ipl-logo

The Scopes Monkey Trial In Inherit The Wind By Robert E. Lee

1052 Words5 Pages

On July 1925, the Scopes Monkey trial convicted a teacher guilty for breaking the Butler Act. Inherit the Wind, by Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence, reflects the Scopes Trial in which Bertram Cates is convicted guilty. Henry Drummond, Cates’s defense attorney, fights for the right to think, while educating the courtroom about science at the same time. With Henry Drummond’s boldness, knowledge, and encouragement, he convinces Cates that he did no wrong, and that the Butler Act is unjust.
Throughout the play, Drummond uses his boldness to prove that the Butler act is unfair to those who believe in evolution. When Colonel Brady is cross examined, he exclaims that he knows nothing of evolution, yet has multiple passages of the Bible memorized. …show more content…

How can you be so cocksure that the body of scientific knowledge systematized in the writings of Charles Darwin is, is in any way, irreconcilably with the spirit of the Book of Genesis?”(Lawrence and Lee 86). Drummond using his ardor to express anger towards Brady not being educated on evolution causes more people turn to Cates’s side. The fact that Brady is able to testify against evolution without being educated on it shows that the Butler Act is unjust. Brady winning conveys that the Butler Act is prejudiced towards those with religious beliefs. When the judge exclaims that the right to think is not on trial, Drummond expresses: “with all respect to the bench, I hold that the right to think is very much on trial! It is fearfully I’m dangerously in the proceedings of this court!”(Lawrence and Lee 72). Drummond’s confidence allows him to acknowledge to the courtroom that the right to think is on trial. Cates expressing his beliefs with Drummond supporting him, …show more content…

When Brady is being questioned on the stopping of the sun, and the ruin of the Earth, Brady claims it did not happen. Then Drummond proceeds to yell: “it must’ve happened! According to natural law. Or don’t you believe in natural law, Colonel?” (Lawrence and Lee 89). Drummond’s knowledge allows him to correct Brady on natural law, which leaves Brady looking clueless. Drummond’s knowledge of science causes Cates to have faith that more people will take his side. The fact that Brady admitted that the Bible may be wrong, yet still won, shows how unjust the Butler Act is. Again, when Brady is asked on the events in the Bible, and its relevance to the real world, he claims that everything has happened in the Bible, even if scientifically proven wrong. After Brady says everything in the Bible is true, Drummond says: “now if what you say factually happened--if Joshua halted the sun in the sky--that means the earth stopped spinning on its axis; continents toppled over each other, mountains flew out into space. And the earth, arrested in its orbit, shriveled to a cinder and crashed into the sun. How come they missed this tidbit of news” (Lawrence and Lee 89). Brady looks ignorant as Drummond demolishes him with facts. Drummond considers that Brady says everything in the Bible is true, but why did all these facts get left out from science? Since

Show More
Related

Summary Of The Warren Flew Debate

757 Words | 4 Pages

The Warren-Flew Debate on the Existence of God, Thomas B. Warren, Ramer, TN, National Christian Press, 2004, 5th ed. 253 pp. The book “The Warren-Flew Debate was written by Thomas B. Warren and the National Christian Press publisher and has an almost word for word account of a well-known debate between two of the most intellectual minds of their times though Flew did not look it at this debate. Flew was known for blowing his debaters out of the water.

Read More

How Did Jonathan Edwards Contribute To The First Great Awakening

1270 Words | 6 Pages

When Edwards wanted to change the terms of church membership by forbidding the baptism of the children of halfway members, many were furious. This went against the norm of baptism as a birthright that was apart of the New England culture. Another point that the townspeople did not agree with Edwards was how he resolved the “bad book” incident. During this time, Edwards called out everyone that was apart of the scandal to public without telling who was to blame and who was just a

Read More

Inherit The Wind Quotes

565 Words | 3 Pages

Inherit the Wind: Granting the Right to be Wrong While the practice of limiting a man’s ideas may now be seen as archaic, Inherit the Wind brings to light this very injustice, prevalent in an era not yet shrouded by time. In this final scene of the play, Drummond poignantly summarizes the beauty of free thought. The following passage highlights the central theme of Inherit the Wind: theological and scientific beliefs can co-exist, on the condition that an individual has the right to believe whatever he or she deems fit: DRUMMOND. Say - you forgot - (But Rachel and Cates are out of earshot.

Read More

The Legitimacy Of The Butler Act By William Jennings Bryan

364 Words | 2 Pages

William Jennings Bryan builds an effective argument proving the legitimacy of the Butler Act by persuading the audience that the act was created with a justifiable and tangible purpose in mind, rather than merely on a whim. He accomplishes this by appealing to pathos, more specifically the audience’s sense of entitlement. He proposes that the law is just, as a majority of people in Tennessee support it and since their taxes go towards paying teachers, they have a right to influence the public education system. He argues that the Legislation was acting in favor of the majority, which he furthered by using the collective word “we,” throughout his speech when referring to the people paying taxes to build a feeling of solidarity. By doing so,

Read More

Characterization In Inherit The Wind

2129 Words | 9 Pages

For example, Drummond says, “Extend the Testaments! Let us have a Book of Brady! We shall hex the Pentateuch and slip you in neatly between Numbers and Deuteronomy!” (101) These words, directed at Brady from Drummond, are rather unnecessary and cruel on Drummond’s part. In addition, Henry Drummond appears to be a very intimidating and malicious evolutionist.

