Inherit the Wind and Summer for the Gods are two works based on the Scopes Trial, however, there are some differences between the two. Inherit the Wind is a fictional play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It takes place in a fictional setting and also using fictional characters as a rendition of the famous Scopes Trial. Summer for the Gods is a highly regarded, non-fictional book that was published in the early 90s. It was written by author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Edward J. Larson. The book is based on historical events and accounts of The Scopes Trial; including events leading up to and after the trial. Inherit the Wind In the fictional play Inherit the Wind, controversy surrounds Bertram Cates, a school teacher who …show more content…
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 …show more content…
At the time, certain events were taking place that allowed the rise of religious fundamentalism. Larson says, “These scientific developments helped set the stage in the early 1920s for a massive crusade by fundamentalists against teaching evolution in public schools, which culminated in the 1925 trial of John Scopes.”13 Developments such as the increase of public schools, new fossil discoveries that strengthened the evolution argument, and the rise of religious fundamentalism all helped strengthen the case of anti-evolution advocates. These anti-evolution movements lead by religious leaders such as William Jennings Bryan argued that the teaching of evolution should be banned in public schools since it was the will of the majority, even if freedom of speech was compromised. The ACLU eventually advertised for a teacher to challenge the law that banned evolution. John Scopes agreed to cooperate with the ACLU and news of what was happening Hartline
Scopes's involvement in the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial came about after the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it would finance a test case challenging the constitutionality of the Butler Act if they could find a Tennessee teacher who was willing to act as a defendant. John Thomas Scopes was this defendant. The prosecutor for the trial pointed out that while the Butler Act prohibited
Eventually they found out and Scopes was arrested. This is how the Monkey Trial came to be.
According to Jerome Lawrence & Robert Lee (1955), “Inherit the Wind is not history. It is a theatre.” (author’s note). A fictional theatre based on history and witness accounts to be exact. The actual Scopes trial was recorded by many court stenographers.
In several aspects, the actual Scopes trial differs from what is presented in the play Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. One of those differences is that in reality, William Jennings Bryan, the counterpart for Brady, did not have a fit while delivering his last speech and did not die in the courtroom. While comparing this difference between the play version and the actual event, the play seems more engaging because it adds drama, which makes the play more appealing. The death of Brady also leads to the character development of Henry Drummond. This can be seen when after Brady’s death, Drummond says that he acknowledges the greatness that was in Brady and defends Brady’s name against Hornbeck.
The last argument that made me not want to vote to convict John Scopes is the argument he made that religion has caused people to have different opinions. But some things should be between an individual , his maker or his God. Darrow says that the constitutional convention should leave the questions of religion between man and what he worships. Questions of religion shouldn’t be brought into the classrooms of
It was the roaring twenties! Money was being made and people were enjoying life. All was well in the United States, including Dayton, Tennessee. It was smooth sailing in the volunteer state until July 21, 1925 when John Scopes, a substitute teacher, was convicted of illegally teaching his high school students the idea of evolution. This sparked up a huge controversy between modern science and religious beliefs.
To Kill A Mockingbird is by Harper Lee and Inherit The Wind is by Lawrence Jerome and Robert Edwin Lee. The character I chose from To Kill A Mockingbird, as I said before, is Atticus Finch. He is a gentleman, father and lawyer.
At the same time Tennessee senator John Washington Butler, for which the act outlawing evolution was named after, publicly admitted to not even knowing anything about evolution. He just heard that it went against the teachings of the
The Scopes Trial took place in Tennessee, and the defendants name was John T. Scopes. He challenged the law for the American Civil Liberties Union, and so he taught evolution in the classroom. The trial was broadcast throughout the entire nation, to people curious about evolution, and it was the first trial to be broadcasted. The battle between the prosecuting attorney and defense attorney was great, as William Jennings Bryan was questioned in detail by defense attorney Clarence Darrow.
The debate on the “Scopes Trial” was another conflicting issues happened during the 1920’s. The “Scopes Trial” occurred on John Scopes who was a high school teacher of Dayton, Tennessee. John Scopes was charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution. When the trial took place in 1925, William Jennings Bryan was among those who were against Scopes and wanted to ban the teaching of evolution throughout the nation. William Jennings Bryan, who was a Fundamentalist of old-time religion, believed God was powerful and the Bible should be taken literally.
Old practices became a thing of the past with the fast-paced city drawing people into a new life. This worried religious people, hoping that their attendees wouldn’t leave them. Many felt alienated from city life and modernization. This led to direct conflicts against the teaching of science and evolution in schools. This can be seen through the Scopes Trial fiasco of 1925, where fundamentalisms tried putting a teacher in Tennessee behind bars for teaching such things.
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
Stephen King, a famous writer once said, “Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They are both fruit, but they taste completely different.” Truly, this applies to all movies and books. This quote is effective describing the novel and the movie, A Raisin in the Sun. Although the two share similar scenes and acts, the movie shows a lot more details which make it better.
Nicholas Grill Mrs. Browning English 10X 25 July 2017 Inherit the Wind Journal Entries Question #2: Inherit the Wind reflects the Holy Cross core value of Hope through the actions of its main characters. The central conflict in this story revolves around a fictional court case against a high school teacher, named Bertram Cates, who taught his students evolution. This court case takes place in a Christian town, wherein the townsfolk disagree with the theory of evolution and feel like Mr. Cates should be punished for his actions. Throughout the rest of the story, Mr. Cates, and his lawyer Henry Drummond, hope to win this case in defense of Mr. Cates’ right to freely speak what he believes.
Urban vs Rural Scopes Trial The 1920’s can be characterized as a clash between the traditional and the modern. One of the biggest moments where urban vs rural was tested was in the scopes trial or “monkey trial”. The scopes trial involved a substitute teacher, John Scopes, who was accused of violating the Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach evolution in any state-funded school in Tennessee. This is where urban vs rural had huge conflict, this teacher who was considered modern for teaching his theory of humanity to a traditionalist school.