Inherit The Wind Analysis

Superior Essays
Sumaiya Chaudhry
1. According to Inherit the Wind, what was the Scopes trial about?
According to Inherit the Wind, the Scopes trial was about the Scopes “Monkey” Trial that took place in 1925. The authors of the play, Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence, wrote of the fictional account to teach of the conviction of Scope when he taught the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin to a high school class, even though it was not allowed due to Tennessee state law. The play succeeded in showing the disputes between evolutionists and creationists due to the trial. In Inherit the Wind, the Scopes trial is expressed as the trial of Bert Cates, who is a high school biology teacher. Cates broke Tennessee law by teaching evolution to his class and as a result, he is imprisoned in jail. The play follows the prosecutor of the trial, Matthew Harrison Brady and the defender, Henry Drummond, as they fight for religion and science.
2. Describe the motivations of those opposed to the teaching of evolution in Inherit the Wind.
The motivation of those opposed to the teaching of evolution in Inherit the Wind is religion. Those who opposed the teaching of evolution due to religion believed that people should follow the Bible and its story of the Divine Creation of man, which does not mention that humans have evolved from apes. Those who opposed this idea were known as fundamentalists, people who took the Bible as the literal word of God. They believed Darwin’s theory conflicted with the idea of

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    “We must not abandon faith, faith is the important thing” (Lawrence and lee 83). Brady’s ideas and quotes mirrors his real life counterpart Bryan in numerous ways. Scopes Monkey Trial, the trial of the century took place in the small religious town of Dayton Tennessee. John Scopes, the man that went on trial almost 90 years ago and his intense prosecution still captures people’s attentions today. Clarence Darrow faces off against William Jennings Bryan in this dramatic trial of different ideas and beliefs.…

    • 128 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rough Copy Aumio Islam The play Inherit the Wind is a fictionalized account of the 1925 “Scopes Monkey Trial”. Inherit the Wind was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and premiered in 1955. In the play, Matthew Harrison Brady, the prosecuting attorney, has three characteristics that negatively influence his conduct during the play.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Bert Cates, a science teacher, is on trial for teaching evolution in the highly religious town of Hillsboro. Henry Drummond, a famous lawyer from Chicago, is sent to defend Cates in his trial. Through his intelligence, sarcasm, and skepticism, Henry Drummond turns the trial in Cates’ favor. Throughout…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1925, the Scopes Trial occurred because John Scopes, a high school teacher, was accused of breaking Tennessee’s law against the teaching of evolution in public schools. The prosecution welcomed William Jennings Bryan to take part in the trial, while the defense chose Clarence Darrow on their team. Bryan was a firm religious fundamentalist, however encouraged the indictment to battle its fight on sacred grounds. Bryan trusted that groups were legitimized in setting educational principles upheld in schools. Be that as it may, he was overruled by his peers who argued science and religion.…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the film Inherit The Wind an entire community thinks that the bible is correct and science is a complete myth. When small town teacher Bertram Cates opens the minds of his students he is brought to trial immediately. Besides a few children from his class all the residents of Dayton, Tennessee came together against Cates. Once Henry Drummond arrived to defend his victim the people held signs reading that Cates was down with the devil.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba invites its readers to join him on his journey from scrapping knowledge from outdated library books to attending boarding school. The first couple chapters are primarily essential to his story because they reveal all his imperfections and aspirations. He is able to show that a small change can lead to big accomplishments, which one can achieve if all dedication and hard work is put toward completing it. At the very beginning of the novel, the accomplishment that grants him all the wonderful opportunities is immediately introduced.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Scopes Monkey Trial Essay

    • 1376 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Scopes Trial, nicknamed the Monkey Trial, and formally known as The State of Tennessee versus John Thomas Scopes, stands to be one of the most significant court cases in American history. This trial has been credited as what started the dispute between creationism and evolution, as it showed the debate between two very strongly opposed parties: the faithful fundamentalists and the newly created group known as evolutionists. While this court case was really only intended to determine whether John Thomas Scopes had broken the law or not, it turned out to be something so much more than that. Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution in attempt to explain the history and diversity of life here on Earth. This theory of evolution by natural selection was presented by Charles Darwin in the early 19th century.…

    • 1376 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Quick summary The Scopes Trial, formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case in 1925 in which a substitute high school teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school. John T. Scopes John Thomas Scopes came to Tennessee after college. In his first year in Dayton he was a teacher and a part-time coach. Scopes planned to return home to Kentucky for the summer. But he was distracted by, in his words, "a beautiful blonde" and he stayed for another week hoping for a date.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Scopes trial was the case against John Scopes, a biology teacher in Dayton Tennessee. Scopes was charged for defying Tennessee's newly placed Butler Act. This case is what catapulted the dispute of creationism versus evolution and how it should be taught in schools. The outcome of this 1925 trial affected the rest of the 19th century extensively, however as the 20th century neared, the effect became less prevalent. John Scopes was a local biology teacher and was arrested for teaching evolution, the "Scopes Monkey Trial" was the case against him.…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drummond Inherit The Wind

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    At times, it is necessary to go against society’s beliefs, as seen in the play Inherit the Wind written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Cates, the protagonist, is suffering the consequences of teaching evolution to his science class in a creationism based society. He is arrested and his trial brings attention to their town of Hillsboro. His attorney, Henry Drummond, uses his open-mindedness, stubbornness, and optimism to defend and help others in times of need. To begin, Henry Drummond remains open minded throughout Cates’ trial.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, we follow the trial of Bertram Cates; a man accused of violating a law that states that evolution cannot be taught in school. Cates is defended by Henry Drummond and the prosecuting attorney is Matthew Harrison Brady. This work can be compared to the real life trial of John Thomas Scopes in 1925, where Scopes was accused of the same crime. This play has many underlying themes, but only one principle theme. The principle theme appears to be the folly of overzealousness.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There is a driving force in each of us that inspires us to achieve greater goals and desires than once accomplished. These factors vary from person to person, whether they are the extreme elements such as the strong will, belief and dedication to a given religion, or more personal aspects of our lives that force us to want something better for ourselves. Whether extreme or not, these factors affect how we interact with others, how we perceive the world and our ways of thinking. In a well known novel, “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, these driving factors are apparent in comparison and contrast between two main characters, who have embraced their driving forces differently. Taking place in the small town of Hillsboro,…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Scope’s Trial is important because in 1925 a science teacher was convicted of not teaching the state’s way of evolution. The teacher violated the way to teach evolution, instead of teaching the way that led to god, and other religions, he taught the way of science. During his trial, the judge prohibited the defence of using fellow scientist as witnesses. Scope’s lawyer convinced him to change his plea and plead guilty. Scope’s was found guilty and the judge fined him $100.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Our world today has become arrogant, sensitive, and critical. Books are being banned in result of the sensitivity of our nation, including the novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. The novel takes place in the south during the Civil War era and follows a young woman’s romantic life and her survival through the war. She pursues the love of her life while in doing so must fight for her survival in the war plagued south. Despite the immense amounts of history in the novel, some believe the controversial content outweighs the history and therefore should be banned.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Community: a unified body of individuals. In a community, people come together to achieve great things and work together to bring each other to success. The theme of “If you work together, you can succeed” is conveyed in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind through William’s education, the famine, and the process of building the windmill. William’s problems with education were solved by the community around him; his father, his teacher, and the people at TED. William’s teacher, Mr. Tembo, him sneak into the back of the class for three weeks, risking his job.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays