KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER – An Inspector Calls
In the exam –
12 marks for A01
12 marks for A02
06 marks for A03
A0
Skill and Knowledge
A01
Understanding key
events in Act 1:
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The
engagement
party
Understanding key
events in Act 1:
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Memorising key knowledge leads to success…
I need to learn…
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Birling and
Gerald’s
conversation
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Understanding key
events in Act 1:
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Arrival of the
Inspector
Understanding key
events in Act 1:
Interrogation of
Birling
Understanding key
events in Act 1:
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Interrogation of
Shelia
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Shelia’s
confession and
suspicion
Name:
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Childish behaviour of Shelia and Eric - ‘Go on
Mummy, drink to our health’ immaturity
Shelia is selfish – ‘still admiring her ring’
Foreshadowing of Eric’s issues by his drinking at the
start. - ‘Squiffy’
Edna – introduces working class and middle class
theme.
Plot exposition happens in this stage.
G and B discuss business more than love – teaches
us about Birling’s selfishness and capitalist attitude.
Dramatic Irony – ‘fiddlesticks’ (about war)
‘absolutely unsinkable (Titanic) makes Birling appear
untrustworthy to audience who would have known
these things happened.
Birling talks about knighthood - selfishness.
Birling: ‘I speak as a hard headed businessman’ –
capitalist attitude
Birling: ‘A man has to make his own way’ – capitalist
attitude.
Creates tension on arrival –
‘Stage Directions – ‘creates at once an impression of
massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’
Change of lighting to ‘brighter and harder’ reflecting
a spotlight on the morals and values of the middle
classes.
Birling is irritated as he interrogated first – but he
doesn’t take responsibility.
Birling tries to use his status to intimidate the
inspector.
Eva Smith introduced into the plot.
They discuss Eva after she leaves Birling’s factory –
and how Sheila gets her sacked from Millwards.
Initially selfish response: ‘I’ve been so happy
tonight’ / ‘I wish you hadn’t told me’ – she still
focuses on herself rather than Eva.
‘So I’m really responsible’ – a moment of realisation
‘anagnorisis’ – she develops from her initial
immature presentation.
Priestley would have wanted his audience to grow
like Shelia does throughout the play and accept
some responsibility themselves.
Shelia starts to take responsibility for what she has
done.
She finds out that Gerald knew Daisy Renton – this
causes a lot of tension in the audience.
Pre Teach
Post
Teach
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A01
Understanding key
events in Act 2:
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A01
Understanding key
events in Act 2:
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A01
Interrogation of
Eric
Understanding key
events in Act 3:
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A01
Interrogation of
Mrs Birling
Understanding key
events in Act 3:
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A01
Gerald’s
Confession
The Inspector’s
Exit
Understanding key
events in Act 3:
She said about Millwards – ‘I told my father-he
didn’t seem to think it amounted to much’ –
suggests that Birling is not a responsible father
figure and is a sign that Sheila is starting to question
her own beliefs.
 The act ends with high tension as we discover that it
is not just Sheila and Birling that are involved, but
also Gerald.
You will need to have clear knowledge of the key events
that happen in Act 2:
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Gerald tries to encourage Sheila to leave before he
is questioned.
 The inspector says – ‘we’ll have to share our guilt’.
 Birling tries to take control using his class – he
reminds the Inspector he was ‘Lord Mayor’.
 Gerald admits his relationship with Daisy Renton.
 Gerald leaves
You will need to have clear knowledge of the key events
that happen in Act 2:
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Mrs Birling is shown the photo
Mrs Birling explains her role as a member of a
Charity Organisation
 Inspector says – ‘you slammed the door in her face’
– strong imagery
 Tension builds as Mrs B says the father is
responsible.
 Sheila (and the audience) works out that the father
is Eric – Dramatic Irony and Tension is built.
You will need to have clear knowledge of the key events
that happen in Act 3:
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Eric reveals he met Eva Smith in the Palace Bar
Eva reveals to Eric that she is going to have his baby.
Eric gave her money that he had stolen from his
father’s company.
 Eric says about his father – ‘not the kind of father a
chap could go to when he’s in trouble’.
 Eric realises his mother failed to help Eva.
 Birling says he would give ‘thousands’ (to sort out
the situation. The inspector says he is offering
money ‘at the wrong time’.
You will need to have clear knowledge of the key events
that happen in Act 3:
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Inspector makes key speech ‘there are millions and
millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths
still left with us’ – repetition / use of Eva as a
symbol for working classes
 ‘We are members of one body’ –Inspector uses
metaphorical language.
