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KS4 An Inspector Calls “We don’t live alone; we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other” How does Priestley present this theme through use of character, action and dramatic devices?
In 1945, J.B Priestley, a playwright, also a supporter of the labour political party, wanted the country to change back to Labour and get the Conservative party out of power. Priestley wanted everyone to be equal, the money spread out equally, unlike previous years where 85% of the money was in the hands of 5% of the population. He decided to write a play, set in 1912 before events such as the First World War, and the sinking of the Titanic. The plays main characters would be one of the wealthy families of England at the time, they would be Conservatives and would, during the play, say things that the audience knew were wrong, and would be made to look foolish. The Inspector in the play wants to teach the Birlings’ that everybody has to look out for each other, and share responsibility for things... Dominic Catterall 2007 A Christmas Carol In the novella ‘A Christmas Carol’, Ebenezer Scrooge changes dramatically; the writer Charles Dickens shows this in various way using language devices, symbolism and other techniques.
The novella begins with Stave 1 (Dickens uses staves instead of chapters to set the novella out as a carol, as the title suggests ‘A Christmas Carol’). From the outset, Dickens’ use of language draws the reader into his morality tale. This novella was originally intended as a story for children but it carries a moral message about the power of charity, generosity and redemption and of how these qualities are particularly important at Christmas time; the season people are, perhaps, the most generous and show the sort of Victorian family values Dickens encourages in his readership. To do this, he shows a change in the character of Scrooge away from the miserly character we meet in Stave 1, towards a character that embraces these values. Dickens’ use of language devices, symbolism and other techniques make the change seem both plausible and a change for the better... Jodie Bennett 2008 |
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