Preview

Analysis: Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1066 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis: Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
The play Inherit the Wind, was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee to inform its readers about the injustice of a law that limited the freedom of an ordinary citizen. This play is based upon actual events that happened to an individual, John Scopes, in Dayton, Tennessee during the 1920's. This famous "Monkey Trial" not only allowed people to begin to accept new theories about the origin of man, but also showed that they did not have to limit themselves in other areas of life. In the beginning of the play, the authors try to lead us into the topic of Darwinism versus Creationism. One instance was when the character Howard actually told Melinda "Your old man's a monkey!"(5) The audience also learns that the accused lawbreaker, Bert Cates, and the reverend's daughter, Rachel Brown, are in love and are set to be married. Rachel becomes a pertinent part of the trial when Brady starts to question her, against the will of Bert.
The theme of Inherit the Wind is, "don't be afraid of new ideas, and you have to let people make up their own minds about things." That theme fits the story really well, because that is the exact opposite of what the people of Hillsboro did, and look what happened there. One man spoke his mind, and a trial that made history was held. No one should be afraid to speak their mind, and people should not automatically reject a new idea because it is not what they are used to. The characters in Inherit the Wind heard Bert Cates's idea, didn't like it, and sent him to jail, not even giving his idea a chance. So, think before you judge someone else's ideas, because you never know how worthwhile they may end up being.
What caught my attention to this play was that the two authors were passionate about this theme for the play and obviously researched the history of the actual trial, in order to portray it as realistically as possible. This hard work and attention to detail created a very informative and memorable play. (Although some

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    As the play went on, during the trials Reverend Hale began to figure out that the proceedings that were going on in the court were unfair. Hale realized that people in the town and the judges were developing a "hang them all" attitude and that none of them were paying any attention to the evidence that was mounting against the girls.…

    • 513 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The court trial scene embodies everything that is contained within the novel. All events that occur throughout the entire novel are a repercussion of Jefferson's court case. These circumstances set up the tone that is simply perceived throughout the novel. Gaines tone in the novel shifts as the novel progresses.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, written in 1955, is an exceptional play that depicts the events of the Scopes Trial in 1925. The Scopes Trial or “Monkey Trial” was held in Dayton, Tennessee. Previous to the trial, the Butler Act was passed in Tennessee to ban the teaching of evolution. In an attempt to test the law, high school teacher John Scopes taught the theory of evolution to his class. After violating the act, Scopes was taken to jail where he waited for a trial to be held. Clarence Darrow would later represent him in the trial against William Jennings Bryan on the prosecution. Inherit the Wind uses the Scopes Trial as a basis for the play by comparing the views of fundamentalists and evolutionists. In the play, the fundamentalists include the townspeople, Matthew Harrison Brady (William Jennings Bryan), and Reverend Brown. They represent the “backwards” ways of the town of Hillsboro where the play takes place. The evolutionists in the play include Bert Cates (John Scopes), Henry Drummond (Clarence Darrow), and E.K. Hornbeck. In Inherit the Wind the evolutionists are cast in a more favorable light because of their intelligence level versus that of the fundamentalists, the ideas presented by the defense in the trial, and the stylistic devices used throughout the play.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird symbolizes how a community of decent human beings can be corrupted by simple commonplace stereotypes within society, the Scottsboro trial is a real life example of how even in the 20th century individuals were scapegoats of this malicious prejudice. This type of prejudice united the most ignorant Americans into the absurd trail of thought that African Americans were, in some way, inferior to even the most uneducated Caucasian due to the diversity of their customs and/or skin color. The Tom Robinson case within this novel is a fantastic literary device written to stoke the reader’s curiosity and explore the many similarities and differences of these two trials.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    No Heroes, No Villians

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages

    After reading the story, I found I had mixed emotions about it. To explain, when we were getting into detail and finally finding out what really happened the day of June 28th, I found myself completely interested and glued to the book. I also enjoyed the way the incident was explained because I felt like I was there watching it all happen from the great detail. I enjoyed Phillips style of writing because through his writing, he really came off as an intelligent person who is very familiar with the legal system. The book is an easy read, and I liked the non-pretentious style of writing. I did not find myself struggling with reading the book at all, which made the overall experience that much more enjoyable.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inherit the Wind

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the play "Inherit the Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the defense faces numerous societal injustices, which is why they never had a chance to win the case. One example of the town's bias is presented through the town's love for Matthew Harrison Brady. A second example is the extreme conformist and pious attitude of the town's people. The last instance is the narrow-mindedness of the judge and the jury, which resulted in an unfair trial. In conclusion, the defense suffered through many unfair circumstances throughout the drama "Inherit the Wind."…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Play Doubt

