Notes

How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of the Birling
family?

At the beginning of the play, Priestley shows that tension is at heart
by using Mr Birling's speech. Mr Birling says that 'your engagement to Sheila
means a tremendous lot to me'. Mr Birling said this so the two companies
can work together ;' perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birling's are no longer competing but are working together ­ for lower costs and
higher prices'. Priestley exposes through Mr Birling's speech that he is
interested in his business rather than his daughters happiness, therefore presenting to the audience that making money was what men in 1912 held most importance to. In addition, Mr Birling lectures the young men about war in business, this highlights that Priestley is trying to show how middle class men were money orientated by presenting Mr Birling as not caring about his country and soldiers at war but thinking about how he can make money from it. Moreover, the use of dramatic irony `the Germans don't want war' can be used to establish that Mr Birling makes lots of mistakes as the audience knows that war is soon. Therefore, the use of dramatic irony can highlight that Mr Birling is stubborn with his beliefs despite there being
clear indicators and signs that there is a high chance that
war will happen. As a result, Priestley presents Mr Birling as someone who doesn't care about anyone else, including his own family.

Priestley shows that tension is at the heart of the Birling family by
bringing an Inspector into the Birling house who uncovers some truth
about the characters. Priestley sets the inspectors entrance at the
dining room, where normally all the characters are gathered for a family
dinner, to show that there are hidden truths that need to be revealed.
In the stage direction, it says that the lightening is 'pink and
intimate until the inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and
harder'. Pink represents love so by using pink lightening it can show
the loving and supportive bond between the family but when
the inspector arrives the light gets brighter and harder as if it is a
sign that the truth is about to come out and the lightening being 'harder' can be metaphoric to convey that the family find it uncomfortable to accept the revealed truths.

Lastly, Priestly enters the inspector when Mr Birling assuredly states that 'a
man has to make his own way and has to look after himself'. This can
make the audience feel sceptical whether Mr Birling will put himself
first before his own family. The inspector was entered purposely at that
moment to cut the speech of Mr Birling maybe to illustrate that he is thinking incorrectly and by using the prop of the doorbell, 'there was a sharp
ring of a door bell', warns what is going to happen next
and infer to us that the role of the inspector is to teach a lesson to
the Birling family.