Hello, it's Mrs. Butterworth here, and thank you for joining me for today's English lesson.

Now this lesson is all about "An Inspector Calls," so do make sure you have a copy of the text because we will be referring to that throughout the lesson.

This lesson focuses on the character of the Inspector who is a very significant character in this text.

So we're going to be exploring him in a bit more depth.

Sound good? Great.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll understand the role, presentation, and significance of the Inspector.

Before we delve into the lesson, let's look at those all important key keywords.

Hopefully you'll spot these popping up throughout the lesson.

These words are ominous, imposing, manipulative, unorthodox and emotive.

Now ominous is where we'll be looking at to describe the Inspector.

And ominous suggests that something bad or threatening is going to happen.

So we can think about an ominous presence.

Imposing means to have a large, impressive, or intimidating appearance.

So again, we can start thinking about how that might link to the inspector.

Manipulative, if you're being manipulative, you are controlling or influencing others.

Unorthodox refers to something that is different from what is usual or traditional.

So you might think of unorthodox methods, for example.

And emotive refers to feelings and emotions.

So if something is emotive, it causes strong emotions or feelings.

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by looking at the Inspector.

So introducing the Inspector.

Then we're going to think about his interrogation.

So look at what he is doing there.

And then we're gonna consider the role of the Inspector within the play.

So let's begin with the first part of the lesson.

I would like you, please, to discuss first of all.

So, thinking back to your reading of the text, can you come up with three words to describe the Inspector in "An Inspector Calls"? Okay, three words to describe the Inspector.

Pause the video so you've got time to discuss your ideas.

If you're working by yourself, you can think quietly or even jot some ideas down.

But pause the video and get those three words decided.

Off you go.

Okay, some really fantastic suggestions there.

Should we share some ideas? So, maybe you've got some of these too.

So, we've got things like moral, authoritative, mysterious, manipulative, one of our key words there.

Prophetic, it's quite an interesting one, isn't it? Because I guess it could be argued he is almost like a prophet.

Challenging, imposing, insightful.

He is definitely insightful.

Isn't he? Disruptive, we know that, don't we? The way he kind of disrupts that party.

Ominous and commanding.

So in this lesson, as we have discussed already, we are going to explore the role of the inspector and how Priestley chooses to present him.

So first I would like you to do some reading.

So you'll need to find your copies of the text and I'd like you please to find Act 1, page 11.

And this is the entrance of the Inspector.

Okay? So you need to find where it says the entrance of the Inspector to where the Inspector says, so.

So that will be the end of the line so.

So read that and as you do, I would like you to consider how Priestley presents the Inspector.

Okay? Pause the video to give yourself time to read that short extract and then we'll think about your answers in a moment.

Off you go.

Great, that's really excellent reading.

Thank you.

So let's just think about this idea of how Priestley is presenting the inspector.

So the stage directions are really key in this because Priestley carefully chooses words to convey the inspector's ominous and imposing presence.

And I always say about stage directions, they are so useful for thinking about characterization and the writer's intention.

Obviously, in a play, we have dialogue, but stage directions are important too.

So let's look at how they're used for the inspector.

So he's described as having this massiveness, purposefulness and solidity.

So there's some really powerful words being used there by Priestly.

So you may have noticed that these words really convey the Inspector's imposing demeanour, like even that word massive, even physically he is very imposing, and, you know, he's determined, and this adds to the audience's perception of his authority.

So it's interesting that Priestley added in in these details, isn't it? Because it really, not just mentally but physically shows this kind of imposing figure of the inspector.

And these also contribute to an ominous presence.

And it suggests the Inspector is unyielding and unshakeable.

You know, he is solid and he is purposeful.

So this really foreshadows his influence throughout the play, doesn't it? So as soon as the Inspector arrives, we kind of get this sense of how imposing and ominous he is, both physically and in what he's about to do.

Priestley also describes the way in which the Inspector speaks, and he uses these words that he speaks weightily and carefully.

And again, this gives us a really good sense of the atmosphere that the Inspector creates.

So these adverbs really emphasise the deliberate and impactful nature of the Inspector's speech.

