Inherit The Wind Analysis

The Divine Wind, written by Garry Disher, is a novel in which not only shows and describes the struggle of characters during World War II in Broome, Australia, but also the many aspects of prejudice which affect namingly Ida Penrose, Mitsy Sennosuke, and Magistrate Killian.

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. Overall this play shows the growth of many different types of characters. One of these characters would be Rachel Brown, the reverend's’ daughter, as well as Bert Cates love interest. She is torn between her love for Bert and her loyalty to her father, the Reverend Jeremiah Brown. At the beginning of the play she fears her father and follows only what he says. As the play progresses Rachel becomes more confidant and starts to think for herself. By the end of the play she has created her own identity and completely separates herself from her father.

The Great Depression led many children having responsibilities at an earlier age leading them to be stronger. “No Promises in the Wind” by Irene Hunt and Loss of Childhood by Robert McElvaine showed how many families struggled and dealt with the Great Depression. The Depression had mostly positive effects on children.

Throughout the twentieth century, numerous dramas that were written in the United States presented ideas and situations that had the purpose of changing a reader’s attitude towards a specific subject. This is the case of the play “Inherit the Wind”, a piece written by the playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Throughout the years, many literary scholars have argued whether or not “freedom of thought” has stood as a predominant theme in the play. While this issue may bring about countless debates, my respect towards others’ viewpoints has allowed me to pick a side and to defend it with textual evidence from the play itself. From my perspective, the main theme in Inherit the Wind is freedom of thought.

When a cold front hits a warm front only two things can happen, a thunderstorm or a rainbow. That is exactly what happened in Hillsboro, two very different but deeply rooted ideas began to poke at each other and stir up the townspeople of this narrow minded town. As a result they struck down and cause disorder within their community. Because the two ideas in this scenario are like oil and water, they cannot get along together. Inherit the Wind proves that two very different human roots are difficult to co-exist in the narrow minded town of Hillsboro because of how they deal with controversy in their lives.

In the United States, the theory of evolution and creationism has been strictly debated as far as which method if any should be taught in science classes across the globe. How was the earth created? Where did humans come from? These are questions that arise in most science classes. Many students require an explanation to why humans exist. There are those who would oppose evolution, and there are those who oppose creationism. Is there a significant difference between these methods? Several states have passed regulations that allow schools to teach both methods. The Louisiana Science Education Act, in particular, is an extremely controversial debate. The act allows teachers to teach adscititious materials in the classroom. Many opponents are looking to repeal this law. The Louisiana Science Education Act should not be repealed as it allows the student to engage in critical thinking skills, acknowledge both theories and ultimately decide which theory they believe in.

The debate over teaching evolution in public schools is not new at all but the debate has been elevated through the media over the past few years. Conservative Christians and other conservatives serving on school boards (particularly in the South) have been insisting that if schools are going to buy textbooks that have evolution chapters then they should also have a place in that textbook near the evolution chapter for creationism. Progressives and scholars that understand the scientific basis for evolution argue that there's nothing wrong with putting creationism or "intelligent design" in textbooks but that subject is not science-based and therefore should be published in the "religion" chapter (if there is one). Should evolution be taught in public schools? The answer is yes, most certainly; to ignore evolution is to deprive public school students of some of the most important knowledge relating to our planet and our society. Scientific ignorance is unacceptable in a country that calls itself the "greatest nation on earth."

The decade of the 1920’s was a busy grouping of ten years in America. The power of women’s desire to vote won them suffrage while uncertainty sprouted from government actions such as prohibition and especially the Scopes Trial of 1925. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s play Inherit the Wind is a depiction of this unsettling event that took place in 1925. The four main characters of the play are Bertram Cates, Rachel Brown, Henry Drummond, and Matthew Harrison Brady. The friendships between these four main characters are used to show that friendship is a powerful bond, and how the bonds protected Bertram Cates from a larger punishment in court.

