ENGLISH REVISION WORKSHEET
The Inspector Calls:
Context:
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 and set in 1912. Two World Wars happened in between
those years, as well as a revolution and the sinking of the Titanic. The society of 1912 is very
capitalistic, the gap between the upper and the working class is progressively growing, and
women are treated rather like objects.
Themes:
1. RESPONSIBILITY:
Mr. Birling - ‘As if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive.’
Simile - Conveys Birling’s dismissal of ideologies surrounding community and social
responsibility.
Zoom in: Ironically, ‘bees in a hive’ work very well together to accomplish their tasks,
unlike selfish people of the upper class in 1912. Also, a man not only has to take care of
himself, but he also needs to take care of others in society as a community to work
efficiently.
AO3: The society of 1912 is very capitalistic.
Mrs. Birling - ‘Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.
Irony - later on, we discover that the father of the child is Mrs. Birling’s son, and she
killed her grandchild.
Zoom in: Imperatives ‘Go and look’ suggest that Mrs Birling is very eager to pass the
blame on and is very confident.
AO3: The irresponsibility of Edwardian society.
Mr. Birling - ‘A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and
-’
Stage directions - Birling is shown to be a very selfish character, who agrees to take
responsibility only for himself and his family.
Zoom in: a ‘sharp ring’ at the front door interrupts Mr. Birling’s speech about social
responsibility. It signals the arrival of a character who has the power to challenge Mr
Birling’s arrogant assumptions.
AO3: Hints at the emerging confrontation between socialism and capitalism.
,Inspector - ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body - We are responsible for
each other.’
Metaphor - Priestley presents his thoughts through the character of the Inspector in his
final speech.
Zoom in: Organs of a body need to work together and provide for one another to survive.
Priestley wants to tell the audience that we are all intertwined with one another, and we
have to accept our own responsibilities.
AO3: Inspector’s statements contrast with the society of that era.
Inspector - ‘One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of
Eva Smith’s and John Smith’s still left with us’, ‘if men will not learn that lesson, then
they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.’
Metaphor - The metaphor emphasises that if we don’t change our ways, we will learn it
through bloodshed and violence.
Dramatic irony - He tries to foreshadow the cause and start of the World Wars, however,
the audience will get the hint and realise that humans clearly did not learn their lessons
the first time, causing a second tragic event.
Zoom in: The repetition of ‘millions’ emphasises how there are still many people whose
lives depend on our choices.
AO3: Priestley’s message. Both World Wars were the result of attitudes and behaviour
such as those of powerful and wealthy families (countries) like the Birlings.
2. ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN/WORKING CLASS:
Mr. Birling - ‘We have several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep
changing.’
Statistics show that Mr Birling is unaware of his employees and implies that Eva Smith,
as well as other workers, are not important to him - they are just workforce.
Zoom in: ‘Keep changing’ suggests that Mr Birling doesn’t value his workers and
replaces them constantly, which shows his mindlessness and irresponsibility towards his
business.
AO3: Capitalistic society, attitude towards the working class.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - ‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.’
Juxtaposition - in contrast to Mr Birling, Sheila treats each worker as a person, despite
their class or gender.
Zoom in: The adjective ‘cheap’ hints at the reason Mr Birling kicked Eva Smith out.
AO3: The difference between generations and attitudes to women at that time. Unusual -
Sheila, a rich middle-upper-class girl, has socialist tendencies.
Other themes: Differences in generations.
,Eric - ‘She was pretty and a good sport’
Shows Eric’s attitude towards women - as the Inspector said, he ‘just used her for the
end of a stupid drunken evening’, and this is the reason why.
Zoom in: ‘good sport’ suggests that Eric doesn’t care about Eva’s feelings as long as
he’s satisfied. The adjective ‘pretty’ shows that appearance was the only important thing
about women of the Edwardian era and links to Sheila’s question (if Eva was pretty) right
after Eva’s death announcement.
AO3: How women were treated at that time, their lives depended on their beauty.
Other themes: Possibly power - Eric physically overpowered Eva.
Mrs. Birling - ‘girls of that class’
Sheila - ‘You mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl’
Metaphor - She is trying to indicate the metaphorical distance between the working-class
and the upper-class.
Zoom in: By ‘wall’, she means the ‘wall of privilege’. Sheila and Eva are peers.
Sheila is wealthy and has privileges; however, she realises that despite their social
position, people are all essentially the same. Mrs. Birling is prejudiced against people of
‘that class’ - she has no respect towards them, and thinks that they should know their
place. She views them as greedy, lazy, and deceitful.
AO3: The barrier/gap between the classes was rapidly growing during that era.
Other themes: Differences in generation.
Sheila - ‘(excited) Oh – Gerald – you’ve got it – is it the one you wanted me to have?'
Stage directions - Sheila is portrayed to be very excited, which is found to be immature
at her age, which was caused by being constantly infantilised by her parents or Gerald.
Her immaturity is also shown when she calls her parents ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’.
Zoom in: The pronoun ‘you’ shows how Gerald is in control of their relationship; it was
the ring that Gerald decided for her. The verb 'wanted' creates a sense of ownership
and entitlement - it is almost as though he has a right to make decisions for her. She is
asking for permission for the ring that should belong to her.