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Each actor was different in there own way with different characteristics, which could pertain to our modern day life. The major idea of this play to me is you never know who anyone really is and what anyone is capable of. Even the mom, Ms. Miller turned the other way when Sister Aloysius told her she thinks Father was doing some bad stuff with her kid.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reading the novel, O Pioneers! it was hard to judge whether it was a tragedy or a triumph. The only way I see it as a tragedy is that Emil and Maria died. I knew, since page six of the book that they were going to be together. It kind of broke my heart to see later on that she had married someone else. But when her and Emil got shot, I thought it may finish as a tragedy. But overall, I would see it as a triumph in the way that the Bergsons finally got what they wanted out of their land. It made them rich. Also, Alexandra and Carl finally married. And being that the whole novel was basically based on the land, they were triumphant in getting what they risked, what they longed for.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There were many moments in the play that really grabbed my attention, and I believe these moments were special due to the characters that were in the scenes: Russell Henderson, Dennis Shepard, and Matt Galloway. The scene where Russell Henderson, one of Matthew Shepard’s murderers, is on trial is very memorable because this scene draws so many different emotions from the audience. As an audience member, I became angry with Henderson, but almost felt sorry for him at the same time due to his ignorance. Kumpost portrayed the character of Henderson very honestly in my opinion, to the point where I questioned myself from my original decision that the death penalty was in order with his case. I believe, in reality, that Russell Henderson did not know the extent of what he truly did to Matthew Shepard, and to the citizens of Laramie. Kumpost captured this ignorance very well in my assessment.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The paranoia created by McCarthyism in the 1950s echoed the outrage caused by the 1925 “Scopes Monkey Trial” case, as people in both cases were fighting either for or against the right to hold varying opinions. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote the play Inherit the Wind in response to McCarthyism and based it on the Scopes Trial, warning that threats to freedom of thought will continue in the future if such hysteria is repeated. The play follows fictional characters based on the real participants of the trial as Bertram Cates and his lawyer Henry Drummond fight not only for the right to teach evolution in public schools but also the right to think. Drummond’s determination, wit, and sensitivity compel the Christian Fundamentalist crowd…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Monkey’s Paw” is a great example of suspense created by cause-and-effect relationships. “The Monkey’s Paw” is about Mr. White, Mrs. White, and Herbert White who receive a monkey’s paw that will grant three wishes from a man named Sergeant-Major Morris. The story is set in the mid…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Inherit the Wind

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's tense drama, "Inherit the Wind", three strong characters express powerful opinions: Bertrum Cates , Henry Drummond, and Mathew Harrison Brady. First, Bert Cates, the defendant, is charged with teaching "Darwinism" to his sophomore class . Second, Henry Drummond, the defense attorney for Cates, displays his beliefs of the right to think. third, Mathew Harrison Brady, the "big-shot" prosecuting attorney, illustrates his bigotry of creationism. To conclude, these three essential characters are fighting for their personal beliefs.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this riveting drama Romulus Linney brings us to a small town in Louisiana around 1948. This play is centered on a boy named Jefferson who has just been wrongly accused of murder. Jefferson was a victim of racial injustice(which is a major theme throughout the play). Because Jefferson was black and simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was convicted with no evidence. Jefferson’s lawyer tries to help as much as he can although Jefferson doesn’t realize it, due to the fact that his own Lawyer called him nothing but a hog. But it didn’t help and the all-white jury still finds him guilty and he sentenced to death by electric chair. This is where (in my opinion) the most important character in the story is introduced Grant Wiggins. Jefferson’s godmother enlists the aid of the local school teacher Grant Wiggins to help Jefferson die like a man. Not only during this part of the play but through the whole play it doesn’t seem like anyone gets upset enough about this boys wrongful conviction. I may just be a naturally angry person. But very little uproar is made for this boy’s life. He is being executed for…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Inherit The Wind Analysis

    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Inherit the Wind, based on the famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" in the small town Dayton, Tennessee, was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The play was not intended to depict the actual history or the proceedings in the Scopes' trial but it was used as a vehicle for exploring social anxiety and ant-intellectualism that existed in the Americas during the1950s. Lawrence and Lee wrote the play as a response to the threat to intellectual freedom presented by the anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era. The major themes depicted in the Inherit the Wind include the intellectual curiosity, narrow-mindedness or limited perception, the importance of religion, and the relationship between the perception of others and self-worth portrayed…

    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inherit The Wind Summary

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The trial of Bertram Cates revolved around the concept of religion as part of school curriculum. The people of Hillsboro truly believed in the teaching of religion in public schools, whereas Bertram Cates and Henry Drummond did not believe religion was part of the necessary curriculum and thought evolution was a valid explanation for the creation of life. The duty of teachers is to educate and inform young minds about the real world and how past events relate to today’s society. Inherit the Wind describes the proper role of education as religion based and central to Catholic beliefs. The view on religion in public classrooms has greatly changed, shifting more towards an open curriculum. Inherit the Wind raises the question of classroom regulations…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays