Inherit The Wind Flashcards
Where does the play take place?
Hillsboro
Why has Bertram Cates been put in jail?
He taught evolution to his high school students. Hillsboro is a Christian town, and they were appalled to hear teachings that go against the Bible.
Who is Rachel?
She is a second grade teacher in Hillsboro. She is in love with Bert.
Whose arrival is the town preparing for?
Matthew Harrison Brady. He is an American icon. He gave women their right to vote, and ran for president. He is in Hillsboro to prosecute Bert.
Who arrives in town? What is his character like? What purpose does he serve to the play?
E.K. Hornbeck, a reporter for the Baltimore Herald arrives. He is very cynical and sarcastic. He has come here to help in Cates’s defense. He will be bringing lawyer. He acts as a chorus.
Who does Hornbeck announce as the defence attorney.
Henry Drummond. He is as big of a legend as Matthew Harrison Brady. However, he is an agnostic so the town does not want him in their presence.
Who is Jeremiah Brown?
He is the town Reverend, and Rachel’s father. They do not have a good relationship.
What do the citizens prepare for Brady?
A picnic, a lavish gathering, and a party.
What condition, from the offset is noted that Brady has?
He overeats, and has heart problems.
Who are the jurors chosen?
SIllers and Bannister
Name three conflicts in the novel?
Man vs Man, Man vs. Society, and Man vs Himself
Does Drummond hate Brady?
No. They are actually good friends, however, they are divided on this issue.
Is Rev. Jeremiah Brown using his power correctly?
No. He misuses and misinterprets the Bible. He uses it for his own purposes, and damns people at will.
Does Rachel’s testimony go smoothly?
No. Due to Brady badgering her about Cates, she breaks into tears, and is forced off the stand.
Compare Brady’s statement concerning what Cates said about God and man to Rachel’s report of what he actually said.
Brady: “God did not create Man! Man created God!”
Rachel: “God created Man in his own image – and Man, being a gentleman, returned the compliment”
In an effort to strengthen the prosecution’s case, Brady said that Cates made the following remark, “God did not create Man! Man created God!”, however that remark was very different compared to what Rachel, the witness, had really heard him say. Cates had said that “God created Man in his own image – and Man, being a gentleman, returned the compliment”. The two statements relay two very different images and Brady changed the wording in order to make it sound like Cates was teaching nonsense to the children and he was very misguided. When Rachel actually came up on the stand, she explained that Cates actually did practice religion earlier but he dropped out of the church due to the fact that the Reverend had made very harsh and ridiculous remarks about a child who had died without a baptism. I believe that Rachel’s real relay of the quote is much more refined and show that Cates did have a belief of God, but not of creation, but Brady’s statement shows that faith is not real and made it up to try and spark morality and ethics systems.
What does the judge do to all of Drummond’s scientists and scientific evidence? What does this force Drummond to do.
He does not allow it into the court. Drummond calls Brady up to the stand, and pulls out a rock. He asks if Brady knows when it was created. Brady says 4004 B.C. Drummond then begins to question the Bible, and says that if days are measured by rotations around the sun, how could the first three days of creation be measured, if the sun was created on the fourth day. After more conversation, Brady said that God speaks to him. Drummond laughs at him and calls him “The Prophet from Nebraska”. The crowd laughs at Brady as well and they turn to support Drummond.
What does Brady do after the court loses support of him?
He begins to blubber, and recite volumes of the Bible, as to get people to believe in him again. It does not work, and Mrs. Brady has to console him like a child.
Explain Drummond’s story about Golden Dancer. What is the symbolism of the horse?
Golden Dancer was a rocking horse that Henry Drummond wanted as a seven year old child in Wakeman, Ohio. Golden Dancer was too expensive for his family. However, on his birthday his parents surprised him with Golden Dancer at the foot of his bed. He began rocking on it, except he found out the hard way that the wood was rotten, and it was put together flimsily. He was trying to explain to Cates that something may look incredible on the outside, but it is not what it seems on the inside.
What does the WGN reporter come for?
He comes to broadcast the first live event over radio.
What is the verdict?
Cates is charged as guilty. He has to pay a $100 fine.
What is the aftermath of the trial? (Think about Brady)
Brady goes up to make a victory speech. However, no one listens, so he passes out. It is discovered that he dies from a busted belly (heart attack).
Discuss the denouement of the play. Note the significance of the conversation between Drummond and Hornbeck.
In the denouement of the play Drummond and Hornbeck have a conversation regarding the death of Matthew Harrison Brady. Hornbeck is constantly poking fun at Brady, but Drummond is trying to honor him by explaining how Brady was a good man until he searched too high for god, and got lost. Hornbeck is shocked by this because he thinks that Drummond was never an agnostic, but rather he believed in God more than Brady. In the end we see Drummond taking Darwin’s Origin of Species and The Bible, and putting them into his briefcase.
What is the real trial called?
The Scopes Monkey Trial
Where does the real trial take place?
Dayton, Tennesse
Who is Brady in real life?
William Jennings Bryan.
Who is Cates in real life?
John T. Scopes
Who is Drummond in real life?
Clarence Darrow
Who is Hornbeck in real life?
H.L Mencken
When does the trial take place?
1925
