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Kipp
01-03-2009, 12:33 PM
Question

Explore the dramatic effectiveness of the beginning of act 1 up to the entrance of the inspector

Answer

An inspector calls by J.B priestly is a play that deals with social in justice. It's clever because it draws the audience in and makes them think how we should treat others. The play is about a young woman who has commented suicide and there’s an investigation into her death.

The main themes in the play are social justice, responsibility for others and rich Vs poor. The play was written in 1966 but was set in 1912 at the time of the play was set capitalism was becoming important, the rich was becoming richer and the poor was becoming poorer.


The Birling family is celebrating Sheila and Gerald engagement in there Birling mansion also they are a rich class. The people who are in the Birling mansion are Sheila, Gerald, Mr Birling, Ms Birling and Eric. The mood at the beginning of the play is happy, joyful and warm. We know this because the stage direction says 'the lighting should be pink and intimate'. This shows the mood because it uses the word pink and intimate. This creates a calm and cosy atmosphere. The writer drops clues to make the scene dramatically effective when Sheila says 'yes except for all last summer, when you never came near me'. This makes the audience interested in Sheila’s relationship with Gerald and makes the audience wonder if they have had problems in the past.


In the next scene Eric is behaving strangely we know this because Eric suddenly laughs out loud and says 'I don’t know really, suddenly I felt I just had to laugh'. This keeps the audience interested because they want to know what Eric is hiding also Eric is always drunk and he acts nervously. The writer uses dramatic irony in Birlings speech. A quotation what shows this is when birling says 'the Germans don’t want war'. We know this is dramatic irony because the Germans did want war and the Germans did start the Second World War. The affect this has on the audience is the impression that Birling is stupid as they have just finished the Second World War with Germany. Another example of dramatic effectiveness is when birling says 'so long we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal'. This is dramatic on the audience because birling has proved to be wrong so the audience thinks it might be a scandal.


Priestly wanted to stop birling talking because birling was saying opposite things what priestly thinks. Birling was saying ' but the way some of these cranks talk and write now you’d think everybody has look after everybody else'. Birling was interrupted when he was talking also Birling was saying 'a man has to mind he’s own business and look after he’s own' The lighting has changed from pink and intimate to brighter and harder when the inspector arrives. A quotation what shows us that the lighting has changed is when the stage director says 'the lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives and then it should be brighter and harder'

I think the lighting has changed because when the inspector arrives everyone in birlings house wonders why an inspector has come into birlings house and start asking questions. This description of the inspector is dramatically effective because it tells you everything about the inspector like what he is wearing, how old he is, how he speaks etc.

This would make the audience interested because the inspector is an interesting character in the play. So I think the audience would want to know more about the inspector, what I mean by the audience would want to know more about the inspector is that why he has turned up to Birling mansion and asking all these questions about the woman who died. It is ironic that an inspector has called because the inspector comes into the Birling mansion and start questioning people about the woman who died but all the people in the Birling mansion does not know that the inspector is not real what I mean by his not real is that his a ghost.


I think the beginning section of the play is interesting for the audience because all the people in the Birling family are sitting around the table in Birling mansion eating and celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald.

Crimson
01-03-2009, 01:52 PM
What a joke. The question we got for our Inspector calls essay was a piss-take... it was so vague. I done about 8 pages and only just scraped an A* :|

There's a few mistakes here and there...
"Commented suicide" - taken from the first paragraph :P
"In the next scene Eric is behaving strangely we know this because..." You should stick a fullstop in there before 'we'.
"A quotation what shows..." - 'that' would be more fitting, try to use that, which etc instead of 'what'. 'What' is very informal.
And there are some more in there, just read through it like you're an examiner.

Also, I would mention about Priestly's strong beliefs on socialism, of which his plays were set to sway the audience into believing social is better, blah-de-blah.

I think you havn't really answered the question. You've explained the play and you've anaylised and explained a little - but not on the most important points.