 ‘Fire and blood and anguish’ – semantic field of hell,
biblical imagery, judgement
You will need to have clear knowledge of the key events
that happen in Act 3:
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The Inspector’s
Identity
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A01
Characters
Birling worries about his knighthood (he has not
changed or moved from his views)
Shelia criticises her parents for not having learned
anything from the Inspector.
They start to question whether the Inspector was a
actually a police inspector – Shelia concludes that ‘it
doesn’t matter much’
Gerald returns and they discover that there was no
Inspector Goole on the police force.
Everyone is happy apart from Shelia and Eric who
still accept – ‘we all helped kill her’
Gerald suggests that perhaps there is more than one
girl and they were shown different photographs.
The phone rings – cyclical narrative – it will not end
until the Birling’s start taking social responsibility.
Priestley is suggesting that more and more things
like this will happen unless people start to adapt
socialist attitudes.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Arthur Birling as:
Arthur Birling
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A01
Characters
Factory owner
From a country background, so still trying to move
higher and higher up the class ladder.
 Was a magistrate and Lord Mayor of Brumley
 ‘Hard-headed practical man of business’ – a
capitalist.
 Presented as foolish in his beliefs.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Sybil Birling as:
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Sybil Birling
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A01
Characters
Married to Arthur Birling
A ‘cold woman’
Runs a charity organisation.
Does not accept her responsibilities or listen to the
Inspector’s socialist messages.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Sheila Birling as:
Sheila Birling
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Engaged to Gerald, Birling is father, Eric is brother,
Mrs Birling is mother, gets Eva Smith sacked.
Initially presented as childlike, bossy and selfish ‘You be carefull or I’ll start weeping’. ‘Go on
mummy, you must drink our health’ / ‘Squiffy’ /
‘Don’t be an arse Eric’ / ‘Still admiring the ring’/ ‘I
wish you hadn’t told me’.
She changes after a moment of anagnorisis- ‘So I’m
really responsible’ / ‘It was my own fault’
She takes on more socialist values like Priestley and
the Inspector
Catharsis - A release of built up emotions – she
accepts her responsibility and therefore she can
move on and become a better person in the future.
‘e.g. Sheila is one of the few characters that gains a
sense of catharsis’
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A01
Characters
At the end she becomes morally mature and
responsible – almost like the inspector: ‘It frightens
me the way you talk’. / ‘I’m afraid you’ll say
something or do something that you’ll be sorry for
afterwards’. / ‘We all started like that, so confident
so pleased with ourselves…’
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Eric Birling as:
Eric Birling
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A01
Characters
Eva Smith
Daisy Renton
A01
Characters
Son of Arthur Birling
Has a drinking problem
His father is his boss.
By the end of the play, Eric accepts his
responsibilities like his sister.
 Gets Eva Smith pregnant.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Eva Smith/ Daisy Renton as:
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Used as a symbol for the working classes.
May be more than one person.
Sacked by Birling / dismissed from Milwards / had
relationships with Gerald and Eric / did not receive
charity from Mrs Birling / committed suicide.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Gerald Croft as:
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Gerald Croft
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A01
Characters
Engaged to Sheila.
His parents (the Crofts) are above the Birling family
in the class system.
 He works for Crofts limited which is a bigger and
older company that Birling and Company.
 Represents the aristocracy.
You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents The Inspector as:
The Inspector
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A01
Characters
Almost a supernatural being coming to judge the
morality of the Birling family.
 Name Goole suggests a ghost like character
 He uses violent imagery and blunt language to
express his point
 ‘We are all members of one body’
 The voice of Priestley – used to convey his socialist
messages
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You will need to have a clear understand of how Priestley
presents Edna as:
Edna
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A02/3 Language / Dramatic
Techniques / Staging
A symbol for the working classes.
You will need to have a clear understanding how Priestley
uses language and structure in the play:
 Dramatic Irony – Birling’s early speech about the
war and the Titanic and Mrs B unaware that Eric is
the father.
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A01
A01
Exam Skills
Themes
Responsibility
Changing of lighting – ‘Pink and intimate’ – brighter
and harder
Foreshadowing – Eric’s drinking at the start hints at
a man who is dealing with stress (stolen money
from father / dealing with pregnancy)
Use of long monologues– Inspector and Birling
Staging – e.g. stilts
Inspector uses metaphors ‘ we are all members of
one body’ Semantic field of hell- Strong Imagery
Stage directions to guide actors
Dialogue
Names of Charaters – Smith (representing
everyone) Birling (sounds like sterling – money)
Daisy Renton (sound like flower / beauty for hire)
Goole (like Ghoul – haunting the Birling family until
they confess their guilt.
