Priestley was born in
Bradford, a working-
class industrial city in
Where was Priestley the north of England.
born and why is this Growing up
important? surrounded by factory
workers and poverty
directly shaped his
political beliefs.
Priestley was a
What were Priestley’s
socialist. he believed
beliefs?
that society had a
collective
Quote: "We don't live
responsibility to look
alone. We are
after its most
members of one body.
vulnerable members,
We are responsible
and that the gap
for each other."
between rich and poor
was morally wrong.
The play is essentially
Priestley's political
manifesto. He wanted to
Why did Priestley use theatre to persuade
write An Inspector audiences to reject
Calls? selfish, capitalist values
and embrace collective
responsibility — at a
moment (1945) when Britain
was deciding what kind of
country it wanted to be.
, The play is set in 1912 -
technically the Edwardian
era - but the older
characters like Birling
When is the play set, and Mrs Birling hold very
and why does the Victorian values.
Victorian era matter? Priestley deliberately
makes them feel old-
fashioned to signal that
their attitudes belong in
the past.
Victorians believed strongly
in social hierarchy — that
your position in society was
What were Victorian natural and right. The
values around class? wealthy deserved their
wealth; the poor were often
blamed for their own
poverty. Characters like Mrs
Birling embody this attitude.
For the Victorians, public
reputation was everything.
What were Victorian Appearing moral and
values around respectable mattered more
respectability? than actually being so. Mrs
Birling's charity work is a
good exampl; she performs
respectability while
refusing to actually help
someone in need.
Bradford, a working-
class industrial city in
Where was Priestley the north of England.
born and why is this Growing up
important? surrounded by factory
workers and poverty
directly shaped his
political beliefs.
Priestley was a
What were Priestley’s
socialist. he believed
beliefs?
that society had a
collective
Quote: "We don't live
responsibility to look
alone. We are
after its most
members of one body.
vulnerable members,
We are responsible
and that the gap
for each other."
between rich and poor
was morally wrong.
The play is essentially
Priestley's political
manifesto. He wanted to
Why did Priestley use theatre to persuade
write An Inspector audiences to reject
Calls? selfish, capitalist values
and embrace collective
responsibility — at a
moment (1945) when Britain
was deciding what kind of
country it wanted to be.
, The play is set in 1912 -
technically the Edwardian
era - but the older
characters like Birling
When is the play set, and Mrs Birling hold very
and why does the Victorian values.
Victorian era matter? Priestley deliberately
makes them feel old-
fashioned to signal that
their attitudes belong in
the past.
Victorians believed strongly
in social hierarchy — that
your position in society was
What were Victorian natural and right. The
values around class? wealthy deserved their
wealth; the poor were often
blamed for their own
poverty. Characters like Mrs
Birling embody this attitude.
For the Victorians, public
reputation was everything.
What were Victorian Appearing moral and
values around respectable mattered more
respectability? than actually being so. Mrs
Birling's charity work is a
good exampl; she performs
respectability while
refusing to actually help
someone in need.
