Second World War Essay Example for Free

Second World War Essay Through this, Priestley has used the Inspector to show that no one can live their life in the sole aim to please themselves and that eventually, sharing (a form of equality) has to be done, even if it is with such an intimate feeling as guilt. This sharing is one of the basic elements of Socialism and through this statement and many more, the Inspector just reinforces his desire for peace and community. The play was written just after the Second World War had ended and the Labour Government were taking steps to bring the standard of lower-class living up. With this in mind, Priestley has used this Socialist standing about the Inspector, to put forward a message to the audience that they must not let Capitalism pull Society back to the unfair state it was before. Through many statements like these and the ever-present contrast to the Birling family, he shows how greed can destroy lives, and thus is ultimately used by Priestley to show that these kind of situations must stop and must do, for good. The characters who are used to oppose Inspector Gooles political standpoint and show the uncaring sides of Capitalism, are that of Gerald, Mr Birling and Mrs Birling. From the beginning of the play they are used to build up walls against the Inspectors claims, as they deem the life of Eva Smith un-important. They are continually used to act as corrupt ambassadors for the Capitalist belief, as they arrogantly refuse to accept any the responsibility for their actions, (as shown by Mrs Birling below): Im sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it all.(Mrs Birling, Act two).  This is only one of the many comments where these three characters have shown no exceptence for their vicious acts. Instead of repenting, they just pass the blame on and experience no remorse for the part they played in causing the innocent girl to die. Their only cares focus on their own statuses and how they themselves will be affected in the end. This harsh exterior and no compassion causes the audience to resent the three characters and in-turn, the beliefs they stand for. Priestley, who has used their disgusting behaviour for effect, wants the audience to ultimately detest these characters and thus, be totally against the seemingly corrupt political opinions that drive their cruelty. Even with these characters that show no response to the Inspectors morals, there are two who become rapidly changed throughout the plot. Sheila and Eric become briskly transformed, as their young ignorance matures into the social awareness that causes them to except the terrible acts as their fault. This prompt transformation is first shown in both characters at the end of the play, when the others try to write off the Inspector as a mere hoax. Sheila and Eric, who show that the Inspector has touched their lives, cant let anyone forget his message, as they stand up for what they believe:  Youre beginning to pretend now that nothings happened at all. And I cant see it like that. (Eric, Act three). Thats just the way I feel, Eric. And its what they dont seem to understand. (Sheila, Act three).  Sheila and Eric feel extremely guilty for what they have done and even when the others try to pretend that nothing has happened, they know something has. They show a compassion for Eva Smith and seek repentance, for they know what they did was wrong. This fact of remorse causes the audience to empathise with their character and thus feel a certain amount of respect, as they have witnessed them prevail through ignorance and ultimately except the truth. Inspector Goole shows that the younger generations cast a sign of hope and thus, can be inspired and used to fulfill great causes. Like Sheila and Erics susceptibility to unified equality in this story, Priestley hopes that younger people all over the world will also take the initiative to improve life, so that we no longer live our existence by greed and capital, but by the basic joy of humanitys diversity alone. Before the Inspector leaves the plot, he delivers Priestleys fundamental opinion to the audience very directly. In this, he conveys a final speech, in which he shows an immense compassion towards the issue being discussed. He explains that whatever social or political background we come form, that it is our duty in life to help those in less-fortunate positions, and with no doubt whatsoever, he shows that we cannot just disregard the facts at hand, but that we are to embrace every situation with our arms open-wide:  But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hope and fears, their sufferings and chances of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We dont live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. (Inspector Goole, Act three). This phrase means many things, and on the surface, is just a moral conclusion to sum up how we should look after each other; but when searched much deeper, Priestley shows how life needs to change on a much larger scale. For instance, this final message could describe how in Society, wealthy upper-classes need to look after those in lower-class poverty. It could also describe how nationally; stronger social groups need to become more aware of their exact effect on the vulnerable targets within the community. But when seen on a much broader height, it could also describe how internationally; stronger super-powers need to take in consideration the authority and equal rights of the smaller countries they tend to exploit. All of these possible scenarios, with whatever circumstance they may have, simply describe Priestleys ultimate intentions for the play to deliver. He uses the Inspector to employ his thoughts on social-awareness for the very last time, thus explaining that in every situation, whether it be global, national or personal, that our fundamental requirement is to look after others, thus ultimately avoiding the inevitable fire, blood and anguish that he talks about in his speech. I totally fall in agreement with what Priestley has used the Inspector to say about the political forefront of things. Although I am not a socialist like he is, I do think that we, as a body of intertwined lives, need to be sensitive to those in less fortunate situations and thus offer help, rather than just ignoring matters in the interest of our own good. In every circumstance, I think that we need to act with full reflection on the consequences of what we say and do, in the aim to avoid conflict of any kind in the future. Priestley was obviously a man who cared about the value of people over that of material objects, and in this issue, so am I. Paragraph 7 The Inspectors function as an Educator 1st Re-draft  The last, but probably the most fundamental role in influencing the audience, is Inspector Gooles dramatic function as an Educator. In this position, Priestley has used the Inspectors character to educate the audience along side the rest of the characters, as he teaches them about the truth behind the Society. He shows that the class denominations are nothing but discriminative tools used to separate people and that the greedy ways of money are nothing but immoral and corrupt. The Inspectors most important act of educating is his continuous focus on the Capitalist opinion. He uses this to reveal the many faults within the political standing and thus ultimately deter the audience away from it. In much detail, he shows the belief to be prejudice, unfair and greedy; so much so, that even the Capitalist Mr Birling wont raise the wages for something as important as Eva Smiths survival. This scenario, only an example of the many prejudices within Capitalism, is an obvious outrage and thus, Priestley has used the Inspector to comment about it: its better to ask for the Earth than to take it (Inspector Goole, Act one)  Through this, the Inspector shows that on the surface it is more justified for Eva Smith to ask for higher wages than it is for Mr Birling to roam through life thinking that he can have everything. This in wider terms shows that Priestley is firmly against the Capitalist supporters who believe that they are the centre of the Worlds existence, and that eventually their arrogance is no better than the impertinent people who ask to share a tiny portion of their wealth. Capitalism is therefore shown to be a selfish, non-compassionate system, and thus Priestley educates the audience against it, advising them that it is certainly not a method to run anyones life by.