An Inspector Calls: Context

Friday 5th March 2021

IMPORTANT

•You DO need to send your writing task to your

Friday teacher today.

Directed Reading (30 mins)

Learning Purposes

• To recap key context of An Inspector Calls and J.B Priestley• Apply this knowledge to characters and events within the play.• Understand how to apply this knowledge to our analytical writing.

Recap of previous learning:1) See next slide

Future learning:

- Recall key events and context from the text.- Consider the transformation of characters

throughout the play and explore how this links to Priestley and the morality play.

Knowledge recap (3 minutes):

1) What does suffrage mean?

2) What is capitalism? Who represents this in the play?

3) What is socialism? Who represents this in the play?

4) Name 3 events that happened in between when the play is set (1912) and when it was written (1945).

• Challenge: How are these events important to the play?

Dramatic irony: When the audience knows something the characters in the play do not.

Starter (3 minutes)

• Think about what you know about the years between 1900 and now.

• What was life like compared to now?

• What major historical events have taken place?

Do this as a list or a mind map!Use the images to help if you are stuck

Context relevant for An Inspector Calls

World War One (1914-1918)

Women gained the right to vote (1918)

The sinking of the Titanic (1912)

The class system

The rise of socialism- development of the Welfare State

Russian Revolution (1917)

World War Two (1939-1945)

We are now going to recap our knowledge of the playwright J.B. Priestley.

• What can you remember about J.B. Priestley?• Look over your mind maps from a few lessons ago to help.

Challenge: Why is it important we know

about the playwright?

Read through the article on J.B. Priestley and answer the following questions (12 minutes)Write your answers in full sentences.1) When and where was J.B. Priestley born?2) What did he do aged sixteen? Why?3) Name two things Priestley did after WW1.4) When did Priestley write his first play?5) What did Priestley do during WW2 and why did it get cancelled?6) What did Priestley become concerned about in the 1930’s? 7) Name two things the Common Wealth Party argued for? Challenge: How does this

relate to socialism?8) When was the Welfare State put into place?9) How did Priestley believe further wars could be avoided? What did he do as a result?10) What did the CND set an example of?

Fill in the blanks 1912 vs. 1945

1912 (PLAY SET) 1945 (PLAY WRITTEN)

WAR

SOCIAL CLASS There were strong distinctions between the upper and lower classes.

GENDER ROLES As a result of the wars, women had earned a more valued place in society.

GOVERNMENT The ruling classes saw no need to change how things were.

USE THE INFORMATION ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES TO HELP YOU

* BONUS* What year did women gain the right to vote? Why was this important?

Government

The need for social reform reached its peak in 1942 with Sir

William Beveridge’s report (introducing NHS for example)

which the Labour Party strongly supported.

Before the two World Wars, the ruling classes saw no need to

change how things were.

Immediately after World War Two, there was a strong

desire for change. Clement Attlee’s Labour Party won

over Winston Churchill and the Conservatives. Attlee

was a socialist who went on to develop the Welfare State.

Questions…

TOP TIP: Writers always have a reason for the choices they make.

1. Why is the play set in 1912?

2. Which do you think is more important: the context of when the play is set (1912) or when it was performed (1945)? Make sure you can say WHY.

Character Transformations Recap..

1. Which character has changed the most throughout the play and why?

2. Which character has changed the least throughout the play and why?

• Use your Venn diagrams from last lesson.

Writing Task.

• Your question for today is:

• How has the character of _____ been presented at the end of the play compared to the start? Why? Support your ideas with evidence from the text.

• Has the character learned from the Inspector?

• Remember to apply your knowledge of context in your answer.

• You could choose from: Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, Sheila, Eric or Gerald.

• Only choose ONE character.

You must email this to your Friday teacher by the end of today.

• Mr & Mrs Birling represents the Capitalists and rigid class system.

• Sheila and Eric the younger generation/socialism. (You could also mention what Priestley was trying to show through their characters).

• Use your Venn Diagram from last week to help you.

TOP TIPS:

Your answer must include TWO parts- how they were at the start of the play vs. the end. You could do this as ONE detailed or TWO paragraphs.

- If you’re choosing a character who does change, remember to link with a conjunctive adverb ‘However by the end of the play….’

- If you’re choosing a character who does not change, you could use ‘Furthermore, this is supported by ______’s actions at the end of the play when…..’

• This is your final writing task of the module and therefore you should be showcasing every technique that we have covered.

q Starting your response with a topic sentenceq Supporting evidence and explanation using

‘because’q Using ‘not only… but’ to develop ideasq Conjunctive adverbs to compare and contrastq Drawing links to contextq Finishing with a concluding statement

MODEL ANSWER: How has the character of SheilaBirling been presented at the end of the play

compared to the start? • In An Inspector Calls the character of Sheila Birling matures drastically by the end

of the play. At the beginning of the play Sheila is presented as spoiled, childish, and unable to control her temper. This is demonstrated when she is describing how she got Eva Smith fired from Millward’s, she describes herself as being ‘absolutely furious I was very rude’, and that she threatened the manager, ‘if they didn’t get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again and I’d persuade mother to close our account with them’. The use of adverbs such as ‘absolutely’ and ‘never’ highlights her immature and hyperbolic attitude to a small misunderstanding, representative of how middle-upper class viewed the lower classes as inferior.

• However, by the end of the play…………….• To conclude, it is evident that Sheila Birling has matured dramatically, this

highlights Priestley’s views on how the younger generation were the key for social change following WW2.

Topic sentenceEmbedded quotationsExplanation of quoteClose analysisLinks to contextConcluding sentence

Now it’s your turn (15-20 minutes).

• Go back to the information on the previous slides to help you write your answer.

STAR code

• Proofread your answer and carefully check for SPAG errors before emailing to your teacher.• You should have the question as your title.

You must email this to your Friday teacher by the end of today.

Extension Quizzes• Test your knowledge of context within An

Inspector Calls!• http://www.quiz-maker.com/QX4HNPKSM

• Test your knowledge of the plot within An Inspector Calls!

• http://www.quiz-maker.com/QQVXY1KP0

• You’ve been asked to write a morality play.

Make some notes on:• What would your morality play be about? Why?• What year would you set your morality play in

and why?• What message/lessons do you want your

audience to learn?• What major events might you include?• How would your morality play end? Why?

• You could do this as notes or a mind map.

• Create a poster advertising either:

• Your morality playOR

• An Inspector Calls.

• Think about:• Venue- time/place/date• Ticket prices• Eye catching quotes from the play• Audience reviews/ratings• Striking images

You could do this on Word/Powerpoint if you are using a computer.

Plenary

• Draw or copy the image below.

• Write as many good/bad morals in each head as you can, that we have come across in the play:

• Red = gluttony, stubbornness

• Blue= responsibility, kindness

Ext. Watch these videos on context and add to your notes.• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zk7b4wx• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/z82g9j6• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zdmrkqt

Directed Reading

• You should spend the remainder of this lesson completing Directed Reading.