I have recently been studying your play ‘An Inspector Calls’ ?  Essay Example
I have recently been studying your play ‘An Inspector Calls’ ?  Essay Example

I have recently been studying your play ‘An Inspector Calls’ ? Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (899 words)
  • Published: September 19, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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I am currently studying 'An Inspector Calls' in my school and I would appreciate it if you could take some time to read my thoughts on it. Firstly, I want to discuss the play's main message.

In addition, I would like to address Sheila's role in the play, as well as two different productions of her confession speech. The play was deliberately set in 1912 to highlight the prevailing ignorance of people during that era. The intention was to demonstrate the infrequency with which individuals took responsibility for their own mistakes. It also aimed to reveal how those belonging to higher social classes could manipulate, control, and exploit those from lower social classes. A prime example of this is the Birling family, who were of upper/middle-class standing, while Eva belonged to the working class. At some point or another, nearly all member

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s of the Birling family disrespected or took advantage of Eva. From my perspective, the inspector's objective in the play was to make the family realize that their ignorance and arrogance could push an ordinary person to extreme measures in order to survive, ultimately leading them to commit suicide.

The inspector's speech was an incredibly dramatic and effective summary of his message to the family. He wanted to convey that social class does not determine a person's worth, and it is not acceptable to disrespect or take advantage of others based on their social standing. Initially, I perceived Shelia as a spoiled, arrogant brat due to her privileged background. However, Shelia's confession holds immense significance in the play, perhaps serving as the most pivotal moment. It acts as a catalyst, encouraging other characters to acknowledge their

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own mistakes. During Shelia's confession, the audience should initially react with shock before gradually developing a sense of disdain towards her actions driven by jealousy towards Eva. By the end of the play, Shelia undergoes significant growth and becomes more mature, shedding her previous arrogance.

It seems that Shelia's shock at the potential consequences of her actions motivates her to assist the other characters in acknowledging their own mistakes. Let's now examine two different versions of the play 'An Inspector Calls': starting with the theatre production from 1992. In this rendition, Shelia effectively employs body language to convey her emotions. Initially, she holds her hands together with hunched shoulders in a nervous posture. As she gradually reveals more details during her confession, her hand movements become more pronounced. Particularly noteworthy is her portrayal of holding up the dress, as if she were actually wearing it.

During the climax of the speech, Shelia's hands shake vigorously and she points frequently. Her tone of voice is initially quiet and quite nervous, as if her voice is trembling. She also pauses for dramatic effect at the beginning, taking a lot of time. As the confession progresses, her voice gradually becomes louder and she ends up shouting. Additionally, the speed of her speech noticeably increases.

It seemed as though she excessively fiddled with her hair. The phrase 'well, when I tried the thing on and looked at myself and realize it was all wrong' was expressed with a slight sense of curiosity, in my opinion. The final five lines of the speech were delivered with a tone of regret. The pace of the speech slowed down again and the pauses became more

dramatic. This production effectively utilizes dramatic devices, with the most prominent being the large house. Within the house, people engage in group discussions and step out onto the street when they wish to confess things.

The music at the beginning of Shelia's confession draws attention to the person speaking, who is always in the spotlight when confessing in the street. Shelia's speech has a dramatic impact on the audience. In those times, hearing someone confess to something, especially something selfish, would have been a great shock. The audience is initially shocked by Shelia's confession but then seems to look down on her and show disrespect. Their respect for her diminishes, particularly because she belongs to the middle class. Moving on to the 1954 film version, only the last two lines and the lead-up to the confession are shown, so there is limited body language and tone of voice to analyze.

The observations made include Sheila and the inspector's lack of eye contact and quiet speaking. The production utilizes numerous dramatic devices, surpassing even those used in theatre productions. Firstly, Sheila is portrayed in a mirror rather than being physically present in the picture. Secondly, a flashback is employed to recreate the Millwards scene where Sheila accuses Eva of impertinence and informs the manager. Additionally, dramatic music accompanies the conclusion of the re-enactment. However, one flaw in this production is that Sheila claims to be trying on a hat instead of a dress, thus deviating from the original story.

The 1992 theatre production of the film is, in my opinion, more impactful on the audience compared to the original film. One notable difference is that in the theatre, one

cannot hear the audience's reactions, making it challenging to gauge their response. However, based on the original script, I believe Shelia's role garners the most recognition in this theatrical rendition. Ultimately, I find that the theatre production effectively conveys your message in a superior manner and thus consider it a more efficacious production.

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