Notesale: Turn your study into money

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PLAN  ESSAY  –  AN  INSPECTOR  CALLS    
 

“How  does  the  play  portray  themes  of  morality  
and  responsibility?”  
 

Introduction
"We are members of one body, we are responsible for each
other" This is the sentence taken from the Inspector's last speech
and I think that it sums up exactly what Priestley was trying to
get across about responsibility
...

Priestley is very effective in using the Inspector to voice the
view of responsibility most strongly
...
The character's past is also used to show
another key theme-responsibility
...
This presents Priestley's belief in socialism;
which really comes across in the play every person has a
responsibility to help each other and that your actions can affect
others
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Middle
He points out that social responsibilities become bigger as
privileges increase
...
The society in which the Birling’s live
shares out material riches very unequally
...
I think Priestly made the most responsible

characters the older individuals because, generally, older people
are more set in their ways
...
I
believe that Mr Birling has the most responsibilities, morally
and socially, and the unwillingness to accept them shows his
utter insolence
...
For example, when the factory workers were on strike,
Mr Birling didn't care about them and what would happen to
them if they lost their jobs
...

When the Inspector leaves, Birling wants everything to return to
normal
...

When the phone call concludes the play, Priestly lets us see
someone who is genuinely ignorant and unfeeling towards
others and one who cannot take responsibility for what he has
done
...
Priestly
uses the Inspector to put pressure on the family and interrogate
them to find out their shameful secrets
...
The Inspector always speaks precise, carefully
and demanding as he interrogates the family and is always in
control
...
Priestley engages the idea of
responsibility in the eyes of a child, immature, not suited to the
world
...
Eric Birling returns to the play in Act Three and
under questioning from the inspector reveals the extent of his
drinking, his relationship with Eva Smith and that he had spent a
night with Eva and she had fallen pregnant with his child
...
It also comes
to light that Eric is also an alcoholic something that he had
managed to keep from his parents for a number of months
...
He then commits a
shameful act, despite it being in Eva's favour
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Although this was in Eva's aid, it was still a very selfish and
irresponsible
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