The play An Inspector Calls Essays

The play An Inspector Calls Essays The play An Inspector Calls Essay The play An Inspector Calls Essay Essay Topic: Play The play An Inspector Calls was written in the 1940s by J. B Priestley and takes place within one single room. This creates a tense and enclosed atmosphere for the reader. An unusual factor of the play is that it is set in the past, in 1912 which gives the writer the power to make the characters look wise or foolish. It gives J. B Priestley the opportunity to play God with the characters and in doing so adds humour to the play. The obvious examples of this are shown through the characters, Arthur Birling and the Inspector. The Germans dont want war. Nobody wants war, except some half-civilised folks in the Balkans. And The Titanic-she sails next week-forty six thousand eight hundred tons-New York in five days-and every luxury-and unsinkable. The play is certainly not ordinary. It carries a message and is intended to make a statement of a worldly nature. It is a hidden message portrayed through the characters lives uncovered by one individual character. The play wasnt just intended to entertain people, yet sixty years on it does. It highlights topics which are relevant to today. Throughout the play the play there is a strong sense of responsibility that a lot of people lack in the world. The play is based on every mans faults the seven deadly sins. It shows the reader how the tiniest of actions can lead to unthinkable consequences. Priestleys writing was influenced by his past experiences. He fought in World War 1 and survived. He believed that people should look out for each other and help in anyway possible. He was one of the people who Mr Birling described. Cranks who think that everyone has to look after everyone else. J. B Priestley creates characters that he didnt like and turns the reader against them by focusing on their negative views to life. He creates a family that is very pleased with itself and states this is in the stage directions therefore it is obvious from the start that he would punish them somehow. The characters are more of a convenience family. They act close and loving when it suits them the most. At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves. The family have a house, not a home. They havent created it themselves; they have no close relationship and are distant from each other. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike. The play begins with a family celebration, Mr Birlings daughter engagement to Gerald Croft whose parents owned a business that was competing with Birlings. Birling saw this as an opportunity to bring the two businesses together and indulge in more money. Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now though Crofts Limited are both older and bigger than Birling and Company and now youve brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but working together for lower costs and higher prices. The play is based around one girl, with a variety of names. All of the characters relate to her in some way or form and are all associated with her suicide. They are overcome by the seven deadly sins and with them devastation soon follows showing us what can happen if you ignore Eva Smith. The most important character in the play is the Inspector, he is the catalyst that synthesises the characters and controls the whole outcome of the play. His purpose is to change the Birlings perspective and views on life and to teach them a lesson that we all need to learn. He enters the Birling house at a most interesting time in the play, just when Arthur Birling is giving a speech on how people should look out for themselves and nobody else. That a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own and. Just as Arthur Birling has commented on his own perfect family and world, the Inspector comes in to take it apart. It was almost as if the Inspector knew what was going to be said and had planned this particular timing. Arthur Birling did not want a public scandal and the audience could sense that something was going to happen as soon as he joked about it. I gather theres a good chance of a knighthood so long as we behave ourselves, dont get into the police court or start a scandal eh? The Inspector prolongs the tension in the play by going through each character in turn, slowly unravelling the mystery of Eva Smith. This provides entertainment for the audience and keeps them in suspense. He seems to know too much about the family and enters the play as an Inspector but from then on begins to act strangely. He makes statements and judgements that an Inspector wouldnt. Sheila Birling is the first character to notice this. With his unknown knowledge, the Inspector pieces the whole play together by breaking down each character in turn by their interactions with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton. The first person to meet and have an effect on Eva Smith is Arthur Birling, the head of the Birling household. This character we grow to dislike. He loves the sound of his own voice and enjoys making long speeches of how high in society he believes he is. He is consumed by his own glory and in his arrogance begins the trauma of Eva Smiths life. They wanted the rates raised so that they could average about twenty-five shillings a week. I refused, of course. and She had a lot to say far too much so she had to go. This portrays the first deadly sin in the play Greed. Arthur Birling is full of it, including his self importance. Due to his greed, Eva Smith was left out of work with no money for the sake of a few pounds. The next character to be involved with Eva Smith was Sheila Birling, the daughter of Arthur. At the beginning of the play she is very immature and spoilt. She uses her wealth to influence others and to get her own way. She uses this against Eva, and with it being at a very vulnerable time for Eva, it casts a huge impact on her life, losing her, her next job and also ensuring her to not being able to work at other stores. I looked silly in the thing. Well this girl had brought the dress up from the workroom, and when the assistant Miss Francis had asked her something about it, this girl, to show us what she meant, had held the dress up, as if she was wearing it. And it just suited her. This introduces the sin of Jealousy. Sheila was jealous of Eva because she was prettier than she was and the dress suited her. The sin, Vanity is also portrayed through this character with her obsession of looks. Both of these sins combined led her to lose the girl her job which made things even worse for Eva. I went to the manager at Milwards and I told him that if they didnt get rid of that girl, Id never go near that place again and Id persuade mother to close our account with them. Despite how horrible the things Sheila caused for Eva, she is genuinely sorry for what she had done and is perhaps the only character to have actually have learnt something from the events in the play. Although she was immature in the opening scenes, the whole experience had changed her and opened up an entire different view for her. She is indeed the most mature one of the family and refuses to just go back to how they were before and tries to convince the others to do the same. The next character to be broken apart by the Inspector is Gerald Croft. He had a