commodity rather than as individuals. Gerald does not even consider the desperation that may have drawn these women to be working at the Palace Bar and that their appearance may be a result of the hardship they are suffering. Gerald then describes Daisy Renton as living “very economically on what little I allowed her.” The use of the word “allowed” implies a feeling of superiority and control over Daisy in Gerald, emphasizing the position of women below men in society. This “little” money that Gerald provided her with would have been far less than the cost to hire and apartment for a mistress had his friend not been absent, and so Gerald was only saving himself money by keeping Daisy Renton. He also ends the relationship with Daisy as soon as his friend returns, showing his desire to spend as little money as possible to content himself, without regards to others. This behaviour illustrates how women were exploited by men, not only physically but emotionally, as Gerald demonstrated how Daisy fell in love with him and he used her for a cheap mistress, feeling no emotion towards her.
Eric is also described as exploiting Eva Smith, which is used by Priestley to extend the idea of gender inequality. When at Eva’s lodgings, Eric mentions that she didn’t want him to enter her room, however he was “in that state when a chap easily turns nasty.” By describing it as “that state” Eric is implying that all men have experienced this aggressive behaviour and is trying to cause the company to empathise with him. Simultaneously, he distances himself from the offense referring to himself as “a chap”. This connotes youth and amiability, a title which Eric uses to try and dismiss his behaviour as a mere folly of a young man. This shows his lack of responsibility and willingness to accept that what he did was a violation of Eva’s rights. Priestley depicts the relationship between men and woman as one of a power imbalance, where the men dominate and control the women without any apparent remorse or consequences for their behaviour. This emphasizes the misogyny in society at the time of the play. Eric’s confession comes last in the play to emphasize that his association with Eva led her to suicide. This is because she would rather kill herself and her unborn child rather than accept stolen money and marry Eric, highlighting that capitalist men were the cause of all problems in Priestley’s view.
Mr Birling is used as a proxy for capitalism, a political view that Priestley condemns by depicting Mr Birling as avaricious, mercenary and ignorant. During his confession to the Inspector, Mr Birlings excuses himself of mistreating his workers by saying, “We we’re paying the usual rates, and if they didn’t like those rates, they could work somewhere else.” Mr Birling ignores the fact that the ‘usual rates’ refers to the cartel, most likely put in place by his own company, to ensure that all factories paid the same wages to keep high skilled workers in companies at low rates. Priestley uses this statement by Mr Birling to depict the difficulty of finding work and the unfair wages the working class were subject to. He also presents capitalists as being the ones to blame for poverty the poverty of the audience, as they have provided low wages in order to gain profits for themselves.
Mrs Birling is used to portray the influence that the upper class had over others and the way in which they abused this to ensure that their own prejudices were satisfied. Mrs Birling refused Eva Smith help when she came to her charitable organisation, referring to those in Eva’s position as ‘girls of that class.’ Here she is separating herself from the working class and treating them as if they are unworthy of her aid, when in fact they are the ones who deserve and require it the most. Priestley uses this concept of the rich declining the poor help to encourage the audience to vote labour in the 1945 election to gain a welfare state, where all citizens will be entitled to healthcare and financial assistance when they are unemployed.
The Inspector is the mouthpiece for Priestley at the end of the play when he declares that, ‘if men don’t learn that lesson, they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.’ By using the word ‘men’ rather than ‘man’, to represent everyone, he is putting an emphasis on the misogyny and sexism in society. As women held no power and were treated as inferior, it must be the men to instigate change among the population. The phrase, “fire and blood and anguish” mirrors language of the Bible in reference to hell. This appeals to the predominantly Christian audience that if they do not make a change in society by converting to socialist views, they are neglecting their Christian values. The Inspector all declares that, “we are members of one body, “another reference to Christianity in receiving the host at mass. Priestley uses these allusions to align socialism and Christianity in a bid to create a fairer society.

Reply 1

jackb1029

Your points are fine, but they need further elaboration. Try to touch more extensively on historical context, but keep in mind that the 'cartel' wasn't really a thing at this point. On the other hand, your points don't have enough emphasis on language analysis, nor do they touch on how things are said. You seem to put in a lot of points, but don't back it up with the necessary explanatory parts.

Reply 2

Dog :)

Original post by jackb1029

Thank you, that's very helpful ☺️. What sort of grade do you think this would gain in the exam?

Reply 3

jackb1029

Original post by Dog :)

Thank you, that's very helpful ☺️. What sort of grade do you think this would gain in the exam?

I'd say a solid grade 6 or 7. Its a decent overall answer, but push for the 8s and 9s when practicing!

Reply 4

Dog :)

Original post by jackb1029

I'd say a solid grade 6 or 7. Its a decent overall answer, but push for the 8s and 9s when practicing!

Thank you again! I'll remember to explain points further next time 😇 Also if you could share this around the platform so I could get even more advice that would be great. I'm just going into year 10 so I hope to improve my essay skills before mocks👍