How does Priestley present the inequalities of Edwardian society?

Student 30/30 Essay

Often students are incredibly generous, but still like to remain anonymous. Sometimes I have time to make them into videos.

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Firstly, I would just like to say a massive thank you for your videos as they helped me achieve a nine in English Literature and in English Language over the summer exams.

I got my papers marked and scripted from AQA and wondered if you would perhaps like them to do a critical analysis video on them.

For my revision, I watched many of your video's analysing others' essays and found it a great deal of help, and wanted to give back to the channel which helped me so much.

The Essay

Priestley constructs the working class character of Eva Smith to express the unjust and unequal society that she ultimately became a victim to. Eva’s suffering was due to the exploitative ways all of the upper classes and ultimately leads to her painful suicide.

The classic 3 part thesis - 3 points the essay is going to go and argue. It works brilliantly as an essay plan. It tells the examiner that this is going to be a ‘thoughtful’ essay, which is Level 5 in the marks scheme and at least grade 7.

Initially, Priestley presents the inequalities in Edwardian society as a way to promote change. He employs the role of the didactic inspector to highlight the extent of the damage all the Birlings have done. The initial act of unjust treatment was her unfair dismissal as a consequence of asking for a small increase in wage – viewed as “asking for the world” by Mr Birling. The phrase “she had far too much to say…she had to go” indicates the inequality many people faced due both to gender and class. The imperative, direct verb of “had to go” employed to suggest the idea Mr Birling had no other choice but to sack her, despite her being a “good worker”, showing both his unsympathetic nature and being a member of the proletariat group himself, but also perhaps more to accentuate how a society that is capitalist can never be equal: they are mutually exclusive.

The numbered comments below come from the examiners’ annotations.

(1) At this stage the examiner has been impressed by the range of references, so that it is already awarded Level 4 AO1 references.

(2) The analysis of the last quotation is detailed and perceptive, so it is awarded Level 5 AO2.

Priestley alludes to this idea as he constructs Mr Birling to indicate the flaws of capitalism thought greed and self-satisfaction. Priestley uses the unfair dismissal of Eva to illustrate his own socialist views, advocating that equality in society is a virtue in the run up to the 1945 general election. Priestley accentuates the idea that this capitalist society leads to pain, suffering and tragedy, by suggesting that both world wars and their subsequent “anguish” was a direct result of capitalism.

(3) This context isn’t just a paragraph plonked into the essay. The first part refers back to the quotations which were analysed previously. The end links the context to another quotation, and another part of the play. So, the context is part of the essay’s argument.