Often times when reading, characters will seem as if they've been plucked straight from the real world and thrust into the plot of a story. Inherit the Wind by Robert Lee is a novel adaptation of a play that was originally written in 1955. Inherit the Wind focuses on the predominantly devout Christian town—Hillsboro. Bertram Cates, a school teacher labeled as an "evolutionist," is being prosecuted by a well-known and beloved politician—Matthew Harrison Brady. Consequently, a quick-witted and intelligent lawyer—Henry Drummond—comes to town to defend Cates and "the right to think." After reading Robert Lee's novel adaptation of Inherit the Wind, it was evident Rachel Brown and I possess some similar qualities and traits. For example, neither of us like to go against the popular belief, we try to be open-minded, and we are put under an abundance of pressure from our parents and society.

The argument has been going on for years and years. Should schools be allowed to teach evolution without teaching creationism? The courts have ruled, the answer is no, the theory of creationism cannot be included in a public school’s academic curriculum. With the court’s decision, it has been made clear there is no place for faith based theories to be taught in our public schools. What if there was a different approach that took God out of the equation? Public high schools should allow a course in intelligent design to be included in the curriculum as a way of teaching both evolution and creationism without violating the separation of church and state. This is certainly easier said than done.

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.

I believe that the state should not tell people what to believe. Everyone has their own mind and they have the right to believe what they want to believe. I see nothing wrong with teachers teaching about Darwinism or Creationism. I think that everyone should be educated on both matters. There is nothing wrong with knowing information about both subjects, and believing or not believing in them. It is the job of teachers to educate the students on people’s ideas and findings from their research. Once a teacher is telling students what they should or shouldn't do then it is a problem. In the movie, Inherit the Wind, there are many instances where I believe that Bert Cates should not have been found guilty for educating his students on the

Evolution has been taught in all public schools for as long as many can recall. Though the process of evolution is not the only theory, schools have been teaching it as if it is the complete truth, ignoring other aspects and only focusing and targeting on Darwin's theory of Evolution. However, there are still many other ideas that the students should be informed of as well because all are theories, all are hypothetic. Teaching of the evolution theory have yet to be proven reliable and confirmed by all scientists, thus it should not be taught in schools and should be left for students to wonder and discover by themselves.

Disher demonstrates isolation of the ethnic groups and the regional and urban divide present in The Divine Wind through the beliefs, experiences, and values of the Killian family and Hartley Penrose. Both culturally and geographically isolated from the rest of Australia, the people of Northern and Central Australia, specifically Broome felt ignored, misunderstood, and misconstrued by the urban South. This is an ongoing theme in Australia. They resented interference from the federal government. The North feared invasion from Japanese and argued that Australia would perish if the North and the Centre were not populated and developed. Racism was intrinsic, with the Aborigines seen either as treacherous or lazy or as childlike and in need of protection. White Australians were the minority and their high statuses were a scant consolation when they were vastly outnumbered by a diverse range of cultures, the Japanese, Malays, and other South East Asians. Although, the minority, the white residents felt as if they had a power of the other ethnicities. Therefore, opening segregated cinemas, a Register of Aliens, and a clear but unofficial racial hierarchy. Their geographical isolation led to specific cultures, views, and beliefs on race. The regional and urban divide was evident when Jaimie Kilian’s wealthy urban family arrived in Broome. Jaimie felt entitled as his father was the new magistrate in town, he was arrogant and opinionated towards the regional community. When Hart offered his friendship, Kilian responded by saying “I don’t need any friends. “He walked as if he had owned the town.” Jamie enjoyed having an edge over Hart, he felt entitled as he was an urban elite. “Jamie was competitive. In almost everything you could name, Jamie was better than me…We were opposites.” Hart displayed what many felt about the new family from the Urban South. “I envied him, I was jealous, I pitied myself.”

In an article published in the New York times, by Laurie Goodstein, she revealed that a poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, revealed that 64 percent said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution, while 38 percent favored replacing evolution with creationism. It is important to note by this poll that the idea of teaching our children other theories of how this world was created was supported by more than half of the polled population. It needs to be understood that when these teachings are given the opportunity to be introduced in the public school settings, teachers must maintain a very bias approach as to not sway their students into believing one side or the other but, rather let them decide for themselves through research and study what they will believe in.