IndexIntroductionResponsibility in An Inspector CallsConclusionReferencesIntroductionHow is responsibility shown in "An Inspector Calls"? This essay explains how, throughout JB Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls", the responsibility of members of society is extensively questioned and explored, while clashes between contemporary political opinions are presented for the audience to discuss. Priestley's view on responsibility is reflected in the play in the form of personal support from the Inspector, who is essentially a socialist spokesperson; a puppet hanging on a string that priests can use to praise left-wing ideology. Throughout the play the Inspector and Mr Birling - two highly opinionated men who share their opinions in very different styles - both provide their views on the responsibilities of members of Edwardian society and fight to prove them right. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Responsibility in the Calls of an Inspector Priestly explores responsibility in many ways: the most important is the struggle between the socialism of capitalism and Priestley's more than clear opinion on the matter. Mr Birling, a wealthy businessman who only cares about "the progress we are making" in improving the lives of the upper classes and offering them even more comfort and luxury, has been sharing his conservative and capitalist views since the beginning of operates when he declares he has to make a speech and proceeds to share his disdain towards "the community and all that nonsense". The conflation of the word “community and silliness” shows how little it means to him; he lives his life solely by the principle of taking care of number one and how he must "mind his own business and take care of himself and his own affairs." The repetition of "own" and "self" places a strong emphasis on the lack of responsibility for others that Mr Birling feels and his highly inflated, almost narcissistic self-esteem. This repetition also suggests that these words always remain in the front of Birling's head; he built his entire personality and shaped his life around these principles. Priestly intentionally creates a character who is extraordinarily unsympathetic to reason. The hatred that a post-World War II 1945 audience would feel towards the arrogant Mr Birling and his dislike of the community and disbelief of the war is designed to irritate the audience and create a subconscious association of capitalism with people like Birling: selfish, greedy, indifferent. individuals, encouraging them to favor socialism. In this sense the work is essentially propaganda; responsibility and community involvement – ​​all things that would be favored by a 1945 audience who experienced the Blitz spirit, rations and a general environment of community involvement – ​​are core Inspector values. The question "should everyone be responsible for everyone" is heavily discussed in An Inspector Calls. Birling doesn't think so. For example, Eva Smith "was one of [his] employees and then [he] fired her." This shows that their relationship was purely work-based. He didn't care about her, nor did he care about what happened to her when she was fired or how she behaved in her outside life. The use of a carefree and casual tone also expresses that this seemed like the natural thing to do and highlights his lack of care and responsibility towards anyone else, especially the lower classes. This statement is reinforced by Birling explaining how he feelspersonally that he "cannot take any responsibility for what happened", almost suggesting that it would be a burden for him to have to be even partially responsible, exemplifying Birling's hatred for the community and increasing public antipathy. of the character. In contrast, the socialist Inspector strongly agrees that “public men have responsibilities” and repeatedly reminds Mr Birling that his opinions are harmful and selfish, telling him he should be more empathetic, reminding Mr Birling that " It would do us all a little good if we sometimes tried to put ourselves in the shoes of these young women counting pennies in their dingy back bedrooms." In his closing speech at the end of the show he explains how "We don't live alone." We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other." The use of Anaphora with the first person plural pronoun "we" makes the speech even more powerful, showing the juxtaposition between the inspector's "we" (socialism) mentality and the "I" (capitalism) that the Inspector is attempting to break Mr Birling out for good The Inspector also used the noun "members", a profoundly new word for Mr Birling, but which the audience hopes will prevail for the. rest of his life. Again there is the use of 'responsible', the main word that outlines the confrontation between Mr Birling and the Inspector. The Inspector also spends a lot of time trying to encourage the rest of the Birlings to take on more responsibility. The change this causes is perhaps most notable in the character of Sheila Birling: a character who is initially materialistic, naive and rather unsympathetic but develops morally into a responsible character who understands society's flaws. We see evidence of this in Act 1, where he shows respect for the lower classes and a keen understanding of working rights and conditions, stating that "these girls aren't cheap labor - that's it people!" in response to Birling's comment about the search for cheap labor among young, lower-class girls. Mr Birling's dehumanising language, which removes the humanity and individuality from workers - removing their recognition as people - is countered by Sheila calling them people, demonstrating that she can see what Mr Birling cannot see in her personality arrogant and irresponsible, but the Inspector can in his socialist ideology. This confirms that Sheila is becoming more and more responsible on the part of the inspector. The idea of ​​second-hand responsibility and the influence of the Inspectors on younger generations. The Inspector himself even admits that they are "more impressionable" - this is explored in later acts as the audience sees Eric's problems introduced into the mix. When the inspector leaves after his final speech, Eric's reaction is very similar to that of Sheila, both in great contrast to that of the spouses, whose main concerns are the "public scandal" it could cause if the information about the inspector's visit leak out, with Mr Birling angrily recalling how he was "almost certain for a knighthood in the next honor roll". During the first act Eric, a character who spends much of the play silenced by his parents, speaks in an early small act of defiance, telling his father that it's not a "free country" if the women he fires "can" “Don't go work somewhere else.” Later in the show the responsibility he takes on increases and the Inspector's influence takes hold. In a surprising change of character, he exclaims "oh for God's sake!" and laughs at Birling, asking him "why does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not". This, 27(76), 111-122.