An Inspector Calls

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  • Created by: Imy123
  • Created on: 18-05-18 15:35

Doorbell Sound Effect

The sharp ring of the doorbell interrupts Birling’s speech

about social responsibility.

What is the effect?

This forces the audience to make a connection between the Inspector’s

arrival and Birling’s Capitalist ideology that promotes self-interest and

believes that community is ‘nonsense’.

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Lighting

‘The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, and then it

should be brighter and harder.’

What is the effect?

Priestley uses a change in lighting to show the change in

atmosphere that the Inspector’s arrival brings.

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What props are mentioned within Act 1?

The photograph: The Inspector only shows the photograph

to one person at a time..

What is the effect?

This means that no one character can ever be sure that they have seen

the same photograph as any other character. This adds to the sense of

mystery which surrounds the girl and the Inspector. It is important to

notice that the photograph always has an immediate impact on

whoever sees it.

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What is dramatic irony?

Dramatic irony is where the full significance of a character's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

It gives the audience the upper hand and a position of power. The audience knows more than the characters on stage.

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Dramatic irony

‘And I say there isn’t a chance of war...the Titanic – she sails

next week -...unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’

What is the effect?

The audience know that Birling’s first speech is full of inaccuracies. This

makes us question the reliability of his judgement – if he’s wrong about

war and the Titanic, what else will he be wrong about?

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What is foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of (a future event).

Usually, the characters are unaware of the foreshadowed event but the

reader/audience are. Again, like dramatic irony, this gives the audience

the upper hand as we follow the warnings like clues or breadcrumbs all

the way to the resulting future event.

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Foreshadowing

‘so long as we behave ourselves. Don’t get into the police court

or start a scandal – eh?’

What is the effect?

Birling is overconfident when he tells Gerald that he is expecting a

knighthood and his throwaway comment about getting into trouble

makes the audience expect something bad to happen.

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Contrasts & Opposites

Priestley uses opposites or contrasts as an effective device.

Can you find any?

He juxtaposes the beliefs of the Birlings with the attitude of Inspector

Goole.

He also forces the audience to make links between Sheila and the dead

Eva Smith to highlight the differences in their lives because of their

social standing.

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Cliffhangers

Act 1 ends with the Inspector saying ‘Well?’ to Gerald. This is

the same way that Act 2 begins.

What is the effect?

This cliff-hanger means the audience have to wait to find out what

happens, even though they have already anticipated what will happen.

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How is dramatic irony used in Act Two?

There is dramatic irony in the way Mrs Birling is trapped at

the end of the scene.

When she forcefully blames ‘some drunken young idler’, the

audience realise that she is describing Eric.

This also highlights her hypocrisy to the audience: we know

that she would not apply the same standards to her own

family.

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How are contrasts used in Act Two?

Again, the audience are forced to make contrasts between

the Birlings’ self-interested attitudes and the beliefs of the

Inspector.

It is especially clear in this scene that Priestley is using the

Inspector to move the plot along, to control the pace of

events and to decide the order in which the characters are

questioned.

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How is an Entrance used in Act Two?

The timing of Mrs Birling’s entrance mean that she is

unaware of the impact the Inspector is having and

insists on trying to control events herself.

The timing of Eric’s entrance is also significant: he

reappears at the end of the Act just at the moment

when the audience and the characters on stage realise

that Eric is the father of Eva Smith’s baby.

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