However, there are some nice points in there :)

Do you have to do that question? With my essay-question we weren't allowed to choose from the essay questions, had to use the set one. If you get to choose from a list of questions, maybe even try another question if you have any time. That's a **** question tbh. :P

Kipp
01-03-2009, 04:20 PM
What a joke. The question we got for our Inspector calls essay was a piss-take... it was so vague. I done about 8 pages and only just scraped an A* :|

There's a few mistakes here and there...
"Commented suicide" - taken from the first paragraph :P
"In the next scene Eric is behaving strangely we know this because..." You should stick a fullstop in there before 'we'.
"A quotation what shows..." - 'that' would be more fitting, try to use that, which etc instead of 'what'. 'What' is very informal.
And there are some more in there, just read through it like you're an examiner.

Also, I would mention about Priestly's strong beliefs on socialism, of which his plays were set to sway the audience into believing social is better, blah-de-blah.

I think you havn't really answered the question. You've explained the play and you've anaylised and explained a little - but not on the most important points.

However, there are some nice points in there :)

Do you have to do that question? With my essay-question we weren't allowed to choose from the essay questions, had to use the set one. If you get to choose from a list of questions, maybe even try another question if you have any time. That's a **** question tbh. :P

Oh well got a C for it.

lisar
02-03-2009, 11:17 PM
How on earth did you get a C?
I saw so many grammar mistakes. You should capitalise the whole book title. Mrs Birling isn't a Ms, because she's married.

The Germans didn't exactly start the war, the trigger for the war was the Sarajevo shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. But it's generally accepted.

Quotes are supposed to be "blah" and if taken from the middle of the sentance "... blah"

Other than that, it's okay. I've done AIC's at GCSE level, and got a B for my coursework and I did 6 pages written, 3-4ish typed.

Sarah
04-03-2009, 01:21 AM
i remember doing this for GCSE. but we watched the film before we read it - spoiled it really.
although the essay seems abit short!

PaintYourTarget
04-03-2009, 01:38 AM
I did it too and got an A.
The story isn't about a girl committing suicide but instead the families social interactions with the girl.

lisar
04-03-2009, 06:40 AM
Yeah, I agree with PaintYourTarget. It is more about the social interactions. It's also about how everyone is connected. They may not have killed her, but for all they know, they may have had a part.

"The affect this has on the audience is the impression that Birling is stupid as they have just finished the Second World War with Germany."

That's not necessarily true either. I think it was clear that it was pre-world war 1. When you see the play and watch the film, their attire is that of the 'teens.

Soka
04-03-2009, 09:43 AM
I did it too and got an A.
The story isn't about a girl committing suicide but instead the families social interactions with the girl.

When I studied this 2 years ago I thought it was Priestly trying to challenge social inequality in Britain as a result of experiencing it himslef whilst working in a wool firm. He wanted people to build a better, more responsible society after the war. It was all about Priestley conveying his socialist messages through the Inspector. His final speech is like a politician's and is aimed not only at the characters on stage, but at the audience too.

OP, try and embed quotes into sentences and write about them, rather than just saying what's going on in the play. Your analysing it, not telling the story of the play. Check the spelling and grammar through, as there are a few errors in there still, one that stands out is on the last line ''his a ghost''. I mentioned that in mine, but tried to craft it in:


The Inspector himself adds drama, by controlling the pace and tension by dealing with one line of enquiry at a time. He is in command at the end of Act I and the start of Act 2, and the end of Act 2 and the start of Act 3. He is an inescapable presence and very much in control. The Inspector seems to know what is going to happen before it does. All of his mystery, along with his name suggests he is not a real person. The name ‘Goole’ suggests that he could be some sort of ghost.



Priestley doesn’t actually reveal who, or what, the Inspector is, perhaps Priestley’s aim was to leave this matter a complete mystery. This tactic could have been to ensure that his viewers continued to think about the story and would also have to think about the issues of Socialism and this is something which he was desperate to do.



For the lighting, you've made a good point, but try and make a few more and expand because there are a few points for the significance of the lighting: (paragraph from mine again):



The setting and lighting were also a very important factor during the play. Priestley describes the scene in detail at the opening of Act 1, so that the audience has the immediate impression of a "heavily comfortable house." The setting is constant and all action happens in the same place. Structurally, an important point in proceedings is the arrival of the Inspector. The swift movement from “pink and intimate” lighting to “brighter and harder” lighting is vital. Priestley says that the lighting should be "pink and intimate" before the Inspector arrives - a rose-tinted glow - when it becomes "brighter and harder." The lighting reflects the mood of the play. The pink lighting could also be there to lure the audience in as the first ten pages are inconclusive and you don’t know what is going on. Priestley chose to mention items such as a phone because he wants a realistic set to match with realistic people, like a slice of life. The audience can recognise the set and relate it to their home, which makes it easier for Priestley to manipulate the audience.

