INHERIT THE WIND

Question 1

How is the conflict between religion and science made significant in the play?

Answer 1

• opening scene of children arguing- “what’re you skeered of? you was a worm once”, “(shocked) i wasn’t neither”…”there was nothing but worms and blobs of jelly” (Howard+Melinda)
• Rachel’s inner conflict- “Bert, why don’t you tell em it was all a joke?”, “i was always more afraid of my father than i was of falling”, “Maybe what Mr Darwin wrote is wrong… it doesn’t make a difference; the idea have to come out”
• Drummond’s final exit- “Darwin in one hand… picks up the bible in the other hand… as if his hands were scales, they teeter with equal weight”

Question 2

How is the conflict between Town and Country significant in the play?

Answer 2

• Hornbeck- outsider’s perspective- “Hello Devil, Welcome to hell”, “MHB died of a busted belly… why should we weep for him? He was a Barnum Bunkum Bible-beating bastard!” (Hornbeck saunters on, chewing an apple”
• Turning point of court case- (D) “a 24 hour day”, (B) “i do not know”, (D) “what do you think?”, (B) “i do not think about things that… i do not think about!”, (D) “do you ever think about things that you do think about?” (there is some laughter. But it is dampened by the awareness, throughout the courtroom that the trap is about to be sprung)
• Rachel’s conflict- believes Cates but feels tied to her father

Question 3

How is the conflict between law and belief shown in the play?

Answer 3

-Rachel and Bert’s arguments- (R) “there’s a law against it… everybody says what you did is bad”, (C) “it isn’t as simple as that”, (R) “Bert why don’t you tell them it was all a joke? that you didn’t mean to break the law”

Question 4

How is tension and drama created in the play?

Answer 4

• Brady’s death- “Brady’s dead”, “i can’t imagine a world without MHB”, “MHB died of a busted belly, why should we weep for him?”, “i’m getting damned tired of you, Hornbeck”
• Turning point of the court case- (There is some laughter. But it is dampened by the awareness, throughout the courtroom, that the trap is about to be sprung) (Drummond’s got him. And he knows it! This is the turning point) (His vanity— exposed by Drummond’s prodding, is only funny)
• When Rachel is on the stand- “(confused) I did answer didn’t i? what was the question?”, “tell em what your father really said! that Tommy’s soul was damned, writhing in hellfire!”

Question 5

Describe the way is which different genres are shown in the play

Answer 5

COMEDY- Hornbeck- (Hornbeck saunters on, chewing an apple), “E.K. Hornbeck’s brilliant little symphony of words”, “I may be rancid butternut i’m on your side of the bread”, “He’s alright. Give him an hour or so to sweat away the pickles and pumpernickel: to let him tongue forget the acid taste of vinegar victory. Mount Brady will erupt again by nightfall” CRUEL “You never push a noun against a verb except to blow up something!”
TRAGEDY- Brady’s Death- “I wonder how it feels to be almost president three times— with a skull full of undelivered inauguration speeches”, “A giant once lives in that body. (Quietly) But Matt Brady has got lost”
SADNESS- Rachel’s conflict- “I was always afraid of what i might think so i decided it was safer not to think at all”, “Bert didn’t say that, he was just joking. What he said was that God created Man in his own images— and man, being a gentlemen, returned the compliment”