large contribution to Eva Smiths heartbreaking situation at the end, due to his affair and abandoning of her when he liked it the most. Gerald was the most important thing in Evas life and despite his misguided intentions; he actually did something positive for Eva and gave her somewhere to live. She became Geralds mistress and in this Gerald displays the sin Lust. Gerald didnt feel the same way as Eva felt about him. If she ever did find out that Gerald didnt love her, her heart would be broken again! Yes. I suppose it was inevitable. She was young and pretty and warm-hearted-and intensely grateful. I became the most important person in her life- you understand? It is obvious from this that Gerald is fairly conceited and believes in his own interests. Despite this, I dont think that Gerald had a great part in Eva committing suicide, as she had already knew at the beginning of their relationship that it wouldnt last, and couldnt be! So it wasnt much of a shock to her. The only bad thing that Gerald has done was being unfaithful to Sheila Birling. This leads onto Sybil Birling, the wife of Arthur. She is very snobbish and doesnt care about anyone else apart from herself. She believes herself as charitable, yet when Eva comes to her for help, she rejects her. Sybil is a member of the Brumley Womens Charity Organisation and when she asks for Evas name, Eva replies with Mrs. Birling. This makes Sybil angry and uses her power to dismiss Evas plea for help. This creates an even bigger problem for Eva, she has no money, no home and the people whose job it is to help her turn her away. Due to Sybil Birlings pride of her own name, she had a massive affect on Evas future and the outcome of the play. Yes, I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence-quite deliberate-and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case. Even though Sybil had a huge impact on the young girl, she still wont take any responsibility of the girls death. She certainly hadnt learnt anything from the Inspector and is controlled by the deadly sin Pride. Im sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all. Eric Birling is the last person to be interrogated by the inspector and we instantly know that he is the father of Eva Smiths child whom Sybil mentioned when describing Evas situation. Eric Birling is a drunken, misguided youngster and shames the Birling family. He got Eva Smith pregnant and admits that he did not love her or feel anything for her. Although Eric did not love her, he did everything he could for her but she refused to marry him. Still, he wanted to help her and offered her money from his fathers safe, claming he would return it as soon as he could. Eva wouldnt take it as she knew it was stolen. This was the last point in Eva Smiths life that she could take. She was having a child; she had no job and no husband. This resulted in her taking her own life. Eric commits the sins, Gluttony, Lust and Sloth and is the worst of the other characters in this form, yet he learns from his mistakes and with Sheila they benefit from the whole experience, possibly because of them being the younger generation. In the last scene, the Inspector makes a moving, political kind of speech, possibly the most important in the play. In it pain and anguish are described and leave an unforgettable mark on the audience and the characters in the play 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 hopes and fears, their suffering and chance 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. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. This long speech appears very much like something from the Bible, a Christian view perhaps of what will happen if we disobey. J. B Priestley gives very political speeches shown through his writing of his views on life. This makes the play interesting as he has the power to influence or punish the characters and prove that these aspects of life do matter! The simplest of mistakes engage in terrifying consequences, some unavoided, but what isnt is the choice to make things right! After the Inspector leaves, the characters are left terrified and shocked but when Gerald tells them about the inspector and the check at the hospital and police station they immediately claim it to be a hoax and return to how they were before the Inspectors arrival. But, Sheila and Eric Birling still hold onto the conviction that it is anything but a joke and refuse to act like nothing has happened. This does not satisfy J. B Priestley as some of the characters have not learnt their lesson and the audience want to see Mrs and Mr Birling punished for their lack of compassion and guilt towards the girl. Just as the audience are led to believe that the play is over, the play turns around and is disturbed by a phone call. It is the police informing them that a girl has died in the infirmary, and that an Inspector is coming round to see them. This leaves the audience and reader in suspense causing them to wonder whats going to happen next. Yet, they are left with emptiness and guilt as the characters gaze round in disbelief. The play is uncovered by the Inspector, this one character that holds the entire play together. The mystery of this characters identity is never answered; it leaves our imagination to figure that one out. There are many possible solutions, one of which, the hoax that the family believe has happened. Realistically, this is highly unlikely, as the Hoaxer would have to know a lot of information about the family and for this to come together, they would also have had to kill Eva Smith, and therefore this is the most illogical solution. Another is that the Inspector was an evil spirit; this emerges from the Inspectors name, Inspector Goole, with ghoul being a supernatural being. This also doesnt seem to be true, as the Inspector displays a message of goodness and truth. Consequently, the Inspector cannot be evil, so it cannot be explained in this way. The truth is that the Inspector is J. B Priestley; he unravels his thoughts to display a personal message to his audience that we are all equal to each other. The Inspector represents us, the audience and for our benefit takes the characters apart. Eva Smith and the other characters are still alive today; they are just versions of us. The purpose of the play is to get this message across to us and young people. The play manages to grip the audiences attention and fascination throughout the play. The unusual factors that make up the play add and develop entertainment. The play is based around the seven deadly sins which make it interesting to see which characters commit which sins. The whole mystery of the Inspector could form the play in itself, yet combined with all the other events in the play makes it extremely appetising for the audience. The play involves a huge build up of tension and makes the reader want to read on. It forces them to realise that we all have to deal with problems and cant do it alone. The play enforces feelings towards certain characters and enables us to favour or dislike them which give us the urgency to persevere with the play to find out the outcome of it. The theme of responsibly certainly is carried throughout the play and gives the audience an unforgettable experience which could possibly lead them to benefit and listen to the message that has always been there.

