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What Does Drummond Symbolize In Inherit The Wind

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Drummond VS Darrow

The hot humid air of the courtroom made the tension of ideas arise. The evolutionist and creationist were like oil and water in a pot of controversy. Evolutionism was the basis of Clarence Darrow’s most important case of his life and of his counterpart: Henry Drummond. Darrow was the lawyer to John Scopes during The Scopes Monkey Trials. His role in the trail was of great importance. The Scopes Monkey Trials, as told by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee in the play “Inherit the Wind” was told to show the means of the trial between evolutionists or people who believe in the idea of evolution and creationist people who believe god put all organisms on earth. In Inherit the wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the …show more content…

In Inherit the wind, when asked if there is anything holy to an agnostic individual, Drummond says “Yes! The individual human mind. In a child’s power to master the multiplication table, there is more sanctity that in your shouted “amens” and “holy holies” and “hosannas”. An idea is a greater monument than a cathedral” (Lawrence, and Lee 93) As explained by the quote, Drummond’s idea of something holy is the power of knowledge, not religion because religion to him is rubbish. In an article by T.A Frail about the life of Clarence Darrow, Darrow was said to have been a member of the populist movement. (Frail) The populist movement was an alliance formed to bring attention to the struggling issues in the field of agriculture. With Darrow being a part of this it shows his passion for justice and …show more content…

In Inherit the Wind when Brady talks about the importance of people not abandoning faith Drummond says “Then why did God plague us with the capacity to think?” The elephant is larger, the horse is stronger and swifter, the butterfly more beautiful, the mosquito more prolific, even the simple sponge is more durable! Or does a sponge think?” (Lawrence, and Lee 93) He is most definitely characterized as intelligent, this quote is quite complex and quite generally intelligent person would be able to make these comparisons. According to an article titled “Scopes Trial” by Michael Hannon “He was the most famous lawyer in the united states”. Being one of the most famous lawyers in American history you had to have had a good education and a surplus of knowledge. Darrow made sure that he was deeply educated on every detail of his cases therefore he would have a better chance of winning every

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675 Words | 3 Pages

Clarence Darrow was described by others as a nonconforming spirit (Britannica 1). Drummond and Clarence Darrow both seem to be clever, witty, and freethinkers. Drummond is brave because he knew this case would be hard to fight yet he still took the challenge to beat his old time friend, Matthew Harrison Brady. And he fought for the case to go for him as best as he could even though he ended up losing it still was like a victory for him because of the punishment being only a fine of 100$ (Lawrence and lee 103). Clarence Darrow is brave because as a kid his family’s house was a stop for the underground railroad (Britannica 1).

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Even though Darrow could not successfully defend Debs, even in defeat Darrow became the romantic hero of the labor movement. But that stirred up a desire to be a politician. With a broad political base, Darrow ran for a seat on the House of Representatives in 1896. However, with William Jennings Bryan running on the Democratic ticket for president against Republican William McKinley, McKinley soundly trounced Bryan and other Democrats, like Clarence Darrow, were also defeated by Republicans. That, though, ended Darrow’s political career.

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In the end, the judge sentenced Leopold and Loeb to life in prison rather than sending them to be executed. During the Leopold-Loeb trial, when Darrow was believed to have accepted "a million-dollar fee", many ordinary Americans were angered at his apparent betrayal, thinking that he had "sold-out." He issued a public statement stating that there would be no large legal fees and that his fees would be determined by a committee composed of officers from the Chicago Bar Association. Darrow's condemnation of the death penalty during his legendary 12-hour closing argument catalyzed a major reversal in American attitudes toward capital punishment. In the decades that followed, the number of U.S. executions, which had been rising steadily since the early 1800s, began a rapid

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Although, he did fix his concentration on performing the perfect crime. Together, Leopold and Loeb murdered fourteen year old Bobby Frank. This goes down as one of the many of brutal murder scenes of the 1900s. If they wouldn’t have gotten the best lawyer in town, Clarence Darrow, it is more than likely that Leopold and his partner would have been hung instantly just as Dick and Perry were. Their attorney had such great points that were made, the judge only made them serve life in

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1588 Words | 7 Pages

Darrow has proven himself to be one of the top defense lawyers in the country; often the underdog, he has defeated the likes of William Jennings Bryan and has defended the innocent. Darrow most notably was able to defend Ossian Sweet when he was accused of murdering a white Klu Klux Klan member. Due to the racial tendencies of the time and place, many thought that Sweet would be convicted and executed, but Darrow was able to prove his client innocent and drop all the charges against ten other African Americans involved in the trial. Charles Dawes has been recognized for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his accomplishments both politically and in the courtroom. Dawes started off in President McKinley’s electoral campaign and ended in the peace talks between France and Germany.

