Discussing the Suicide in An Inspector Calls

Recommendations for Discussing Suicide in An Inspector Calls with Students

Suicide is central to the plot of An Inspector Calls. Priestley presents Eva Smith/Daisy Renton’s death by suicide as directly related to the Birlings’ and Gerald’s treatment of her: they are depicted as responsible for her death. While this depiction helps Priestley deliver the play’s message on the importance of social responsibility, it can be problematic if it is used to understand suicide in real life. 

Losing a loved one to suicide is deeply traumatic and can lead to friends and family blaming themselves and/or feeling responsible. It is important that students understand that the reasons people take their lives are complex. Whilst extreme mental distress is often a factor, and relationships, interactions and life experiences can contribute to that distress, we cannot assume to know the reasons why a person dies by suicide. For people who have lost someone to suicide to feel culpable and/or rebuke themselves is to suggest they had more power over the situation than may have been the case.

To introduce the topic of suicide to students, and to help them discuss the suicide in An Inspector Calls in a way that differentiates between the play and real life, we recommend taking the following steps:

1. Prepare to Discuss Suicide and Mental Health with Students
2. Create a Reflective Classroom Community
3. Introduce the Topic of Mental Health
4. Introduce the Topic of Suicide in the Play to Students

1. Prepare to Discuss Suicide and Mental Health with Students

   • If you have a new class, we recommend that you talk to teachers who have previously taught the students to see if they know any reasons why suicide/mental health might be a difficult topic for any of them to discuss. It is also worth speaking to the school counsellor or safeguarding team and informing them about the discussions that will be happening to avoid triggering students without there being adequate emotional support in place.

     It is also important to tell students that if any content does impact them, they can come and talk to you or the school counsellor. 

     Reflect on the following key considerations for talking about suicide in the classroom, from Talking with Students about Suicide (School Mental Health ASSIST, Ontario):

     • Know your Audience – Avoid providing information about mental illness and suicide in a school assembly format because it is hard to monitor individual student reactions and to provide appropriate support.
     • Think about Every Student – While most students can manage emotions associated with this topic, those who struggle with mental illness or other vulnerabilities could be triggered if the material is too graphic or ‘close to home’.
     • Be Prepared – Set things up to minimise classroom disclosures, but be ready to listen and support individual students who approach you with a concern about themselves or a friend. Follow your school protocol if you are concerned about a student (ask your line manager or a member of the Senior Leadership Team if you aren’t sure about the protocol).
     • Highlight Coping and Resilience – Rather than solely focusing on suicide as a topic, use this as an opportunity to build understanding about mental illness, mental health and well-being, and healthy ways of coping with life’s challenges.
     • Engage in Self-Care – Suicide is a difficult and potentially triggering topic for staff and students alike, so take time to ensure that you are emotionally ready for these conversations with students.

2. Create a Reflective Classroom Community

   • We recommend that you create a class contract before discussing mental health and suicide with students, and incorporate journaling into your teaching so that students are able to privately reflect on these topics. 

     To learn more about these approaches please see our contracting  and journaling teaching strategies. You may also wish to deliver the first lesson of the unit: Building a Classroom Community.

     It may also be useful to check out the opening and closing routines in our guide Building a Classroom Community: Creating an Environment for Connection and Learning. Embedding routines into your lessons can help create a safe and reflective classroom community. Setting aside five to ten minutes at the beginning and/or end of class to welcome students to the learning space, gauge their emotional well-being, and nurture community can help students experience school as a crucial part of their day that is predictable, meaningful, and supportive.

3. Introduce the Topic of Mental Health

   • Suicide is directly related to mental health. Before you discuss suicide with students, it can therefore be useful to introduce the topic of mental health. This can help students learn about ways to look after their mental health, while also supporting you in fulfilling statutory RSE and Health Education Requirements. 

     Mental well-being is included in the statutory guidance for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. 

     In relation to mental well-being, government guidance states that students should know: ¹  

     • How to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary. 
     • That happiness is linked to being connected to others. 
     • How to recognise the early signs of mental well-being concerns. 
     • Common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression). 
     • How to critically evaluate when something they do or are involved in has a positive or negative effect on their own or others’ mental health. 
     • The benefits and importance of physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation and voluntary and service-based activities on mental well-being and happiness.
   • Activities
     • Explain to students that suicide is explored in An Inspector Calls and in preparation for discussing the topic, they will be reflecting on mental health. You might also wish to state that in the present day it is common to say that someone died by suicide rather than ‘committed suicide’ as the latter suggests criminality.
   • Do a class brainstorm/reflection, inviting students to reflect on the following question concerning mental health individually in a journal activity before asking them to share their thoughts with the class:
     • What do we mean by mental health?
   • Then, play a video by the Anna Freud Foundation explaining what mental health is. The video on this webpage is targeted at Key Stage 3-4 students (for lower ability learners, you might also choose to share this video). 
   • Give students the opportunity to reflect on the video individually and then in pairs/groups using some reflection questions. Possible questions include: 
     • What, if anything, in the video resonated with you?
     • How were feelings presented in the video?
     • What did the video suggest about how to deal with the sorts of feelings that persist for a long time?  
     • Why can looking after mental health be more difficult than looking after our physical health?
     • In what ways can we look after our mental health? 
   • You might then choose to share some ideas from the New Economics Foundation’s guide Five Ways to Wellbeing, which is based on a review of the most up-to-date evidence concerning the most important actions we can take in our day-to-day lives to help boost our well-being.
     