Read More

Dana's Character In Kindred By Octavia Butler

528 Words | 3 Pages

While disrupting the image of Sarah as the doting mammy figure, Butler places Dana into that role by making her be responsible for Rufus. This further allows Butler to examine what it meant to be a caretaker for white children during this time period. Dana’s travels allow her to catch glimpses of Rufus’s development into a young man. While she initially has hopes that she can be a positive influence on him and curtail the influences from his mother and father, she inevitably fails. Though Dana saves Rufus from many near death experiences and nurses him back to health many times, Rufus still grows into a replica of his father and becomes a man of his time.

Read More

Scopes Monkey Trial Essay

635 Words | 3 Pages

The Scopes Monkey trial was one the biggest and most influential court cases of all time. John Scopes was a public high school teacher in dayton tennessee who was arrested and tried for breaking the butlers law. Passed in 1925 it made teaching evolution in any schools and colleges in the state of Tennessee illegal. This was because evolution challenges the idea of creationism which was the popular religion in the tennessee. this was a huge problem because it was written in the constitution that you must separate church and state.

Read More

Similarities Between Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee's Inherit The Wind

895 Words | 4 Pages

They all seemed to be persuaded by Drummond’s argument, even if they did not fully approve Darwin’s theory of evolution. If one man can do that to a jury, then he must of impacted them more than a more simple character like Bertram Cates or Reverend Brown. Another example of Drummond power to capture the crowd is when he says to Brady, “What if a lesser human being-a Cates, or a Darwin-has the audacity to think

Read More

Inherit The Wind By Jerome Lawrence And Robert Lee

521 Words | 3 Pages

Drummond made many comments to Brady showing him his side, “how quickly they can turn. And how painful it can be when you don’t expect it. (He turns) I wonder how it feels to be Almost-President three times—with a skull full of undelivered inauguration speeches. ”(97)Bert Cates had been teaching the scientific theory of evolution in his classroom, which in the eyes of orthodox Christains, like Brady shouldn't be taught because of diversity.

Read More

Henry Drummond Character Traits

156 Words | 1 Pages

The character traits a person possesses can influence many things. In the book Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee based on "The Scopes Trial". The character traits that William Henry Drummond, based on Clarence Darrow, possesses majorly influences the outcome of the trial. The three character traits that affects the outcome the most are intelligent, tolerant, and detail-oriented. Henry Drummond is intelligent and this character trait propels him to win the case.

Read More

An Analysis Of James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain

566 Words | 3 Pages

Well… he's a preacher. And if Deborah's right, he ain't got no right to be a preacher. He ain't no better'n nobody else. In fact, he ain't no better than a murderer. " Florence believes that preachers must have higher standards than the rest of the people in order to have any religious authority.

Read More

Huckleberry Finn Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

743 Words | 3 Pages

Miss Watson teaches him about prayer, Moses and getting to heaven, just to turn around and treat her slaves awfully, smoke and chew. Her actions and attitudes of daily life do not reflect her Christian teachings. The Grangerfords act in the same manner. While the accept George Jackson into their home with open arms and go to church every week, they slaughter the Shepherdsons for reasons unknown to even themselves. Through these examples, the correct reality of moral and ethical beliefs and actions appear.

Read More

Use Of Satire In Mark Twain's 'Breaking Knees'

1119 Words | 5 Pages

(325) This quote uses both exaggeration and incongruity because it exaggerates the stupidity of Scoresby; at the same time, it also contrasts the difference of conditions and results between Scoresby and other knowledgeable people, and this quote tells readers that the only reason why he passed this test because he was so lucky that the questions in the test are what he all knew. In the short story, “I said to myself, I am responsible to the country for this, and I must go along with him and protect the country against him as far as I can. In the article, “Well, sir, every one of them is a record of some shouting stupidity or other; and, taken together, they are proof that the very best thing in all this world that can befall a man is to be born lucky.” (328) This quote reveals that Reverend’s apparent aversion for the God seems controversial with his role as a clergyman. Through the whole story, readers can obviously feel the painful for the clergyman who has a deep resentment of God because he believes the god treats people unequally, and only lucky people can be successful.

Read More

Inherit The Wind Themes

932 Words | 4 Pages

Maybe what Mr. Darwin wrote is bad. (...) Bad or good, it doesn’t make any difference. The ideas have to come out” (Lawrence and Lee 124, 125). This is evidence that the people of Hillsborough are being impacted by Drummond and starting to think for themselves. Another example of the fight is when, in Act Three, Cates spoke powerfully, saying, “I have been convicted of violating an unjust law.

Read More

A Fair Trial In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

952 Words | 4 Pages

Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.

Read More

More about The Scopes Monkey Trial In Inherit The Wind By Robert E. Lee

Related Topics

Open Document