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He was the son of Sarah Walley and John Phillips, who was a judge and an influential political figure in Boston during his time. Seeking for an occupation that was almost as admirable as his father’s, Phillips turned to law school. Phillips’ academic work was stellar,

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1938 Words | 8 Pages

The American Civil Liberties Union, along with the teacher, John Scopes (Bertram Cates), wanted to challenge the law in Tennessee that banned the teaching of evolution in public schools. The trial got the attention of the famous politician, William Jennings Bryan (Matthew Harrison Brady), and also got the attention of Clarence Darrow (Henry Drummond), who was considered to be the best criminal defense lawyer of his time. Brady and Darrow faced off in the “Monkey Trial”, also considered the “Trial of the Century”, in which the law was

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In the book The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America, Lawrence Goodwyn offers us a new review of how political insurgents challenged the two party political system in America and also the corporate state that it protected. Goodwyn traces the history of the “People’s Party” or the “Populist Party.” He followed them from their origins as a political Farmers’ Alliance to their mixture with the Democrats over the issue of the silver coinage fusion that eventually led to them parting ways. Goodwyn’s short history of the Populist movement is more than just a retelling of a story.

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The Scopes "Monkey" Trial The Scopes Trial was a monumentally important event in American history Effect on Education Effects on Society And Its Effects On Religion, Society, and Education Some effects were short-term, some were long-term Effects on Religion The major effect this court case had on religion in America, was that it pointed out the blatant refusal by many States (particularly in the South) to follow the guideline of "Separation of Church and State" set by the Founding Fathers. While they believed they were doing what was best, they were infringing upon the rights of everyone who did not hold the same beliefs as them (for example, Scopes' belief that evolution should be allowed to be taught in schools). Another religious repercussion

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A Fierce Discontent McGerr, Michael E. A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870­1920. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print. In “A fierce Discontent”, the main thesis of the book is to give insight to the progressive movement during the 19th century.

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The people back then believed in an eye for an eye. They believed that they should hang at the gallows but Darrow opposed the death penalty. He felt that he could play Leopold and Loeb trial to his advantage to show the American people that it was an act of vengeance and had no place in the judicial system. This is supported in Criminal Minds (“Like Crowe, Darrow knew that he might be able to play the trial of Leopold and Loeb to his advantage. Darrow was passionately opposed to the death penalty; he saw it as a barbaric and vengeful punishment that served no purpose except to satisfy the mob.

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2129 Words | 9 Pages

Characterization in Inherit the Wind ​Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the play Inherit the Wind is a fictitious spin off of the historical Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, which hotly debated the concept of evolutionism vs. creationism and, in general, a person’s right to think. In the play, a young man by the name of Bert Cates is prosecuted for teaching evolution in school and breaking the state’s “creation-only” law. His case is taken to court where he fights against the highly exalted paragon of religious devotion, Matthew Harrison Brady. Henry Drummond, an almighty but rather infamous attorney, stands by and defends Cates throughout the whole trial. In the midst of this all, Cates’ lover, Rachel Brown, is torn between her love

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635 Words | 3 Pages

Clarence Darrow came to defend scopes. he had a agnostic view on religion and believe evolution is a important to know about. on the state 's side was William Bryan and christian who believed the bible should be thought of in a literal sense and evolution was a dangerous and would lead to a social movement. Just by knowing this it should have been a mistrial based on the fact that the state attorney 's main argument was that it goes against the literal interpretation of the bible because it 's obviously mixing church and state. Just to show you how silly this argument is heres some quotes from the bible Leviticus 19:27 states: “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard”.

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In response to these changes, the Populist party arose, designed to protest against the unfair livelihood the government created for farmers and wage workers. A decade before, “The Farmers’ Alliance appeared,” (Stewart) practicing “cooperative marketing and lobbied the government for various kinds of business and banking regulation.” (Stewart) Even though the Farmers’ Alliance was unsuccessful, farmers and wage workers still desired equal treatment in the workforce, which inspired the creation of the Populists party, or people’s party, in Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha Platform was the founding documents of the Populists party, and “We have witnessed more than a quarter of a century the struggles of the two great political parties for power and plunder, while grievous wrongs have been inflicted upon the suffering people.”

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785 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, as the debate between the contrasting sides develop, Drummond is questioned on what he finds “holy”. He responds, “The individual human mind. In a child’s power to master the multiplication table there is more sanctity than in all your shouted “Amens!”, “Holy,

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