And they suggest what he says is important, which we know is true, and that he should be taken seriously.

Like, he commands that attention.

He commands almost respect doesn't he? And Priestley wants the way in which the Inspector speaks to command respect because his role is really important, isn't it? In terms of questioning the Birlings and interrogating them.

He needs to command that respect from that family.

Okay, so let's see what you remember.

Which two words are used to describe the Inspector in the stage directions.

So you need to pick two answers, a, b, c, d, and come up with your answers now, off you go.

So hopefully we have a lot of confident people who have guessed b and c.

We get the massiveness and solidity.

So, Act 1, page 11, the entrance of this Inspector to so, so the bit that you have just read, is the first time in the play that the inspector interacts with Mr. Birling.

So there's that first initial interaction.

Why do you think Mr. Birling mentions his positions and connections to the Inspector? How does the Inspector react? Okay, so I want you to think about those questions.

Why do you think Mr. Birling mentions his positions and connections to the inspector and how does the Inspector react? In a moment, you'll need to pause the video so you can discuss your answers to those questions or again, you can think quietly to yourself.

So pause the video and discuss those questions.

Off you go.

Great, thank you, everyone.

I'm really getting a sense of your understanding of the play and the characters, which is really great.

I'm really thinking about what Mr. Birling is doing when he mentions those positions and connections.

So let's share some ideas.

So yes, quite rightly, lots of you picked up that obviously Mr. Birling wants to assert his power, doesn't he? And show he is not intimidated by the Inspector.

I almost find when he's mentioning his connections and his position, you know, as lord mayor is quite cringey, isn't it? Because you can almost feel Mr. Birling being desperate to assert his power.

You know, Mr. Birling assumes his influence and class will protect him from scrutiny, and as an audience we're always going, "No, I don't think this is gonna work, Mr. Birling, please stop." So Priestley really emphasises the power that Mr. Birling believes he has as an upper class man.

And again, it creates that really interesting audience response, doesn't it? Because we can see what Mr. Birling is trying to do, we see right through it, and it makes us sort of go, "Oh, Mr. Birling, will you stop?" And if we think about the Inspector's reaction, this is also really telling because the Inspector's reaction reveals his unwavering professionalism and that he prioritises truth over social hierarchy.

So he's not about to just succumb to Mr. Birling's name dropping.

So it really begins to establish the inspector as a moral authority.

And Priestley reveals that the Inspector is not intimidated by class or societal power, which is really important when you think about the themes and messages within this play.

True or false time.

Priestley presents the Inspector as someone who is easily influenced by class and societal power.

Is that true or false? Come up with your answer now, please.

Okay, well done, everyone that said false, but now you need to say why that statement is false.

Come up with your answer now.

Okay, great.

So, I will share with you what I have here.

Hopefully you have something similar.

Let's see.

So we know that the Inspector's reaction to Mr. Birling's mention of his connections reveals that he is not influenced by class or societal power.

Okay, so we are now at our first task, so it's over to you.

What I would like you to do, please, is I would like you to select two pieces of evidence from Act 1 to support and expand on the following topic sentence.

So your topic sentence is at the start of Act 1, Priestley presents the Inspector as an ominous and imposing figure.

And you can use these words to continue that sentence, for example, and specifically.

So you'll need your text to be able to go back through Act 1 to select those two pieces of evidence.

Okay? So make sure you've got everything you need to complete the task.

And when you're ready, pause and select those two pieces of evidence and complete that topic sentence.

Off you go.

Okay, excellent.

Thank you, everybody.

Lots of different pieces of evidence being used.

There is a lot that we could pick out, isn't there? But I'm gonna give you an example of a completed sentence here.

If you have something different that is absolutely fine, just use this to kind of look at your own work.

You may even want to add to it a little bit.

So here is a example.

For example, Priestley uses the stage directions to describe him, creating an immediate sense of authority in the words massively and solidity.

Okay? So I'd like you to discuss, please, so you have your evidence, which words from your quotations could you zoom in on and explore in more depth.

So, for example, if I was looking at this sentence, I might choose to zoom in on the word, massively.

