An Inspector Calls as a Tool for the Political and Social Criticism Ess

An Inspector Calls as a Tool for the Political and Social Criticismof the EliteAn Inspector Calls, by J.B. Priestly, is in assemble a method theplaywright uses to convey an imperative political and social messageto his readers. John Boynton Priestley was born in Bradford, WestYorkshire, in the north of England. after finishing school, he decidedto abandon education to pursue his passion for writing and literature.In 1914 at the age of twenty Priestley was called to fight in the start-off human War. As one may expect, the years Priestly spent on thefrontline, had an immense impact on his ideas towards the social andpolitical system in Britain, and are what fuelled his greatpolitically charged writings. Priestly began to ponder the state ofsociety and the way the social system worked. Perhaps mostimportantly, he accomplished that while large numbers of people weresuffering, there were many egocentric individuals who were enjoyinggrand luxuries.An Inspector Calls was written in the v ery week that the SecondWorld War culminated. This shows the urgency with which Priestlywanted to communicate his message. This play, like some of Priestleysearlier work, explores the concept of time, and the phenomenon of howsomeones actions can affect someone elses life in the yearn run. Theplay is set in an industrial Midlands town in 1912, just before theFirst World War started. There are 5 chief(prenominal) characters, other than the quizzer who appears at the very end of Act 1. These are Mr. and Mrs.Birling, their children Sheila and Eric Birling and Sheilas fiancGerald Croft. All of them are upper class citizens and are shown toconsider themselves to be part of the social elite.Priestley uses this soci... ...of pay. In his defence, Mr. Birling saysWell, its my duty to keep labour costs down, and if Id agreed tothis demand for a new rate wed have added intimately twelve per cent toour labour costs. (Act 1, pg 14) Again greed and egocentricity isshown among the higher class . Birling says he had to come down sharpor else they would have been asking the Earth. To this the inspectorreplies They might. But after all its better to ask for the Earththan to take it. (Act 1, pg 15) Here Priestley is bluntly expressinghis anger at the exploitation of the poor by the rich.At its simplest, An Inspector Calls is just another moral story, nodifferent from Aesops Fables. Priestley is trying to teach hisaudience that individualism and narcissism are one of the greatestevils. He wants us to be aware that our actions today immensely affectevents tomorrow.