How to Calculate Gross Tonnage of a Ship

How to Calculate Gross Tonnage of a Ship The term gross tonnage refers to the internal volume of a water-going vessel, and is normally used as a means for categorizing commercial vessels, especially those used for shipping. This volume measured includes all areas of the ship, from keel to funnel and from bow to stern. In modern usage, the measurement deducts the crew spaces and other parts of the ship that cannot hold cargo. Since 1969, gross tonnage has been the principal means by which a  commercial ship is defined. The gross tonnage measurement has a number of legal and administrative uses. It is used to determine regulations, safety rules, registration fees, and port charges for the vessel.   Calculating Gross Tonnage Calculating the gross tonnage of a ship is a somewhat complicated procedure, due to the fact that most ships have an asymmetrical shape that makes calculating volume difficult. There are many ways to make this calculation, depending on the level of precision required and the agency requiring the measurement. Different formulas are used depending on the shape of the vessel, and even the types of waters on which the ship sails. A simplified set of gross tonnage formulas is set forth by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center, which are based on three measurements: Length (L), breadth (D), and depth (D). Under this system, the means of estimating gross tonnage is as follows:   For a boat with a simple sailing hull, gross tonnage (GT) (.5 * L * B * D) / 100For a sailing boat with keel, GT   (.375 * L * B * D) / 100For freighters with angled or cylindrical hulls, GT   (.67 * L * B * D) / 100For ships with square barge-shaped hulls, GT   (.84 * L * B * D) / 100 The  International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships  sets forth another, more precise formula for calculating gross tonnage of a vessel, which says GT   K  *  V. Here, K .2 .02 * log10(V), and V interior volume of a vessel in cubic meters (m3). History of Gross Tonnage as a Measurement Standard Since most commercial ships were originally involved with the transport of goods, otherwise known as cartage,  ships at first were rated and valued on the maximum amount of cargo that could be stuffed into every nook inside a ship. On long sailing voyages, after selling their loads of cookware, tools, machinery and other products, private traders often bought bundles of lumber, spices, cloth, and decorative goods to sell upon return to home port. Every space was stuffed full to maximize profit on both legs of the voyage, and thus each boats value depended on just how much open space was available in the vessel. One of the few exempt spaces in these early calculations of a ships volume was the bilge area, where ballast was held. In early shops, no cargo could be stored here without damage since in these wooden ships the bilges were wet. Ballast stones were used on sailing ships that were leaving with a light load and returning with a heavy cargo. This might be the case when transporting a finished metal such as copper to a port where raw copper ore was loaded for the trip back to England for refining. As the lighter load was unloaded and the heavier load brought aboard, the bilge stones were removed to compensate for the extra weight. Today, piles of these foreign stones, roughly the size of bowling balls, can be found underwater near historic ports all over the world. Eventually, with the availability of mechanical pumps,  water as ballast  became the norm,  since it was much more efficient to simply pump water in and out of the bilge to adjust the ships weight rather than use stones or other forms of weight.   Ã‚   The term  tonnage originally  came into usage as a means for referring to the physical space occupied by 100 cubic feet of ballast  water, an amount of water that was the equivalent of about 2.8 tons. This can be confusing since a ton is usually thought of as a measurement of weight, not volume. In the context of maritime shipping, however, the term tonnage refers to the volume of space available to hold cargo.