Starter quiz
- In what year is 'An Inspector Calls' set?
- 1912 ✓
- 1925
- 1945
- 1901
-
- In what year was 'An Inspector Calls' first performed?
- 1912
- 1939
- 1945 ✓
- 1946
-
- In 'An Inspector Calls', which social class does the Birling family represent?
- working class
- aristocracy
- middle/upper class ✓
- royalty
-
- In 'An Inspector Calls', which societal issue is central to the play’s themes?
- war and conflict
- education and learning
- scientific innovation
- social responsibility and class inequality ✓
-
- Which political ideology did J.B. Priestley, the writer of 'An Inspector Calls', strongly support?
- 'socialism' ✓
- In essay writing, which of the following should a topic sentence do?
- introduce the main quotations of the paragraph
- explain the main focus of the paragraph ✓
- analyse how the language contributes to the argument
-
Exit quiz
- In every 'An Inspector Calls' essay, you should include context where relevant. Match the type of context to its definition.
- historical⇔what was happening when the text was written ✓
- literary⇔what influenced the text's style or genre ✓
- social⇔what the shared values and ideas of the time period were ✓
- biographical⇔what the life experiences of the writer were ✓
- J.B. Priestley was influenced by his service in WW1. What type of context is this?
- literary
- biographical ✓
- historical
- social
-
- Is the answer true or false? Context should focus on isolated historical facts.
- 'false' ✓
- Why is it important for contextual points to be anchored to the text in analytical essays?
- to demonstrate your knowledge of historical facts
- to support the overarching argument of the essay ✓
- to provide background information about the writer
- to avoid making generalisations about societal norms
-
- Which of the following could allow for meaningful use of context in an English literature essay?
- including the catch all phrase 'at the time'
- making sure context is encapsulated in one sentence at the end of each paragraph
- weaving it throughout your response ✓
- placing all your contextual knowledge in one paragraph at the end of your essay
-
- Which of the following can make for compelling evidence in an English literature essay?
- when every quotation is analysed a word at a time
- judicious choice of evidence ✓
- evidence which supports your topic sentence ✓
- analysis of writer's methods exemplified through evidence ✓
- multiple thesis statements
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Context refers to historical, social, literary and biographical information.
- Context should not be presented as isolated facts.
- Context should be relevant to the analysis and woven throughout the response.
- Context should develop your ideas and give an insight into the writer’s purpose and intention.
Common misconception
That context refers only to historical facts.
Interesting context also includes different attitudes and values. How would different audiences respond to the text and why?
Keywords
Literary - related to written works, especially those with artistic or intellectual value
Ideology - a system of ideas, values or beliefs
Socialism - a political ideology that believes in equality and shared ownership of resources and production
Context - background information that helps readers understand a text
Generalisation - a broad statement or idea that applies to a group of people or things, often based on limited evidence
+