Your essay title

1. What message is JB Priestley trying to get across in “An Inspector Calls” and what dramatic methods does he use to help achieve this? Your essay title

2. What is your thesis? This is your answer to the question in no more than a sentence or two.

3. Comedy Protagonist Harmatia Tragedy Where are these elements used in the play – if they are used at all? Catharsis Conflict Climax Dramatic Irony Pathos Antagonist Hubris

4. Eric Mrs Birling Mr Birling Characterisation • What is the character’s function / who or what does s/he represent? • How is s/he characterised (quotes and analysis) Edna Gerald The Inspector Sheila

5. class responsibility privilege contrast Some Vocabulary youth age role of women generation socialism sex equality

6. Ideas and Themes What themes are there in the play? responsibility social inequality social injustice youth vs age marriage corporate responsibility changes in society family relationships the past versus the present place in society the outsider being a catalyst for change women’s role in society

7. Ideas and Themes Ideas and Themes What ideas are there in the play? change can be liberating we all have a responsibility to others in society the outsider being a catalyst for change we have a responsibility to those less fortunate than us we should not use others everyone has the right to a decent living wage the changing role of women in society young people are more open to change than older people the supernatural

8. Ideas and Themes Ideas and Themes Features and Techniques Create a mind map with one or two interesting or noteworthy examples of the features and dramatic techniques listed below. For each example, draw a branch explaining the effect of that particular feature on the message of the play (your thesis). Plot: Conflict (Internal/External) Setting: Characterisation: (Write about 2/3 characters) Protagonist Antagonist Hubris Sympathy Structure: Dramatic Irony Conflict Climax Pathos

9. What message is JB Priestley trying to get across in “An Inspector Calls” and what dramatic methods does he use to help achieve this? Your essay title

10. Topic Sentence P E A R oint vidence nalysis efer back to your thesis / key words in title

11. Ideas and Themes How to write an introduction • Name of text and writer: “An Inspector Calls” by JB Priestley… • Short summary of text • Themes • Thesis

12. Example Paragraph 1 The idea that we all have a responsibility for one another is really underlined through the character of Mr Birling. He is characterised as an extremely selfish and uncaring man. For instance, right at the beginning of the play he rather self-importantly tells those at his family gathering that, “A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself”. This suggests that is only thinks of himself and his family, but not of others. It rather comes back to haunt him during the play, as he is forced to face up to the facts that we all have to think about others in society and that our actions have consequences for others. JB Priestley sets Mr Birling’s character up like this, as there may be those in the audience who think the same as Mr Birling. He then uses the plot of the play to show how ridiculous and false the idea that we only need look after ourselves is and to emphasise just how hubristic Birling’s initial statement was.

13. Example Paragraph 1 The idea that we all have a responsibility for one another is really underlined through the character of Mr Birling. He is characterised as an extremely selfish and uncaring man. For instance, right at the beginning of the play he rather self-importantly tells those at his family gathering that, “A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself”. This suggests that is only thinks of himself and his family, but not of others. It rather comes back to haunt him during the play, as he is forced to face up to the facts that we all have to think about others in society and that our actions have consequences for others. JB Priestley sets Mr Birling’s character up like this, as there may be those in the audience who think the same as Mr Birling. He then uses the plot of the play to show how ridiculous and false the idea that we only need look after ourselves is and to emphasise just how hubristic Birling’s initial statement was.

14. Ideas and Themes Example Paragraph 1 The idea that we all have a responsibility for one another is really underlined through the character of Mr Birling.He is characterised as an extremely selfish and uncaring man.For instance, right at the beginning of the play he rather self-importantly tells those at his family gathering that, “A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself”. This suggests that is only thinks of himself and his family, but not of others. It rather comes back to haunt him during the play, as he is forced to face up to the facts that we all have to think about others in society and that our actions have consequences for others. JB Priestley sets Mr Birling’s character up like this, as there may be those in the audience who think the same as Mr Birling. He then uses the plot of the play to show how ridiculous and false the idea that we only need look after ourselves is and to emphasise just how hubristic Birling’s initial statement was.

15. Example Paragraph 1 The idea that we all have a responsibility for one another is really underlined through the character of Mr Birling.He is characterised as an extremely selfish and uncaring man.For instance, right at the beginning of the play he rather self-importantly tells those at his family gathering that, “A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself”.This suggests that is only thinks of himself and his family, but not of others. It rather comes back to haunt him during the play, as he is forced to face up to the facts that we all have to think about others in society and that our actions have consequences for others. JB Priestley sets Mr Birling’s character up like this, as there may be those in the audience who think the same as Mr Birling. He then uses the plot of the play to show how ridiculous and false the idea that we only need look after ourselves is and to emphasise just how hubristic Birling’s initial statement was.

16. Example Paragraph 2 Another way that the message of the play is hammered home through the characterisation of Birling and his family is through their reaction to the news that a girl has indeed died after swallowing disinfectant at the very end of the play. After the news it describes how they all stare at one another “guilty and dumfounded”. The very fact that they are “dumfounded” shows how astonished they are at the news. It underlines just how shocked they are about the realisation that they must have all contributed to the girl’s death. This moment of realisation helps to emphasise the central message of the play, which is that we are all connected and have corporate responsibility for one another in society.

17. Example Paragraph 3 The structure of the play is also used by Priestley to get across his message. There are two climaxes in the play and this technique helps to underline to the audience just how important it that we take responsibility for our actions and their effects on others. The first climax is just before The Inspector leaves. He delivers a weighty speech imploring the Birlings to remember that there are “millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths” in the world and that we are “all responsible for one another”. The power of this speech leaves the Birlings food for thought and underscores the central idea in the play. The audience will be left rocked and possibly convinced by the message The Inspector leaves us with, as he certainly appears to be acting as the authorial mouthpiece at this point. However, the older Birlings soon begin to convince themselves that they have nothing to worry about and their complacency is further enhanced by the news, brought by Gerald, that there is no Inspector Goole in the local police force. The falling action of this section, combined with the smug attitude of the Birling family, only serves to build to a greater second climax when… Complete the paragraph…

18. Some Good Phrases Topic Sentence: The idea of… is underlined through (technique) Another way the message of the play is communicated is… Point: …. is characterised as… Priestley creates (technique) in the play… Evidence: For instance,… + Context + Quotation + because… For example,… + Context + Quotation + because… Towards the beginning/middle/end of the play, … “…” Analysis: This gives the reader the impression that… This highlights… This emphasises… This suggests… Refer: This helps put across the message of the play because… This helps Priestley to convey his message that … because …

19. The Essay Structure Key Words: Characterisation Hubris Protagonist Climax Falling Action Antagonist Conflict Dramatic Irony Pathos Structure Sympathy Pointdiscuss a technique used by JB Priestley to help to highlight the ideas and themes in his story Evidence remember tocontextualise & integrate Analysis explain how the evidence proves your point. You can refer to themes and ideas at this point too. Refer Link whatever you have written back to your thesis, in some way. • Some useful openers for analysis: • This suggests… • This underlines… • This highlights… • This emphasises… • This stresses… • This underscores…