Inherit the Wind By Robert E. Lee & Jerome Lawrence.
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Transcript of Inherit the Wind By Robert E. Lee & Jerome Lawrence.
The Play
• Opened 1955 on Broadway
• Made into a film in 1960, 1988, 1999
• Historical fiction not meant to be a documentary
• Parable satirizing McCarthyism
The Authors
• Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee collaborated on 39 plays together
• Both ended their careers in L. A.
Historical Context/Setting
• Scopes v. State of Tennessee, 1925
• A test case, not a real trial
• Viewed as an historic national debate played out in a courtroom
• Called the “Trial of the Century”& the “Monkey Trial.”
Google Earth
Charges Against John Scopes
• In violation of The Butler Act
• The Butler Act forbade the exclusive teaching of the theory of evolution in the state of TN
• So what’s the big deal?
Theory of Evolution
• Posited in early 19th Century
• Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of the Species
• Published in 1859• Not intended to
incite controversy• Intended audience
of scientists
DarWin’s Theories
• Simply put, all life changes and evolves over time to adapt to its environment
• Natural Selection• Conflicts with literal
translation of the Bible
Dark Side of Evolutionary Theory
• Many unintended results/interpretations
• Eugenics
• Social Darwinism
• “Survival of the fittest”
• Nazi Germany
Facts about Scopes trial
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
advertised for a willing violator of the Butler Act
• Paid for legal fees, fines
• Max fine $500• No jail time
Facts about Scopes trial cont.• Scopes – high school
football coach and substitute teacher hired by local merchants to violate the law
• Why would they do this?
$
Historical people and fictional counterparts
• John Scopes • Sub teacher• Answered ad from
ACLU and local merchants
• Morally indifferent
• Bert Cates• Full time bio teacher• Stands moral
ground• Spends time in jail
and faces serious charges
• Portrayed as a hero
Characters cont.
• William Jennings Bryant
• Prosecutor• Presidential
candidate 3 times• Hero for small town,
rural America
• Matthew Harrison Brady
• Prosecutor• Presidential
candidate 3 times• Portrayed as a
gluttonous, egomaniacal blowhard
Characters cont.
• Clarence Darrow• Preeminent attorney• Favored
controversial cases• “Leftist”• Paid by ACLU
• Henry Drummond• Defense attorney• Seeks symbolic
cases• Paid by Baltimore
Herald
Characters cont.
• H.L. Mencken• Writer, journalist for
Baltimore Sun• Witty, sarcastic
social critic
• E.K. Hornbeck• Reporter for
Baltimore Herald• Sharp-tongued
journalist• Supports Cates
while jeering locals
Themes
• Traditionalism vs. Modernism
• Growing pains of American culture
Industrial Revolution,
Urbanization, and multiculturalism