Literary Essay

Language and Culture II 

Choose ONE of the following tasks and develop it thoroughly in an essay.
It should include an introduction, the main body and a conclusion.
Develop the corresponding theory, and account for it quoting from the novel.

1. Define what power is according to the theory of Michel Foucault. Describe the struggle for power between Inspector Goole and Mr Birling throughout the play. 
2. How gender roles are represented in the play within Patriarchal Society. 
3. Analyse the character of Mrs Birling throughout the play taking into consideration Gender Roles & Patriarchal Society. 
4. Priestley includes a strong range of female characters in An Inspector Calls from an upper class snob, through a vain daughter to an oppressed factory worker, showing he wanted to convey women from all types of social backgrounds. The vulnerability of women evokes sympathy, which supports Priestley’s belief in gender equality and community as “one body”. Develop. 
5. How is patriarchal society represented through discourse in “An inspector calls”? Choose two characters from the play to illustrate your point. 
6. Is inspector Goole’s discourse patriarchal in the same way as the discourse of Gerard, Mr Birling or Eric. Or, is he a non-patriarchal character? 
7. How are Mr Birling and Inspector Goole coming from "opposite ideological points of view"? 
8. Explore two characters from the play bearing in mind whether they are developing and static characters. 
9. Explore the effect of class, age and sex on people's attitudes to responsibility in the play “An inspector calls” 
10. Explain how social class determines the decisions that people make in “An inspector calls” 
11. Explore Eva Smith's encounters with each of the members of the Birling family and Gerald showing how Priestley uses these encounters to expose society's attitudes to working class girls like Eva. 
12. 1What social classes do the characters represent? 
13. How does this portrayal criticize the leading political figures or movements of the day? 
14. What role does authority (in the laws, or embodied by the police or others with power) play in the play's projected morality? 
15. Consider what each one seems to believe about the role of an individual in society, and use the theme of responsibility as a major guide.