I might talk about what word type it is and what it's doing there.

So I'd like you to discuss with your own evidence which words from your quotations could you zoom in on and explore in more depth.

So pause the video so you've got time to discuss that.

Off you go.

Okay, well done, everyone.

We need to keep going because we are now at the second part of our lesson, and this is all about the inspectors interrogation.

Now I'd like you to discuss, please, how would you expect a police inspector to behave, and does the Inspector conform to this in the play? So think about your own ideas of what a police inspector might be like and then pause a video so you've got time to discuss those questions.

If you're working on your own, think quietly to yourself, and I look forward to hearing what you come up with.

Pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, great.

So we have some of our Oak pupils here with their answers, so you may have discussed something similar.

So Lucas has said, "The Inspector doesn't question the Birlings like I'd expect." Maybe you thought something similar, too.

So, "He seems more focused on getting the truth, not on being polite or formal like an actual inspector might be." That's a really good point, isn't it? Because we think of inspectors or police inspectors, yeah, to be polite and quite formal, but the Inspector's very often described as cutting in or telling people to be quiet.

He seems to start with an agenda, doesn't he? Seems to go in quite strong.

There isn't this sense of like scoping (laughs) everything out first.

he goes straight in with his questioning.

And Aisha says, "He appears to have an agenda." Absolutely.

"He's there to make them realise their wrongdoings, not just to investigate a crime." So some really interesting points there from our Oak pupils about the Inspector and how he seems. So, arguably, the inspector's interrogation methods could be described as unorthodox.

So we've got our key word there, unorthodox.

So it means it's not what we would expect or doesn't do what we would usually expect an inspector's interrogation to do.

So let's look at some examples where the Inspector appears unorthodox.

So we've got this interrupting and controlling of conversations.

So, in Act 2, this is on page 28, the stage directions describing taking charge massively.

So he has a real presence, he's controlling the conversation and directing it where he wants to go.

And then on page 46, he becomes very stern with Mr. Birling, telling him not to yammer and stammer, which is actually not particularly polite, is it? I do love that bit of the play, but it's not particularly polite.

And again, perhaps could be considered quite unorthodox.

The Inspector also uses moral judgement , which we wouldn't expect and inspector to do.

They kind of have to reserve that, don't they? You know, he tells Mrs. Birling deliberately that she was terribly wrong and she would go on regretting her actions.

And again, we wouldn't expect that from a police inspector would we? They're there to kind of ascertain facts.

But here the Inspector is actually really telling Mrs. Birling off, isn't he? There's also this sense that he displays knowledge beyond his control.

So at the end of Act 1, page 26, Sheila has these exclamation where she says that the Inspector knows that she feels that he knows everything before they even say it.

And I think that, again, that feels unorthodox.

He isn't necessarily trying to discover something.

Perhaps he already knows.

Okay, so a, b, or c time.

Which of the following answers suggest that the Inspector uses unorthodox interrogation methods? So you need to pick your answer now, please.

Are we ready for the answer? Okay, so hopefully lots of you got answer b.

He interrupts, controls the dialogue, and provokes confessions, so those are ways in which the Inspector's interrogation can seem unorthodox.

Well done, let's keep going.

So another example of the Inspector's unorthodox methods is his use of emotive and shocking language.

So specifically how he describes Eva's death to the family, he really doesn't hold back on the details.

So I'd like you just to read a few short sections from the text.

So you'll need to find Act 1.

It's on the last paragraph on page 11 from yes to of course, so it's at the bottom of that page.

Also Act 1.

But this time page 17 from where the Inspector is described as impressively and to where he says infirmary.

And then finally, Act 2, page 46 from where the Inspector says very to say.

Okay, so find those sections, they're only very short.

Okay, I'd like you to read them, and then I would like you to discuss, please, which words stand out as the most emotive and shocking and what is the effect on how the Inspector describes Eva's death? Okay? So got those short sections to read and then you need to discuss those questions.

So you'll definitely need to pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

So pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, so let's share some things that you may have considered.

So you'll notice that throughout the play when the Inspector is describing Eva's death, he uses this word agony.