Symbolism: A ring is a symbol of not only love, but also a symbolic agreement between
two parties. Since the ring was Gerald’s choice, their relationship is controlled entirely by
Gerald. Sheila is metaphorically ‘trapped’ by the ring; she is now a possession of Gerald,
and he is free to manipulate her.
AO3: In Edwardian England, women were ‘owned’ by their husbands.
Other themes: Gerald’s power over Sheila.
Inspector - ‘it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it’
Hyperbolic metaphor - an indirect warning demonstrates how the powerful upper class
can have everything they want. ‘The earth’ indicates how Mr Birling thinks that Eva’s
request for a higher wage is unreasonable.
, Zoom in: The Inspector is suggesting that it is socially irresponsible to be greedy and
'take' things without permission from a class that naturally has less financial advantage
and power. It also shows how the upper class has more power than the working class.
AO3: Priestley is trying to show the injustice towards the working-class, the rich always
taking things from them.
Other themes: Power.
3. DIFFERENCE IN GENERATIONS
Eric - ‘It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.’
- Eric accepts his responsibility here, which shows how much he has grown from the start
of the play. Unlike his parents, who are the older generation, they do not accept their
guilt and think that they are above the law.
Zoom in: collective guilt ‘we all did’ shows Eric’s responsibility and attempts to convince
others to accept their guilt, just like his sister. Younger generation vs older generation.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - ‘You turned the girl out of one job, I had her turned out of another. Gerald kept
her - at a time he was supposed to be too busy to see me. Eric - well, we know what Eric
did. And mother hardened her heart and gave her the final push.
Emotive language - This shows the contrast between two generations, her and her
stubborn mother, who believes that she ‘did nothing that she’s ashamed of or that
won’t bear investigation.’ Unlike Sheila, who has admitted her guilt at the very
beginning and now tries to help others understand theirs.
Zoom in: Priestley uses emotive words such as ‘the final push’ to explore Sheila’s
character development and responsibility.
AO3: The writer believed that the younger generation is the path to a better future.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - '(bitterly) I know. I had her turned out of a job. I started it'
Stage directions - emphasise her remorse and acknowledgment of her guilt.
Zoom in: The fact that Sheila believes that she 'started it' might suggest that she is
taking too much blame on herself, which was unusual for young girls of her class.
AO3: The younger generation is the future and can lead to change.
Sheila - ‘I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before’
Character development - Sheila is not the same person she was at the beginning - she
still acts sensibly, but doesn’t act in a childish manner.
The Inspector Calls:
Context:
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 and set in 1912. Two World Wars happened in between
those years, as well as a revolution and the sinking of the Titanic. The society of 1912 is very
capitalistic, the gap between the upper and the working class is progressively growing, and
women are treated rather like objects.
Themes:
1. RESPONSIBILITY:
Mr. Birling - ‘As if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive.’
Simile - Conveys Birling’s dismissal of ideologies surrounding community and social
responsibility.
Zoom in: Ironically, ‘bees in a hive’ work very well together to accomplish their tasks,
unlike selfish people of the upper class in 1912. Also, a man not only has to take care of
himself, but he also needs to take care of others in society as a community to work
efficiently.
AO3: The society of 1912 is very capitalistic.
Mrs. Birling - ‘Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.
Irony - later on, we discover that the father of the child is Mrs. Birling’s son, and she
killed her grandchild.
Zoom in: Imperatives ‘Go and look’ suggest that Mrs Birling is very eager to pass the
blame on and is very confident.
AO3: The irresponsibility of Edwardian society.
Mr. Birling - ‘A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and
-’
Stage directions - Birling is shown to be a very selfish character, who agrees to take
responsibility only for himself and his family.
Zoom in: a ‘sharp ring’ at the front door interrupts Mr. Birling’s speech about social
responsibility. It signals the arrival of a character who has the power to challenge Mr
Birling’s arrogant assumptions.
AO3: Hints at the emerging confrontation between socialism and capitalism.
,Inspector - ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body - We are responsible for
each other.’
Metaphor - Priestley presents his thoughts through the character of the Inspector in his
final speech.
Zoom in: Organs of a body need to work together and provide for one another to survive.
Priestley wants to tell the audience that we are all intertwined with one another, and we
have to accept our own responsibilities.
AO3: Inspector’s statements contrast with the society of that era.
Inspector - ‘One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of
Eva Smith’s and John Smith’s still left with us’, ‘if men will not learn that lesson, then
they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.’
Metaphor - The metaphor emphasises that if we don’t change our ways, we will learn it
through bloodshed and violence.
Dramatic irony - He tries to foreshadow the cause and start of the World Wars, however,
the audience will get the hint and realise that humans clearly did not learn their lessons
the first time, causing a second tragic event.
Zoom in: The repetition of ‘millions’ emphasises how there are still many people whose
lives depend on our choices.
AO3: Priestley’s message. Both World Wars were the result of attitudes and behaviour
such as those of powerful and wealthy families (countries) like the Birlings.
2. ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN/WORKING CLASS:
Mr. Birling - ‘We have several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep
changing.’
