An Inspector Calls
Revision on context, character and
theme
Context – use the following pages to
make notes on key events 1912-1946
The Class System (1850-1900)
Changes in Britain (1906-1930s)
Women and feminism
Politics
Women and the birth of feminism
Although there had been some advances in women's rights, women
were not equal to men in the 19th century. In particular, they did not
have the vote in Parliamentary elections.
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Campaign groups
In 1897, Millicent Fawcett organised the National Union of Women's Suffrage
Societies (NUWSS – the Suffragists) to campaign peacefully for the vote.
In 1903, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU – the Suffragettes) was
formed, led by Emmeline Pankhurst. The Suffragettes used violent protest,
famously breaking windows and chaining themselves to railings.
Another group campaigning for the vote was the East London Federation of
Suffragettes (1913), under Sylvia Pankhurst.
Despite all the campaign efforts, women had not won the vote by 1914:
Parliament rejected every bill to give women the vote. Male members held strong
views about the weakness of women.
The Women's National Anti-Suffrage League (1908) campaigned against votes for
women.
When the First World War broke out, the Suffragettes and Suffragists stopped most
of their campaign.
However all this started to change after the First World War. During the war
women contributed greatly to the war effort and kept the country going while the
men were away. In 1918, the government passed the Representation of the
People Act giving the vote to all men over the age of 21 and women over the age
of 30 who were householders or married to a householder.
The campaign for women's suffrage finally succeeded in 1928, when women were
granted exactly the same voting rights as men
The Class System (1850-1900)
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British people in the 19th century were often aware that they were living in a revolutionary age.
They were excited by their world. Britannia 'ruled the waves' and they were surrounded by change.
The Industrial Revolution brought factories, mines and machinery. Towns grew rapidly and with
them came slums as well as elegant city centres. Steam trains and the Royal Mail made
communication easier. There were massive advances in medicine and public health. Political and
social reforms changed people's lives and at a personal level, there were lots of little developments
from umbrellas to bicycles.
Steam engine workshop
The Victorian age was a time of confidence. The Victorians thought that, even if their society was
not yet perfect, they were just about to achieve perfection. They believed in self-help, and
emphasised strict morals.
By 1851, British society had become divided into social classes:
The aristocracy were powerful and wealthy.
The middle-class, who ran the businesses, were ambitious and growing in wealth.
The poor - in the villages, in the towns and working as servants in the homes of the rich – were
very poor.
By 1900 the class system remained, but it was beginning to break apart:
The aristocracy had lost their power over Parliament and some were beginning to experience
financial problems.
Middle-class businessmen were facing competition from Germany and America.
The working-class were beginning to grow in prosperity and influence.
World events and changes in Britain
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In 1901 found that 28 per cent of the population did not have the minimum to
live on at some time of their life.
Between 1906-1914 a wave of reforms were passed which helped children, old
people get pension and better pay for the working classes.
Strikes, especially in 1910-12, and trade unions, which helped working class
people join together to improve working conditions, meant politicians feared
that, unless standards of living improved for the workers, they might turn to
Communism or rebellion.
In May 1926, Britain's miners walked out and in a move of solidarity, other
industry workers joined them - this was the first ever general strike in Britain.
The Great Depression (which started in America) affected 1930s Britain. It saw an
age of poverty and prosperity. While many poorer people were left unemployed
and in poor accommodation, other wealthier people managed to grow their
wealth.
In 1942, the Liberal politician William Beveridge, was given the task of
discovering what kind of Britain people wanted to see after the war. He tackled
poverty, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness by setting up a welfare
state with social security, a national health service, free education, council
housing and full employment.
Politics and the rise of the Labour
Party
• Capitalism (in Britain after the Medieval times) is unconcerned about
equality. It is argued that inequality is essential to encourage innovation
and economic development. Private businesses will be owned by private
individuals.
• Socialism (created after the French Revolution) is concerned with
redistributing resources from the rich to the poor. This is to ensure
everyone has both equal opportunities and equal outcomes. The State will
own and control the main means of production. In some models of
socialism, ownership would not be by the government but worker
cooperatives.
• The Conservative party follows capitalist values and the Liberal Party
followed values that looked towards changing society.
• The Labour Party was created in 1906 out of a socialist propaganda
group.