Cyclical Narrative – the ending returns to the start
symbolising that nothing has moved on as the older
generation have not accepted their responsibility
yet.
Tension – how Priestley build up tension in different
parts of the play.
Cliff Hanger – How Priestley creates cliff hangers at
the end of each Act and at the end of the play.
You need to understand how the examination paper works
and how to approach the question on this text.
A01 –
A02A03 Inspector:
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Inspector Goole – is a vehicle for the theme of
responsibility: “we are all members of one body, we
are all responsible for each other”.
Inspector wants each character to take
responsibility, but Priestley actually wants the
audience to take responsibility ‘for each other’.
Socialist/capitalist – Priestley is a socialist – central
message of play is that we all need to take
responsibility each other.
Last speech: “There are millions and millions of John
Smiths and Eva Smiths”.
Eric and Shelia:
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Difference in generations – Eric and Sheila – accept
responsibility – Sheila and Eric have moments of
anagnorisis and catharsis.
Sheila – moment of anagnorisis – “everything we
said happened really happened”.
The others – especially Mr and Mrs B – don’t take
any responsibility: “Still, I can’t accept any
responsibility”.
Eric – tries to take responsibility for his baby. Steals
money, admits the truth in the end.
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Mr Birling:
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Mr B, shows lack of responsibility to his family as a
father- more interested in business / when finds out
about baby, more concerned about stolen money /
doesn’t notice his son’s drinking problems.
Birling can’t see the socialist viewpoint: “If we were
all responsible for each other it would be very
awkward” – takes no responsibility for welfare of
employees
Mrs B – lack of responsibility towards the needy she
was supposed to help.
Gerald:
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A01
Themes
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Older and Younger
Generations
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Gerald – lack of responsibility towards Sheila and his
engagement.
Leaves Daisy Renton/Eva Smith on the streets – no
responsibility for her well-being.
Older generation think that they are always right –
Mr and Mrs B don’t accept responsibility.
Mr Birling denies that there is going to be a war –
complacent attitude
Don’t appreciate change – things should remain as
they are
Eric – near the end of play – moment of anagnorisis
and realises his parents are wrong.
Younger generation are amiable – Eric and Sheila
accept responsibility
Older generation- stubborn and narrow minded
Priestley’s message is that the younger generation is
the way forward – Sheila and Eric both feel guilt and
have moments of Catharsis and anagnorisis.
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Key Quotes:
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A01
Themes
A01
Love and Lust
Themes:
A01
Appearance and Reality
Themes:
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A02
Rich and Poor
Blame and Shame
Structure:
Sheila “you don’t seem to have learnt anything”
Inspector – “We often do on the young ones,
they’re more impressionable”.
Mr B – “you youngsters just remember what I said”.
You need to understand how Priestley structures his play
through understanding of:
 The ‘well-made play’
 The ‘whodunit’
 Greek Tragedy
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A03
Contextual Factors
A01
Planning an answer:
A01
Timing an answer:
A01
Using quotations:
NEXT STEPS…
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Unities of time, place and action
Exposition, cliff-hanger, climax, anagnorisis,
catharsis, denouement, peripeteia
 Linear structure / circular structure
The influence of the following contextual factors on the
novel:
 Set before the war 1912 and performed just after in
1946
 Based on Priestley’s socialist values
 Priestley wanted the audience to listen to his
socialist message because there was a big class
divide in 1912 and he wanted them to move away
from this.
 Priestley saw an opportunity to move away from
class divides because people worked together in the
war.
 No NHS at that time – Priestley brought about social
changes to move to this system.
 Relevant to modern audience as there is still a social
divide in the country – lots of children in poverty.
 There is still gender inequality today and this is also
a theme of the play.
 Detective plays were really popular after the war
and Priestley used this form to put across his
message.
 In some productions, they put the house on stilts
and poor people at the bottom to show divide in
society.
You will need to understand:
 Methods of planning a response to an examination
question before attempting the answer
You will need to understand:
 How long you have to answer the question and how
long you should spend working on the extract and
the
Cluster similar quotations from an extract to explain your
views
Memorise key quotations before the examination
Use ellipsis within a quotation to cut them down to key
parts.
Embed quotations within sentences
Use modal verbs to offer degrees of certainty.
Suggest multiple interpretations of the same quotation
Lead into quotations with a colon.
Use one word quotations
To use the words suggests and implies.
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