Statistics show that Mr Birling is unaware of his employees and implies that Eva Smith,
as well as other workers, are not important to him - they are just workforce.
Zoom in: ‘Keep changing’ suggests that Mr Birling doesn’t value his workers and
replaces them constantly, which shows his mindlessness and irresponsibility towards his
business.
AO3: Capitalistic society, attitude towards the working class.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - ‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.’
Juxtaposition - in contrast to Mr Birling, Sheila treats each worker as a person, despite
their class or gender.
Zoom in: The adjective ‘cheap’ hints at the reason Mr Birling kicked Eva Smith out.
AO3: The difference between generations and attitudes to women at that time. Unusual -
Sheila, a rich middle-upper-class girl, has socialist tendencies.
Other themes: Differences in generations.
,Eric - ‘She was pretty and a good sport’
Shows Eric’s attitude towards women - as the Inspector said, he ‘just used her for the
end of a stupid drunken evening’, and this is the reason why.
Zoom in: ‘good sport’ suggests that Eric doesn’t care about Eva’s feelings as long as
he’s satisfied. The adjective ‘pretty’ shows that appearance was the only important thing
about women of the Edwardian era and links to Sheila’s question (if Eva was pretty) right
after Eva’s death announcement.
AO3: How women were treated at that time, their lives depended on their beauty.
Other themes: Possibly power - Eric physically overpowered Eva.
Mrs. Birling - ‘girls of that class’
Sheila - ‘You mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl’
Metaphor - She is trying to indicate the metaphorical distance between the working-class
and the upper-class.
Zoom in: By ‘wall’, she means the ‘wall of privilege’. Sheila and Eva are peers.
Sheila is wealthy and has privileges; however, she realises that despite their social
position, people are all essentially the same. Mrs. Birling is prejudiced against people of
‘that class’ - she has no respect towards them, and thinks that they should know their
place. She views them as greedy, lazy, and deceitful.
AO3: The barrier/gap between the classes was rapidly growing during that era.
Other themes: Differences in generation.
Sheila - ‘(excited) Oh – Gerald – you’ve got it – is it the one you wanted me to have?'
Stage directions - Sheila is portrayed to be very excited, which is found to be immature
at her age, which was caused by being constantly infantilised by her parents or Gerald.
Her immaturity is also shown when she calls her parents ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’.
Zoom in: The pronoun ‘you’ shows how Gerald is in control of their relationship; it was
the ring that Gerald decided for her. The verb 'wanted' creates a sense of ownership
and entitlement - it is almost as though he has a right to make decisions for her. She is
asking for permission for the ring that should belong to her.
Symbolism: A ring is a symbol of not only love, but also a symbolic agreement between
two parties. Since the ring was Gerald’s choice, their relationship is controlled entirely by
Gerald. Sheila is metaphorically ‘trapped’ by the ring; she is now a possession of Gerald,
and he is free to manipulate her.
AO3: In Edwardian England, women were ‘owned’ by their husbands.
Other themes: Gerald’s power over Sheila.
Inspector - ‘it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it’
Hyperbolic metaphor - an indirect warning demonstrates how the powerful upper class
can have everything they want. ‘The earth’ indicates how Mr Birling thinks that Eva’s
request for a higher wage is unreasonable.
, Zoom in: The Inspector is suggesting that it is socially irresponsible to be greedy and
'take' things without permission from a class that naturally has less financial advantage
and power. It also shows how the upper class has more power than the working class.
AO3: Priestley is trying to show the injustice towards the working-class, the rich always
taking things from them.
Other themes: Power.
3. DIFFERENCE IN GENERATIONS
Eric - ‘It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.’
- Eric accepts his responsibility here, which shows how much he has grown from the start
of the play. Unlike his parents, who are the older generation, they do not accept their
guilt and think that they are above the law.
Zoom in: collective guilt ‘we all did’ shows Eric’s responsibility and attempts to convince
others to accept their guilt, just like his sister. Younger generation vs older generation.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - ‘You turned the girl out of one job, I had her turned out of another. Gerald kept
her - at a time he was supposed to be too busy to see me. Eric - well, we know what Eric
did. And mother hardened her heart and gave her the final push.
Emotive language - This shows the contrast between two generations, her and her
stubborn mother, who believes that she ‘did nothing that she’s ashamed of or that
won’t bear investigation.’ Unlike Sheila, who has admitted her guilt at the very
beginning and now tries to help others understand theirs.
Zoom in: Priestley uses emotive words such as ‘the final push’ to explore Sheila’s
character development and responsibility.
AO3: The writer believed that the younger generation is the path to a better future.
Other themes: Responsibility.
Sheila - '(bitterly) I know. I had her turned out of a job. I started it'
Stage directions - emphasise her remorse and acknowledgment of her guilt.
Zoom in: The fact that Sheila believes that she 'started it' might suggest that she is
taking too much blame on herself, which was unusual for young girls of her class.
AO3: The younger generation is the future and can lead to change.
Sheila - ‘I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before’
Character development - Sheila is not the same person she was at the beginning - she
still acts sensibly, but doesn’t act in a childish manner.