• It helped to get more working class people the vote and support their
values.
• In 1924 Labour and the Liberals formed a coalition government
with Ramsay MacDonald as the first Labour prime minister.
Fill in the gaps for Eva’s timeline
Mind maps
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4.
Use the questions to start your revision
Include quotations to support your comments
What can we infer from the quote in each case?
Is there a language/dramatic/structural
technique used, if so why?
5. What are the possible connotations of a
particular word?
6. Does this link to another part in the play? Is
there any context linked to this or a theme?
7. How might different audiences react?
Character development
• Why are they important to the play? What do
they represent? Think context and their role in
the play.
• How do they interact with other characters?
Do they take sides? If so against whom?
• How do they change (if at all)? How is this
shown through their speech or behaviour?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
Eric
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
Sheila
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
Arthur
Birling
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
Sybil
Birling
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
Gerald
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
How do they
change throughout
the play?
The
Inspector
How are they presented?
How to they interact
with others?
Why are they
important to the
play?
Key themes
• How are the following themes presented in
the play?
• Think about how each theme divides groups
of characters
• Which quotations apply to each theme?
• How does each theme relate to context?
• How might different audiences react?
Responsibility
Class
Age
Class
Wealth
Power/
authority
Truth
Gender
Political
views
Ignorance vs.
knowledge
Key quotations
• For each quotation write who says it to whom and when it is said
• Write down what it shows about the character speaking or other
characters involved
• How does it link to key themes?
• How does it link to context?
• Why is it key to the plot? (structure)
• Are there any language/dramatic techniques used?
• How would different readers/audiences react? Think about the critics I
gave you (Marxist, feminist etc.)
Why - you fool he
knows. Of course
he knows…You’ll
see. You’ll see
Men with important
work to do […] spend
nearly all their time
and energy on
business. You’ll have
to get used to that
just as I had to
You’re just the kind
of son-in-law I
always wanted
Oh! - It’s
wonderful! Look
mummy - isn’t it a
beauty?
Everything to lose
and nothing to
gain by war
That’s something
this public school
and Varsity life
you’ve had doesn’t
seem to teach you
You see?
No, I don’t. And
please be quiet
Sheila.
You’ve had
children. You must
have known what
she was feeling.
And you slammed
the door in her
face.
She was claiming
elaborate fine
feelings and scruples
that were simply ab
surd in a girl in her
position
That’s just the way I
feel, Eric. And that’s
what they don’t seem
to understand.
Now look at the pair
of them – the famous
younger generation
who know it all.
Academic writing
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Specialist terminology (sonnet not poem)
Mini-quotes – judicious/precise
Contextual awareness
Structural reference
Participle phrase (portraying not this portrays)
Adverbial/subordinate clause (surely)
Tier two vocabulary (tyrannical not powerful)
Participle Phrases and Subordinates
Inference
Image and atmosphere
Comparison
suggests
establishes
contrasts
implies
creates
contradicts
connotes
establishes
juxtaposes
indicates
constructs
reinforces
shows
devises
refers
expresses
develops
alludes
demonstrates
epitomises
opposes
symbolises
outlines
supports
represents
encapsulates
develops
illustrates
reveals
signifies
intimates
insinuates
typifies
Sheila is presented as immature
for someone in their ‘early
twenties’. She addresses her
parents as ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’.
This implies she is childish. It is
also affectionate. This shows that
she (perhaps naively) likes her
parents.
Sheila is presented as immature
for someone in their ‘early
twenties’ when she addresses her
parents as ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’,
implying that she is childish and
illustrating her affection towards
them, expressing the liking she
(perhaps naively) has for her
parents.
Academic
Writing
Sheila, whose name means ‘blind’, is presented as immature for
someone in their ‘early twenties’ when she addresses her parents as
‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’, implying that she is childish and illustrating her
affection towards them, expressing the liking she (perhaps naively) has
for her parents. However, after the climax of the play she sees Sybil in a
new light, calling her ‘mother’, clearly suggesting that she has matured.
This change could represent the change in women’s place in society as
the younger generation embraced the feminist movement. This
development makes the audience warm to Sheila.
Specialist terminology
Mini-quotes – judicious/precise
Contextual awareness
Structural reference
Participle phrase
Adverbial/subordinate clause
Tier two vocabulary