Essay Inherit the Wind- Freedom to Think - 2501 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Inherit the Wind, based on the famous â€Å"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†¦show more content†¦The jury brings a guilty verdict and the judge charges Cates a fee of $100 dollars. Brady collapses and shortly afterward dies. Rachel and Cates decide to leave the town together. The play ends with Drummon d alone in the courthouse with a copy of Darwin’s Origins of Species and Bible, which he puts them together in his briefcase. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The essential theme expressed in Inherit the Wind is narrow mindedness vs. intellectual curiosity. As the play opens, the writers described the town of Hillsboro as being â€Å"visible always, looming there, as much on trial as the individual defendant ( p.3).† They go onto describing the courtroom with walls, in which the town square, shops, and streets were always visible. In making the town always visible, it is evident to the viewer that the court case is not just a question of disembodied ideas or legal principles. Instead, the play and the court case it dramatizes the mean to challenge an entire way of life and thinking embodied by Hillsboro, a small Southern American town. The writers zoomed in on the people residing in this town and revealed the homogenous nature. The citizens attend the same church, hold the same beliefs, and join together to condemn Cates, a man who dared to express an opinion different from theirs. Cates is a courageous and idealistic young teacher. He carries the natural tendencies of human nature-curiosity; thus he poses questions at which does not make sense.Show MoreRelatedThemes Symbols: Inherit The Wind Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pages Themes and Symbols: Inherit the Wind As probably the best courtroom dramas of the twentieth century, Inherit the Wind is based on the famous, Scopes Monkey Trial. The play was printed virtually thirty years afterward and takes original authority in varying the true-life elements of the court case. The central conflict of the play is based on the Scopes Monkey Trial itself. Several themes are presented throughout the play, for example when Brady argues for religious values while DrummondRead MoreThe Scopes Monkey Trial And On Debating The Legality Of Teaching Evolution1037 Words   |  5 Pagesas inappropriate to be taught in schools. Many people feel that it is important to learn about Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, but at the same time there are many who refuse to learn about it. In the Scopes Monkey Trial and in the movie Inherit the Wind a trial is going on debating the legality of teaching evolution. Though there are still issues that arise with teaching evolution it is currently accepted more than i t is debated against. Evolution is a scientifically tested and proven conceptRead MoreEssay about First Impressions Are Not Always Correct524 Words   |  3 Pagestakes more than a casual â€Å"hello† down the hallway to truly know a person. It is actually very difficult, and takes time, to know someone on a personal level. As human beings we often base our perceptions of people off of what we have heard. In Inherit the Wind Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee show us why these perceptions are usually inaccurate. They show us that once you put aside the rumors and look into a person’s heart, you may be stunned. Towards the beginning of the book we were introducedRead MoreEssay on Inherit the Wind (Scopes Trial)1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe 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 1920s. 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 theRead MoreEssay on Inherit the wind (Scopes trial)1041 Words   |  5 Pages 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 â€Å"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 beginningRead MoreThemes Of Inherit The Wind923 Words   |  4 PagesInherit the Wind Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee is a fictionalized play on the Scopes Trial, formally known as the Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. In July 21, 1925, a high school teacher was accused of violating the Butler Act. This act made it illegal to teach evolution in any state funded school. Although Scopes was unsure he taught evolution, he incriminated himself and was found guilty. The subject of the play reflects this event except Inherit the Wind holdsRead MoreInherit The Wind By Lawrence And Lee1349 Words   |  6 PagesWhy is the play Inherit the wind by Lawrence and Lee such a relatable piece of literature to people in today’s society? Simply because the author embedded relevant themes that are a big part of the world’s issues today both politically and religiously. Three themes revealed by the events and characters within the play are the battle between thinking both fundamentally and intellectually, the differences between rural and urb an regions, and the isolations amongst man and society. One theme that theRead MoreMy Papers2120 Words   |  9 PagesInherit the Wind Study Guide: MOVIE: 1. Why is the teacher arrested? Bertham (Bert) Cates was teaching evolution to his high school biology students. 2. What is â€Å"Holy† to Henry Drummond? The individual mind was â€Å"Holy† to Henry Drummond. 3. Initially, the men on the town council are upset about the trial. Why do they change their mind? Matthew Harrison Brady, who portrays William Jennings Bryan in real life, is coming to Hillsboro, Tennessee to be the prosecutor. This will bringRead MoreInherit The Wind By Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee2023 Words   |  9 PagesInherit the Wind, a play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee was a very influential plays for its time. The play is based on the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. The scopes trial was known as â€Å"The Trial of the Century and helped expose the controversy between the Christian theory of creationism and the scientific theory of evolution. The play, which was published years after the trial, helped expose many Americans to the cultural divide between science and faith in our nation. ItRead MoreHitler s Desire For Power1743 Words   |  7 Pagesto be able to think with a conscience and to think independently. When people are denied the ability to do so, they become no more than robots. In this case, the robots came in large numbers, and t hey all were programmed to act under the instruction of one man. Situations like Inherit the Wind and Nazi Germany rank differently on a scale of human manipulation. Regardless, anything that robs people of their own mindset can serve to be the spark of a terrible outcome. In Inherit the Wind, the people