There is a repetition of the word agony, which is really quite descriptive, isn't it? About what she went through.

And we get this repeated description of Eva's insides being burnt and then the imagery of Eva being dead on a slab.

And I always find his descriptions of Eva's death really quite shocking and they are, like, really emotive.

And again, this kind of links this idea that it's quite unorthodox, isn't it? Because I'm not sure an inspector would usually share quite so much detail and quite so much emotive description when talking about a case.

So what is the purpose of this graphic language? Well, it emotionally impacts both the family and the audience, doesn't it? Like I say, I always get quite shocked by his language, and it really means that what Priestley is able to do is provoke reflection, not just from the family but from the audience too.

So, arguably, Priestley uses this language to present the Inspector as controlling and manipulative, okay? So it's this idea that actually maybe he has an agenda and a clear purpose.

So maybe he's manipulating the situation by using this emotive language.

By vividly detailing Eva's suffering, he forces the Birlings and Gerald, of course, to confront the humanity of the person they have collectively harmed.

And I think that's really important.

It forces the family to see her as a human being, which is also part of Priestley's message as well.

Okay, so we are onto our second task now.

You are doing really well, and this is similar to the first task.

So what I would like you to do, please, is I would just like you to select two pieces of evidence to support and expand on the following topic sentence.

The Inspector's interrogation could be described as unorthodox.

Okay? So you're looking for evidence to support that.

You've got specifically and additionally to help you complete that sentence.

Okay? So two pieces of evidence, you might wanna look back at the things you've already read or you might wish to choose something different.

So get what you need to complete the tasks, make sure you've got the text, and when you are ready, pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, thank you, everyone, lots of you choosing some really interesting pieces of evidence there.

So, let's see an example of a completed sentence.

So we've got here, specifically, Priestley does this through his use of emotive and graphic imagery to describe Eva's death.

Priestley repeats the word agony and uses the imagery of the slab to provoke an emotional response from both the characters and the audience.

So hopefully you have an answer.

You have an answer with those pieces of evidence.

You may want to spend a few moments just adding to your answer now if needs be.

But then I would like you to discuss, please, which words from your quotations could you zoom in on and explore in more depth.

Okay? So really have a look at the evidence that you have selected and think about which quotations could you zoom in on and explore in more depth.

So pause the video to get that task done.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

Let's keep up the good work because we have reached the third and final part of our lesson.

We've done well so far, but we need to just keep going a little bit more.

Now I want us to think about the ending.

Now, Priestley's ambiguous ending leaves a lot of unanswered questions, doesn't it? I don't know if you had the same feeling.

When I first read and saw the play, I was almost speechless.

I was like, (gasps) "What just happened?" And one of the most, one of the biggest questions is the question of who the Inspector is.

Okay? They get that phone call, and they say that the Inspector wasn't real.

And we are like, "Well, who was the Inspector?" Now there are several interpretations of the role of the Inspector.

And these include the following.

So some say that he might be the voice of Priestley, some say that he is a moral force or voice of morality, and others say that he could be a supernatural figure.

Hmm.

So, let's consider the evidence, okay? We've got some interpretations.

Let's have a look at some evidence.

So I'd like you, please, to read the Inspector's final speech in Act 3.

It's on page 56 from your to goodnight.

Okay? And I'd like you, please, to, as you read, consider how this speech might show the Inspector as being the voice of Priestley or a moral force.

Okay? So as you're reading, just think about those questions.

Okay? So pause the video to get that reading done.

The reading and the thinking.

When you're ready, off you go.

Okay, so lots to think about there.

So we've got this interpretation that the Inspector might be the voice of Priestly.

Now that final speech does seem to mirror Priestley's own views on social responsibility and class inequality, doesn't it? If we think about contextual information, Priestley did believe in these things personally.

So, in that sense, there is that kind of mirroring happening there.

There's also this repetition of the word we, which addresses both the characters and the audience, which really emphasises Priestley's message.

It almost feels like the Inspector is giving some sort of speech to everybody.

Doesn't it.

So it's almost like, could that be Priestley almost preaching his message through the inspector.

What about a moral force? Well, the Inspector leaves the Birlings and the audience with a powerful message urging both to change or risk living in anguish.

So it's almost like he's this force of morality, that he's forcing us to question all of the things in the play.

Okay, so we've got this third interpretation here.

So, this idea that the Inspector could be a supernatural figure.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, where do we see evidence of this throughout the play? So to back up this interpretation, where do we see evidence of this throughout the play? Okay, so pause the video.

You may just wish to grab your text to have a little flick through, but pause the video and get discussing.

Off you go.

Okay, brilliant.

Lots of great suggestions there as to how the Inspector could be seen as a supernatural figure.

So yes, quite rightly, lots of you said about the name Goole.

Okay? It's difficult to ignore the fact that it sounds like ghoul as in a ghost.

So it really hints at this kind of ghost-like quality.

You know, ghoul, he is a ghoul.

His knowledge could hint at this idea of he's supernatural because he does seem to know really intimate details about the character's lives before they confess.

He's not really asking them to tell him details that he doesn't already know, or it feels like that, doesn't it? He also uses this prophetic language, doesn't he? So his final speech really prophesizes a hellish, dystopian future.

So it's almost like he's here to tell us something from the future, which again, hints at this idea of the supernatural.

His timings, you know, he arrives and leaves very mysteriously, and it's almost like very abruptly, like he almost vanishes.

It's like, "Goodnight." And then he's gone.

Which, again, hints at this idea of perhaps he's supernatural or not of this world.

Okay, true or false.

It could be argued that the Inspector represents the voice of Priestley.

Is that true or is that false? Come up with your answer now.

Great, well done, everyone that said true, but you now need to say why that statement is true.

So come up with your answer now, please.

Okay, so I have this answer, so hopefully you have something similar.

So because the Inspector seems to align with Priestley's concerns and views on ideas such as social responsibility and class inequality.

So, I'd like you to discuss now and I'd like to hear what you think, what role do you think the Inspector plays? I'd like you to use the grid to develop your ideas, okay? So the first thing you might want to do is to select some evidence.

So we've got the name Goole.

The fact that he has this unorthodox interrogation style, that fire and anguish speech at the end of Act 3, his prophetic language and his entrance and exit.

So once you've decided on what role you think he plays, you need to use some evidence to back that up.

You could then make an inference using some of those words there.

So this suggests, implies, indicates, and then justify your thoughts, because, therefore, since, so there's lots of words that you could be using there.

Okay? So you've got your grid to develop your ideas, you've got your question, what role do you think the Inspector plays? Now all you need to do is pause the video and get discussing.

Off you go.

Lovely work, everyone.

Such lively discussions happening there.

I love how lots of you had lots of opinions on different interpretations, and I think that's really important to mention here.

There isn't always just one interpretation of a character.

There can be more than one.

Okay? So as long as we've got the evidence to back it up, we can interpret these things in many different ways.

So let's look at what Sam said.

So Sam said, "I think the Inspector represents the voice of Priestley due to the powerful language he uses in the final fire and anguish speech.

It points to Priestley's own socialist views and concerns around inequality because it almost seems to address the audience as well as the characters in the repetition of we, which suggests that the play is Priestley's way of presenting his message to wider society." It's a really great response from Sam, isn't it? I love their use of quotations and their really full explanation.

And I'd like you to discuss now.

So think about your own discussions.

Do you agree or disagree with Sam's response? So pause the video so you've got time to discuss your answers.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

We have reached the end of the lesson, and you have done so well 'cause we have explored a lot.

We know lots about the Inspector now, I hope.

So we know that Priestley establishes the Inspector as an ominous and opposing presence in Act 1.

Priestley reveals that the Inspector is not intimidated by class or societal power.

The Inspector's interrogation style could be considered unorthodox.

The Inspector uses emotive and shocking language to provoke strong emotional reactions from the characters and the audience.

And there are multiple interpretations to explain the role of the inspector.

Okay? Again, thank you so much for joining me for today's lesson.

I really hate to see you all again soon.

So until then, I'm going to say goodbye.

Goodbye.