Evaluate Key Quotes and Their Impact in 'An Inspector Calls'

In the exam, you will need to able to support your ideas with quotations from the text.

You should try to build a bank of quotations for each character and theme and learn these so that you can use them readily in your exam response.

For a higher mark in the exam, you should try to analyse quotations closely and evaluate their impact.

The diagram below shows how we can analyse quotations for the highest marks in the exam:

'unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'       Dramatic Irony       The audience of 1946 know that actually, the Titanic did sink. Mr Birling's use of 'absolutely' conveys his certainty and a sense of arrogance.      Priestley's intention was to undermine Mr Birling's viewpoint and capitalism which he represents.

So, for each quotation you use, think about:

- what language and structural techniques have the writer used and what effect do these have?

- how do the quotations reflect something about the key contextual factors surrounding the novel?

In this activity, we will practise evaluating the impact of quotations in this way.

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples.  These quotations are for reference only.