What does responsibility mean to you? Personal Family World Responsibility Community School Trailer I see – I think – I wonder A 21-year-old girl is found dead. A Cautionary Tale Your job is to determine the cause and culprit. Act 1 She was a good student, hard-working and ambitious. But she ran with the wrong crew. They weren’t bad as such, but they didn’t play by the rules and were ‘troublemakers’ as far as the headmaster was concerned. The school had a reputation to uphold for strict discipline, so when the group skipped school to go on a protest march, the head grabbed the opportunity to rid himself of some challenging students and expelled them all. Who’s in the wrong? Act 2 Without any qualifications, the girl sought work and was fortunate to land a job in a prestigious department store. She enjoyed working on the shop floor and was good at it. Her manager thought she was a natural. But one day, a rich and important customer complained about her attitude and threatened to take their business elsewhere unless something were done. She was dismissed without being given the chance to defend herself against the unjust allegations. Who’s in the wrong? Act 3 To drown her sorrows, she went for a drink in the social club and hoped she might find a friend. Instead, she got harassed by a lecherous business man but was saved by his handsome young associate. The two got talking. She explained her predicament: how was she going to pay next month’s rent? Her knight in shining armour knew of a place. He could give her the key, no strings attached. Except there are always strings attached. He never forced himself upon her but her dependence and gratitude were undoubtedly alluring. A casual relationship ensued and the girl was happy for a time. Then he broke it off. It transpired that she was just his ‘bit on the side’ and that he was in a serious relationship with an upperclass girl on the other side of town. Who’s in the wrong? Who’s in the wrong? Act 4 Back trawling the bars, partly out of despair, she gets picked up by a well-to-do teenager who is even more inebriated than she is. She falls pregnant and, though he has the financial means to care for a family, she knows that he is not ready for such a commitment and there is no love between them. Who’s in the wrong? Who’s in the wrong? Act 5 In need of help, she turns to a women’s charity. But when she tells her tale of woe, the chairperson thinks it is made up and recommends that the charity refuse her request for assistance. A short time later she is rushed to hospital after swallowing disinfectant. Her insides are burnt out. 1. Who killed her? 2. Does her story sound believable to you? 3. Could such a thing happen to anybody you know? 4. How do you think the police might treat such a case? Calling Our Inspectors Using your skills of observation and analysis from this lesson, can you predict what An Inspector Calls will be about? Remember that detectives need evidence to support their hypotheses so don’t forget to back your prediction up with an explanation and reasoning.
