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Tasks and Activites

Tasks: An Inspector Calls

Tasks based on the play "An Inspector Calls" by J.B.Priestly.
En fint dekket kuvert på en restaurant med en rosa blomsteroppsats. Foto.
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CC BY-NC-SA
Image: Javier Larrea

Comprehension

Literary Analysis: Plot, Characters, Theme and Setting

  1. Select one of the members of the Birling family and write a character study. Use the text for reference to show how Priestley uses the character to convey his own opinions and attitudes.
  2. What do you consider the major themes of this play? Use examples from the text to verify your answers.
  3. The play was written during the winter of 1944/45. However, the play is set in the Edwardian past, around 30 years earlier. Why do you think this is so?
  4. Do you think An Inspector Calls has a message for us today? Give reasons for your answer.

Writing

  1. What will happen with the arrival of the real police inspector? Use dialogue and stage directions to show your understanding of character. Write it down and act it out.
  2. The scandal of the Birling family has hit the headlines of the Daily Gazette. Write the newspaper article.
  3. Write a literary analysis of the play.
  4. Write an essay elaborating on themes in the play that you find relevant today.

Related content

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly

J.B. Priestley (1894-1984) was a man of social convictions, who considered himself to be a spokesman for the common sense of the common man.

CC BY-SAWritten by: Åse Elin Langeland.
Last revised date 03/03/2017

Learning content

Murder Mystery