And, you haven't really concluded your essay if that is, I'm assuming; your ending. Try and summarises what Priestley achieved in the play through his dramatic devices such as lighting etc.etc. Heres my conclusion (was probably too long).


Priestley wanted visits to the theatre to be an in the body and an out of the body experience, that people should feel locked in, and part of the experience, and yet also have the detachment to be able to reflect on the experience: this, was the Realist dramatist’s intentions, to present characters that are at once recognisable as representing people in society, so that the theatre going audience would be hooked in to relating to a message about society that a dramatist wanted to convey. Realist theatre was all about presenting messages and changing the world in which we live.



Priestley was capable of this and he entertained and challenged his audiences, all, at the same time. He managed to encourage a greater sense of social responsibility and to see life as a chain of events, an attack on the class system. The fact that Priestley chose five different names is significant. He did so because he chose a universal name such as ‘Smith’ to deliver a universal message. Priestley has being extremely successful in presenting the messages and creating a sense of uneasiness in his audience through skilful use of a structure to psychologically ‘hook’ people and he has borrowed a variety of theatrical forms to maximise his message with the use of dramatic devices to sharpen the impact


This drama can still be related to everyday life, even sixty years after it was written. Throughout the play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society.





Sorry that the fonts are all mixed up, it kept changing them automatically. I did this for all my essays at GCSE english lit and lang. (Pride and Prejudice, The Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet, and even poetry :rolleyes:) - basically expanding on a little is good if there valid points, and should get you marks for original ideas, rather than just telling the story. I wrote eight pages overall for the Inspector Calls essay, but I couldn't seem to chop any bits out because I felt they were all good points and it flowed. I do think you could add a bit more content and substance to yours personally, if your improving it to get higher than a C. Thats the beauty of coursework, you can improve it to perfection and this will take a great deal of pressure off in the exam. From own experience, I got A* in Lit coursework, A* in Lang. coursework and only got a B in lit exam and B in lang exam. But still got A* overall in lit. and A in lang.

Crimson
04-03-2009, 08:47 PM
1 mark off an A* for my piece.

Screw you all.

:(

tutu1
07-03-2009, 02:12 AM
If I'm going to be frank and honest, it is not a good piece of coursework.

How about you begin by answering the question. The question posed is about dramatic effectiveness. Answer it about dramatic effectiveness. You begin by saying, 'An inspector calls by J.B priestly is a play that deals with social in justice.' Does the question ask what 'An inspector calls' deals with? NO!

Immediately your examiner will think.. This kid is rambling on about the play because he doesn't know the answer.

Next up - You story tell. Anybody who is marking your coursework is going to think..I don't want to know the story of the Birling's.. I WANT THEM TO ANSWER THE QUESTION!

Im sorry, I am going to rant, so all I have left to do, is to give you a better template.
You could have started off your coursework like this:
Immediately from the beginning of the play, the audience is engrossed in the act created by J.B Priestly. This could be due to several factors. The scene at the start emphasised harsh pink colours set within a claustrophic stage. This scene immediately sparks the audiences attention...blahblahblah.

Sorry if I got it wrong btw, I havn't done An Inspector Calls in a few years, but try and brush up on your technique.

Favourtism
07-03-2009, 10:49 PM
Yeah, I agree with PaintYourTarget. It is more about the social interactions. It's also about how everyone is connected. They may not have killed her, but for all they know, they may have had a part.

"The affect this has on the audience is the impression that Birling is stupid as they have just finished the Second World War with Germany."

That's not necessarily true either. I think it was clear that it was pre-world war 1. When you see the play and watch the film, their attire is that of the 'teens.

The book is written after WWII but Mr.Birling proves it is set before the WWI as he says something about the so called war that would be coming eventually not happening and that things would fizz over etc.

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