This essay scored 30/30 in the exams!
An Inspector Calls is a didactic play that is anti-war, anti-capitalism and pro-socialism. Priestley presents Eric as a proxy for the younger generation and the hope for change.
As you know by now, I recommend a 3 part thesis. Reread this one and see how many parts it has. There are two about Eric - that he represents the younger generation, and that Priestley is using this to promote the idea for change. Then the first sentence of the thesis reminds Shazene to link this to Priestley’s political and anti-war purpose. So, this is potentially a 4 part thesis, all done very elegantly in just a few words.
This thesis then becomes your essay plan.
His father, Arthur Birling, is a capitalist and is a part of the older generation. Eric starts to learn about the faults of Birling’s beliefs. Mr Birling states that “if they didn’t like our rates they could work somewhere else”. However, Eric understands that due to the capitalist nature of businesses, there is a cartel, where the wages are the same rate everywhere in order to make higher profits and exploit workers. This realisation is seen in the line “I think it’s a shame – we aim for the highest profits, why shouldn’t they aim for the highest wages”. This implies Eric’s difference in beliefs compared to Mr Birling, as he doesn’t believe in treating labour poorly by giving wages so low that workers can barely get by.
At this stage the examiner has decided there are enough references to justify Level 5 AO1 References. This is because two quotations are linked to understanding two characters, and the context of business and workers.
As well as this, Priestley could be using Eric as a symbol for socialism and as an anti-capitalist figure to tell the audience that capitalism is wrong and unjust. Priestley could suggest that capitalism is the reason why big businesses dominate and exploit people and that people should be against a capitalist government and vote for a labour Government. Because the play was published right before the elections, Eric is used to present Priestley’s message about socialism.
· This explanation of the context of the play is awarded Level 4 AO3.
· The examiner also treats this as an analysis of the quotation in the previous paragraph, and awards it Level 4 AO2, with a question mark. They aren’t comfortable awarding different Assessment Objectives to the same piece of writing.
In addition, Priestley portrays Eric as a character who is the embodiment of the patriarchal society and of sexual exploitation without guilt. Eric’s unjust treatment of Eva is seen in the line “in that state where a chap easily turns nasty”. He says this to try and justify his actions towards Eva. The phrase “that state” suggests that it is common to all men and Eric is trying to normalise the vile act he did to Eva by saying it is normal. As well as this, the phrase “a chap” rather than “I” presents him disassociating himself from his actions and failing to take responsibility and blame himself. This may be due to the patriarchal society at the time as, like Eric, men had power over women and thought themselves superior, so used them as they pleased. Moreover, in 1912, women had very few rights as they didn’t have the ability to vote either.
This analysis of Eric’s language looks at different words in the quotation. (All these ideas come from my video on Eric by the way!) The examiner is relieved that they can now give obvious marks for AO2 and awards it Level 5.
Therefore, this links to how Priestley uses Eric as a symbol of how capitalism and the products of it (Eric) are corrupt and believe themselves to be superior to the lower classes and to women. Furthermore, the Inspector demands “put yourself in the shoes of these young women counting their pennies” to emphasise the importance Priestley placed on women’s rights and equality.
The examiner likes the way context has been used to help explain Priestley’s point of view about the characters and society. Linking it to the author’s viewpoint always gets high grades (rather than just saying it’s all about socialism). This is awarded Level 5 AO3.
Priestley is telling the audience, in which women can vote, that capitalism and the patriarchal society is unfair and needs to be removed and replaced with socialism and a Labour government. This may be why this play targets “these young women” and why it is set in an industry of women, to appeal to a female audience as the play was released when women had the right to vote. Thus, Priestley may be using this as a campaign for feminism and socialism which is fair to all.
I’m pleased to see the examiner is excited by these ideas which also come from my videos. The examiner has decided that this linking of socialism and feminism is a thoughtful approach to the whole task. So, they award this Level 5 AO1 Task.
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