1987. Some novels and plays seem
to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in
traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the
particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes
to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence
the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.
In "An Inspector Calls," by J.
B. Priestley, the audience is forced to reconsider the British
capitalistic ideals of the time. The aristocratic family on display is
slowly revealed to have, through the thoughtless, self-rewarding actions
encouraged in a capitalistic society, driven a girl to her miserable death. Through the use of all three pillars of
argument--pathos, ethos, and logos--embodied within the characters of
the play, Priestley attempts to unveil the fallacies behind the
capitalistic system and that each person's decisions ultimately affects
everyone around him.
Throughout
the play, Sheila Birling acts as Priestley's voice of pathos, the
emotional argument. She got the girl fired because the girl's superior
appearance hurt her pride. However, she feels remorseful about what she
has done, vows never to treat anyone like that again, and encourages the
others to do the same. Priestley uses her emotional reaction to show
the emotional damage caused by the inconsiderate behavior of the Birling
family. By embodying his argument in an emotional individual, he causes the audience to gain sympathy with Sheila and share in her remorse. Priestly causes his audience to recognize the emotional connection humans share and act likewise.
Eric
Birling, Sheila's brother, the drunkard, is the representative for
Priestley's moral argument. Eric's immoral exploits with the girl are
intended to disgust the audience. The girl he knew as Daisy, though in a
poor and vulnerable situation, maintained her sense of morality as
depicted by her refusal to accept the stolen money. Meanwhile, Eric,
born into a rich family, takes advantage of her and does the
unspeakable--he impregnates and abandons her in her dismal state. The
audience realizes, then, that the people in the upper class of society
are not there because they are better in any way than the lower class.
In fact, the upper class is often more immoral than those below them
because they have more tools with which they can cause destruction and
chaos. Therefore, Priestley believes they hold more responsibility and
should be held responsible for their actions more so than others.
Finally,
Inspector Goole is both Priestley's representative in the story and the
courier of logic. He pieces together the story of the girl's death,
allowing his audience, both in and out of the story, to see the effects
of what the Birlings had done. Though he may not have convinced everyone, each of the Birlings' interactions with the supposed girl was true on its own and illustrate his meaning. He brings everyone to the final point
Priestley wishes to make: that everyone lives in this world together,
and how we act changes the lives around us as well.
J.
B. Priestley was a major advocate for socialism and his play, "An
Inspector Calls," was designed to illustrate the dangers of a highly
capitalistic society. Through the characters of the play, he uses all
three pillars of argument to push the audience to the understanding that
every decision should be made carefully because somehow, somewhere,
each action we make will affect someone, and whether it is in a positive
or negative way is up to us to decide.
