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... ring to believe that a man has to "look after himself and his own. " Priestley partially shows his own voice by ridiculing Mr. Birling through showing the pompous man to be in basic error about so many things, such as the Titanic being unsinkable and war not breaking out. The audience would know that he is wrong, and that lends more credence to what Priestley is saying. Sheila and Eric learn from what the Inspector teaches them about responsibility. Sheila herself explains: "I remember what he said, how he looked, and what he made me feel.
Fire and blood and anguish. " Through the Inspector, Priestley shows us that being wealthy is not enough, nor is being successful. What that status means is that we have to take on responsibilities for others in our society. We cannot have these privileges without the responsibility. "Public men Mr. Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges" Priestley is trying to teach his audience about responsibility for others. He was a socialist in his own beliefs, and throughout the play Priestley uses the character of the Inspector to teach his beliefs to the audience, in contrast with the arrogant beliefs regarding responsibility of Mr.
and Mrs Birling. Mr. Birling quite clearly states that a man has to look after himself and his own, but the Inspector is there to challenge this ingrained belief. Events in the play show that all members of the Birling family are implicated and have some form of responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, but only the likeable characters accept their responsibility for what they have done and decide to change their ways. Our actions do affect others: as the Inspector tells the Birling's, there are hundreds of Eva Smiths and John Smiths out there; every action can have consequences.
With wealth and status comes a duty to help those in the community less fortunate than ourselves. Priestly also uses his characters to expose the attitudes of society because there were variety of social problems which were raised by Eva's situation. She is an example of the most vulnerable members of the society of the time. Here are some suggestions: 1.
She is poor and uneducated and is therefore very dependent on people like Mr. Birling for a job. 2. She is pregnant because of the exploitation of a member of the affluent middle class. She is Eric's victim and this is because of her attractiveness combined with the fact that she has not got the status which would protect her against such seduction. 3. She is helpless to fend for herself in her condition and therefore needs the aid of charity.
She is dependent on the judgment of women like Mrs Birling, who believe that they are superior to her and therefore in a position to decide whether she should be helped or not. 4. She is a pretty girl and therefore Sheilas victim because of her vanity. So by showing us how each character has contributed to Eva's suffering, we are given a clear picture of just how difficult and unfair life was in this society for the weak and vulnerable. Just before the Inspector leaves the Birling household is the best place to look for him being used as a mouthpiece for Priestley's own socialist views. The Inspector states what Priestley believes about society and how it should work. He points out the mistakes that have been made and gives the Birling's and the audience an opportunity to change.
He challenges us to take responsibility for our actions, and to treat the working class with equality Priestly conveys dramatic tension in the Inspectors last speech and carries the overall message of the play. The Inspectors speech basically sums up the whole message of the play. It comes at a very strategic time, dramatically. All of the sins of the Birling's (and Gerald) have been revealed, and they have found out that not only did Eva Smith suffer because of their heartlessness, but they have lost a grandchild (Eric's child). They have completely fallen apart, to the point where Eric almost hits his mother. They all feel guilty at this point, which allows the Inspector to take charge.
Look carefully at how he has manipulated them to this point inspecting them in a particular order and to a very specific time limit. The Inspector now has the full attention of the characters and the audience, so he can make the point that he has been leading up to all night. They can do nothing to help Eva Smith, but there are millions of people just like her who need help. The Inspector tells us how important it is to take care of each other if people are made to suffer, we will suffer too. The words, We are members of one body, is at the heart of the socialist message of the play we must take responsibility for the welfare of others not just our own. It is not just directed towards the Birling's; we are expected to respond to this message as well.
This moment is already full of tension, but the Inspectors final sentences raise the tension even more with their foreboding. He tell us that if we dont listen to him then we will have to pay the price in fire and blood and anguish. Our lives can never be the same. Many people believe that these words were actually a prediction of World Wars I and II and even the Russian Revolution. People did not learn the Inspectors lesson, which is why the Holocaust happened. It is also because of these words that we become so angry when it seems later on that the Birling's are going to get away with it.
We feel that the Inspector has lied to us and that people like them will not have to suffer. This is why the ending is such a relief (and a surprise! ) to us it seems the Birling's are not going to get away with it after all.
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Research essay sample on Mrs Birling Eva Smith
