To be close-minded means to have or show a rigid opinion or a narrow outlook. The play “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee portrays themes that show how and why the people of Hillsboro are close-minded. The three main themes of this play are the triumph of knowledge and thought over ignorance, the right to think, and progress and thought versus standing still. These three themes allow the reader to understand the reason why the people of Hillsboro have fixed opinions and how the town is in need of change and progress. They prove that the people of Hillsboro do not think for themselves and they only have one common perspective that everyone believes is the only answer to most cases. In the case of the play, everyone believes
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Being open-minded is always better than being close-minded. This theme can be shown on page 96 and 97. Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry Drummond are analyzing the bible during Bertram Cates’ trial. Drummond questions Brady about the first day that God created. He questioned Brady about how long the first day was and how he knew since the sun had not been created until the fourth day. Brady had not thought about this since he does not think for himself and was unsure. This proves that Drummond was thinking for himself and beyond the pages of the bible. In comparison, Brady only went with what he had read in the bible and did not have a broader perspective. Drummond has more knowledge and thinks for himself, unlike Brady who shows that he is very ignorant. Furthermore, this theme is also revealed through Brady. This quote shows how close-minded Brady is and how he cannot and does not think for himself. His ignorance for Darwin’s Origin of Species is also shown through this quote. Brady states, “I do not think about things that… I do not think about!” (Lawrence 97). Through both of these examples, it becomes very clear that knowledge will always overpower ignorance. They also show how Brady is very narrow-minded and does not think for himself. To conclude, knowledge and thoughts overthrow ignorance as well as narrow-minded …show more content…
An individual who progresses and thinks for themselves, continue to grow and become cultivated. An individual who is open-minded is willing to consider new ideas and is open to different perspectives and opinions. In contrast, someone who is considered to be close-minded is not open to new ideas and view points, which results in no progression—standing still. In one of the scenes on page 67, Brady begins to tell Drummond, “… Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?” (Lawrence 67). Drummond responds by saying, “All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away—by standing still” (Lawrence 67). These quotes show how Drummond is considered an open-minded individual whereas Brady is not. Drummond looks at issues from different points of views. He considers all of the facts and respects the opinions of others. Meanwhile, Brady does not have respect for the beliefs of others, showing that he is very narrow-minded. The people of Hillsboro agree with Brady, making them very close-minded as well. Drummond agrees that the people of Hillsboro are close-minded when he says, “All I want is to prevent the clock-stoppers from dumping a load of medieval nonsense into the United States Constitution” (Lawrence 47). What Drummond refers to when he says, “clock-stoppers” is the people who refuse to change with the time, preventing time from moving on. Close-minded
Being open-minded is always better than being close-minded. This theme can be shown on page 96 and 97. Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry Drummond are analyzing the bible during Bertram Cates’ trial. Drummond questions Brady about the first day that God created. He questioned Brady about how long the first day was and how he knew since the sun had not been created until the fourth day. Brady had not thought about this since he does not think for himself and was unsure. This proves that Drummond was thinking for himself and beyond the pages of the bible. In comparison, Brady only went with what he had read in the bible and did not have a broader perspective. Drummond has more knowledge and thinks for himself, unlike Brady who shows that he is very ignorant. Furthermore, this theme is also revealed through Brady. This quote shows how close-minded Brady is and how he cannot and does not think for himself. His ignorance for Darwin’s Origin of Species is also shown through this quote. Brady states, “I do not think about things that… I do not think about!” (Lawrence 97). Through both of these examples, it becomes very clear that knowledge will always overpower ignorance. They also show how Brady is very narrow-minded and does not think for himself. To conclude, knowledge and thoughts overthrow ignorance as well as narrow-minded …show more content…
An individual who progresses and thinks for themselves, continue to grow and become cultivated. An individual who is open-minded is willing to consider new ideas and is open to different perspectives and opinions. In contrast, someone who is considered to be close-minded is not open to new ideas and view points, which results in no progression—standing still. In one of the scenes on page 67, Brady begins to tell Drummond, “… Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?” (Lawrence 67). Drummond responds by saying, “All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away—by standing still” (Lawrence 67). These quotes show how Drummond is considered an open-minded individual whereas Brady is not. Drummond looks at issues from different points of views. He considers all of the facts and respects the opinions of others. Meanwhile, Brady does not have respect for the beliefs of others, showing that he is very narrow-minded. The people of Hillsboro agree with Brady, making them very close-minded as well. Drummond agrees that the people of Hillsboro are close-minded when he says, “All I want is to prevent the clock-stoppers from dumping a load of medieval nonsense into the United States Constitution” (Lawrence 47). What Drummond refers to when he says, “clock-stoppers” is the people who refuse to change with the time, preventing time from moving on. Close-minded