     The New Economics Foundation is a think tank with a mission to transform the economy so it works for people and the planet.

   • Five Ways to Well-being:

     • Connect: With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

     • Be Active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

     • Take Notice: Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
     • Keep Learning: Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
     • Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

   • Once you have shared the information with students, invite them to reflect on the five ways. You might ask them to reflect on which actions they currently take and on which ones they might like to take in the future. 

4. Introduce the Topic of Suicide in the Play to Students

• Before teaching the play, it is a good idea to give students the opportunity to share something privately with you on the topic of suicide, so that you are better prepared for discussing it.
  • You might consider giving students the following questions and asking them to share them with you in an Exit Card: 
    
    In An Inspector Calls, a character dies by suicide. Suicide can be difficult to discuss.
    • How comfortable do you feel about discussing suicide?
    • Is there anything that you want me to know before we discuss this topic in the classroom? 
    • Is there anything you think it is important to address before we discuss this topic? 
• Study the Play, Marking Relevant Sections
  • In addition to checking in with your students, colleagues and school counsellor to see if suicide might be a trigger for some students, it is worth reading through the play and marking/making note of any sections in which suicide is discussed in relation to blame. This means you can be prepared to flag or warn students about this representation of suicide if needed. 
• Explain that Suicide is Used as a Literary Device
  • When discussing the suicide, it is important to stress the fact that Priestley has used it as a literary device. This is particularly evident in the Inspector’s closing speech when he states that ‘One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us’. Stress to students that the assignation of blame and responsibility for Eva Smith/Daisy Renton’s death to the other characters is a means of Priestley highlighting the importance of social responsibility and our interconnectedness as human beings. Students should not view suicide in real life in the same way. The reasons people take their lives are complex. Whilst extreme mental distress is often a factor, and relationships, interactions and life experiences can contribute to that distress, we cannot assume to know the reasons why a person dies by suicide. For people who have lost someone to suicide to feel culpable and/or rebuke themselves is to suggest they had more power over the situation than may have been the case.
  • Explain to students that An Inspector Calls is an allegory and a morality play, in which Priestley uses the story of the Birlings, Gerald and Eva Smith to highlight how we are all responsible for the well-being of others, and that his views concerning social responsibility were greatly shaped by his experience of war. To help students understand more about Priestley’s life experiences and how they influence his writing see our lesson: Priestley's World and the World of the Play from our unit Teaching An Inspector Calls.
  • To help students understand what an allegory and a morality play are, share the following definitions: 
    • Allegory: a story, play or other creative work that has a double-meaning; the story/characters are used to make a political, social or moral point about society.
    • Morality Play: a type of play that carries a moral message to teach audiences about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ behaviour. They use allegory and sometimes contain a character that represents the whole of humanity. 
• You may also wish to play a section of the video AP English Literature and Composition Terms | ALLEGORY | 60second Recap® which outlines allegory. Alternatively, there are a range of videos on Youtube that you might find more useful for explaining the term to students. 
  • Then, to help students reflect on the allegorical nature of the suicide plot, share some or all of the following questions: 
    • How is suicide depicted in An Inspector Calls? 
    • Why is it important to remember that An Inspector Calls is a morality play and that the suicide in the play is a literary device?
    • Why do you think Priestley chose to use the suicide of Eva Smith (and the other characters’ roles in causing it) as an allegory highlighting the importance of social responsibility? 
      • What impact does this have on the audience?
      • How effective do you think it is in delivering the message of the play? 
      • Why/how might such a choice be unintentionally harmful to readers/viewers?

Further Resources

Facing History and Ourselves Resources

• Unit: Teaching An Inspector Calls
• PDF: Teaching Strategies 
• PDF: Building a Classroom Community: Creating an Environment for Connection and Learning

Other Resources 

• Statutory Guidance: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (Department for Education)
• Blog: Mental health resources for children, students, parents, carers and school/college staff (Department for Education)
• Self-care Strategies (Anna Freud Centre)
• Animation and Resources: We All Have Mental Health: Key Stage 3 (Anna Freud Centre)
• Animation and Resources: Talking Mental Health: Key Stage 2 (Anna Freud Centre)
• Five Ways to Mental Wellbeing (New Economics Foundation)
• Talking with Students About Suicide (School Mental Health Ontario)
• Bereavement: Losing Someone to Suicide (Mind)
• A Handbook for Survivors of Suicide (American Association of Suicidology)
• Mental Health Services (NHS)
• Mental Health Crisis Helplines (Mind)

• 1Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, Department for Education, 36.