An Inspector Calls - Who is to Blame?

• English
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• GCSE

Introductie

A lesson exploring who is actually to blame for the death of Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls.

Welcome to this interactive lesson on J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls. 

This time we ask the question: 'who is to blame?'

The following activities are intended to engage learners with this core question. 

Slides 11-15 are cunningly disguised easier to edit slides (that means you can create your own open questions, polls, or information slides that will blend with the images and theme.)

The learning objectives page.

Eric gets Eva pregnant and steals money from the factory

Gerald meets Daisy (Eva) at the Palace Bar

Mr. Birling unfairly dismisses Eva from the factory.

Mrs. Birling intervenes to stop the charity aiding Eva

Sheila jealously ensures Eva is sacked from her job at the shop.

This is intended as a starter. 

As a slight twist (and as a way of organising the images and information more easily) you can click on a hotspot to reveal the image. The hotspots are also draggable and hold more information.

The aim here is to create a broad timeline of events relating to the death of Eva Smith.

Why didn't Priestley just reveal it all chronologically?

Open question (fixed background here, although if you paste and edit the text box from the last few slides you can easily create your own.

How does the order of questioning change our view of the Birlings?

Another open question to engage learners. 

Inspector Goole

Sheila Birling

Mr. Birling

Mrs. Birling

Eric Birling

Gerald Croft

An interactive information page. You could add a timer if you wish.

You can set this to appear on student devices so they can explore the text at their own pace. 

This is setting up future activities. 

Who do you think is the most responsible for Eva's death?

All learners can engage with this poll.

You could follow it up by asking individuals why they made the choice they did. It's very easy to use LessonUp to see who voted for which character.

Don't be scared - this looks more complicated than it is! 

If you are concerned about accessibility there's no need! You can click on each image to enlarge the text.

This creates a timeline as Eva experiences events. You could either make this clear at the start or let your learners work it out!

Have you changed your mind about who you think is most responsible?

Have any of your students changed their minds? You can explore why or why not with them.

Explain your choice here.

This is one of those slides that you can edit!

In this activity it's to encourage responses written in full sentences. 

How does Sheila's response contrast with her parents'?

This slide goes a step further - much closer to essay writing type response. There are prompts available too here. 

What lesson does Priestley want the audience to learn about responsibility?

What lesson does Priestley want the audience to learn about responsibility?

1. We are only responsible for ourselves.
2. People in power must be more responsible.
3. Everyone shares some responsibility for others.
4. Actions don’t matter if there’s no legal consequence.

A quiz slide. Accessibility concerns with the size of the typeface used can be addressed b y clicking on the (moveable) hotspot. 

"Everyone shares some responsibility for others."

MOST CORRECT ANSWER

That’s the heart of Priestley’s social message — interconnectedness, social duty, and a call to reject selfish individualism. The Inspector’s speech hammers it home:

“We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”

“We are only responsible for ourselves.”

– That’s Mr Birling talk, and Priestley sets him up to be wrong from the start.

“People in power must be more responsible.”

– Not wrong, but it’s part of the message. Priestley does criticise the upper classes, but his lesson is broader — it’s about everyone, not just those at the top.

“Actions don’t matter if there’s no legal consequence.”

– This reflects the Birlings' initial attitude, but the play shows us the moral weight of actions. Eva’s death is the tragic proof that consequences go beyond the courtroom.

In the spirit of formative assessment, this slide is designed to give time for learners to reflect on their choice. 

Ask anything you are unsure about from this lesson

Finally, a simple exit ticket to potentially follow up. 

How confident do you feel writing about the theme of moral responsibility in An Inspector Calls?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

And even more finally, here is a final poll to establish learner confidence. 

We hope you and your learners find this lesson useful!