What are three traditions that JB Priestly uses in an inspector calls?
- A vice
- Aristotles ‘Three unities’
- Drawing room play
What is a vice character?
A character that represents moral quantities. A vice is a trickster that exposes peoples sins and forces them to face moral truth.
How does JB Priestly use a vice character?
The inspector is one. He instructs the Birlings and the audience about the nature of good and evil.
What is aristoles three unities?
Time, place and action.
How does JB Priestly use Aristotles 3 unities?
Time: everything takes place in one evening, compressing the time frame and heightening the intensity as the Birlings fell to their inevitable fate
Place: the action takes place in a dining hall, transforming it from a private family celebration to a interrogation cell, making sure the Birlings and the audience cant escape the consequences
Action: the focus remains on one story. The two above intensify the focus on Evas tragic story
What is drawing room play?
A drawing-room play is a type of drama that takes place entirely in the drawing room (living room) of an upper-class or middle-class home.
How does JB Priestly use a drawing room play?
It was looking to be a normal ‘comedy of manners play’ which mocks social issues. Priestly then exploits the fact that this would’ve been normal for a contemporary audience, twisting the more subtle and often light-hearted satire of this mode into a more scathing critique.
Describe simply the industrial revolution
A place where there were few regulations in place, and demand for jobs were high.
Who were the working class during the industrial revolution?
Proletariats. They were subjected to low pay, long hours snd poor conditions
Where did Priestly grow up?
In the industrial city of Bradford, embedded in its wool trade and socialistic traditions
What is socialism?
A political theory that argues against the desctructive INDIVIDUALISM and SOCIAL INEQUALITY that CAPITALISM fostered. It advocates for government or collective ownership and administration of the production, distribution and exchange of goods. Production would entirely be based on human need. Everybody would have access to these goods and services designed to directly meet their needs
Production for use rather than profit. In modern days , pure versions seen in places like China, North Korea, Cuba and Vietnam. These pure versions are communist regimes.
What was an important feature of socialism?
Chartism. The campaign for universal male suffrage
What happened to campaigners for female voting rights?
SUFFRAGISTS faced a difficult battle for political representation because of peoples rigid attitudes towards GENDER ROLES. Peaceful protests were superseded by the militant tactics of SUFFRAGETTES in the late nineteenth early twentieth century.
When did women gain Suffrage?
Partial suffrage in 1918
Full representation in 1928
What happened in the 1920’s and 30’s?
Economic problems showed that only limited progress to social equality had been made. The GENERAL STRIKE of 1926 and JARROW MARCH of 1936 were emblematic of this period. It showed that whilst they failed to achieve their respective aims, it showed the ongoing plight of the working class
What happened in 1912 and what does it symbolise?
The sinking of the Titanic. It showed the Hubris of an industrial capitalism more interested in engineering achievements than the welfare of the people responsible for them.
When and what was the Russian revolutions?
1905 and 1917. Resulted in the establishment of a communist government. This caused the British government and the wider society to become even more hostile to socialism.
How did wars play a role?
They played a role in propping up the class system. WW1 (1914-18) relied on a working class willing to sacrifice themselves for abstract ideals of nation and empire.
How does War and JB Priestly link?
JB fought in WW1. He was angry about the role of the British Bourgeoisie and aristocracy (middle and upper classes), accusing them of being responsible for the slaughter
What was the general strike?
The general strike (1926), 850k coal miners went on strike because of plans on reducing pay and extending work hours. In a show of solidarity, railways, steel and gas, printing, construction and road transport workers also went on strike.
The strikers from non-mining unions amounted to around 1.5 mil. The first and last of its kind. This showed the unity between the working class.
The strike lasted 9 days. As a result, the trades disputes and trade union acts were passed in 1927. This made ‘sympathetic strikes’ illegal. A conservative attack on trade unionism.
Who were the suffragettes?
After years of peaceful and strategic protests for women’s suffrage, Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s social and political union. A rather more militant organisation. These women were willing to use violence and martyrdom to make their voices heard.
The poweres noticed this movement. Peacful protests fell on deaf ears in the 19th century.
After many acts, women who were over 30 and had a property could vote. As were men over the age of 21
What was capitalism?
A countrys trade and industry are owned and administered by private companies, rather than by the state. Giving private companies a large profit.
People (like Eva Smith) are paid to produce goods and services wich are then sold at a profit. Capitalists like Mr Birling lived off the profits they made by exploiting working class people like Eva smith snd other women in similar roles.
Some may argue that the profit motive of capitalism is the root of many of the worlds problems today, especially starvation and war.
In a capitalist society, the profits from private companies almost always came before the needs of the population. In 1912, socialist parties were made to challenge this.
