Preview

Drummond Inherit The Wind

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
909 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Drummond Inherit The Wind
“When you’re through learning, you’re through” – Will Rodgers. The book, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, takes place in a small town in the heart of Tennessee, Hillsboro, and the Bible Belt in the 1920’s. The play covers one of the first evolution v. religion cases in the South. A teacher named Bertham Cates thought the teachings of Darwin were fascinating. Even though it was outlawed to teach evolution, he decided to teach his students the teachings. Not soon after, he finds himself behind bars, and big lawyers like Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry S. Drummond come rushing in to shine a light to the town in darkness. The town sides with Brady, the prosecutor and a profound Christian who ran for president multiple times. On the other hand, most of the town shuns, dislikes, and looks down on Drummond, an agnostic who is defending Cates. While Brady and Drummond duke it out to get the favor of the jury, we find that Drummond possesses few key virtues that make him a successful attorney and a good man. Although some people might consider Drummond harsh and cruel, he possesses great resilience and receptivity throughout the book, showing …show more content…
In the midst of the case, Drummond realizes he swore on the radio and he shows no regret, “‘You’re not supposed to say God on the radio!’ [says Radio Man] ‘Why the hell not?’ [says Drummond]” (Lawrence and Lee 111). Drummond lacks polish and empathy, which are major vices, but they don’t stop him from being a good man. After Drummond has exposed Brady he continues to make a mockery out of him, “(laughter begins) ‘Gentlemen, meet the ‘Prophet from Nebraska!’” (Lawrence and Lee 99). Drummond has a cruel side because he continues to tarnish Brady’s reputation after he has exposed him as a fraud. Although Drummond is rough around the edges, it doesn’t prevent him from being a good man nor a successful

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Phillip Douglas Jackson was born on September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana. Jackson was known as the best NBA head coach of all time, leading the Chicago Bulls to six titles and the Los Angeles Lakers to three. Before Phil became known as a victorious head coach, he was an ordinary athlete. Phil Jackson played basketball, football, and baseball in high school and was recruited to North Dakota University to play basketball after graduation. While attending the college, Phil helped his team win third-and fourth-place finishes in the NCAA Division II championships. Jackson was known as the “Zen Master” to the game of basketball.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Before one recess, the Judge announces that Reverend Brown had asked him to announce that there will be a prayer meeting in the courthouse lawn, to pray for justice and guidance (48). Drummond see’s this as unfair since the court is promoting Christianity. Drummond, annoyed, says “Your Honor. I object to this commercial announcement” (48), because the Judge seems to be favoring Creationism. If the Judge makes an announcement for Reverend Brown, he should also make one for Cates and/or Drummond. He see’s this as an opportunity to mention the huge “Read Your Bible!” banner outside of the courthouse. Drummond demands a banner just as big, right beside the bible banner, to promote Evolutionism/Darwinism. The trail is not fair since the Judge, Jury, Courthouse, and the whole town favors Creationism and Christianity. Drummond just wants a fair trial.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Scopes was a teacher in Tennessee who became famous for going on trial for teaching evolution. Scopes was part of an American Civil Liberties Union attempt to challenge a state law prohibiting the teaching of evolution. Scopes trial became a national sensation. Scopes was found guilty, but his story remains famous as the Scopes "Monkey Trial," dramatized in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind.…

    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jurgis Immigration Quotes

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “Since it was Jurgis’s first experience, these details naturally caused him some worriment; but the other laughed coolly—it was the way of the game, and there was no helping it. Before long Jurgis would think no more of it than they did in the yards of knocking out a bullock” (Sinclair 287). Although his initial reaction to the crime concerned him, Jurgis suddenly had a change in emotion when his accomplice thought nothing of the deed. The impact that Duane plays in Jurgis morally is tremendous, as Jurgis never cared for the opinions of those around him.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although Drummond and Brady are portrayed as opposites, they are in fact two sides of the same coin of skepticism, with one representing the competing thoughts about Evolution and Creationism respectively. For the two of them to coexist, they must never question one another. This is the essence of what this passage means to the work in totality. Brady’s “standing still”, or his refusal to question his philosophy while Drummond leans towards change, is what makes him an impediment to the progress of society (Lawrence and Lee 44). Progress muddles simplicity, yet it creates clarity.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sometimes all it takes is the innocent eye of a child to see things in a way one would never considered seeing them before. Sometimes worrying about social standards and coming into situations pessimistic can cloud judgment. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses social injustice and racial discrimination to prove how unfair our court system…

    • 58 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The way humans express themselves is through strong emotion that determines our personalities and how others perceive us. In Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a schoolteacher by the name of Bertram Cates is accused of breaking the law by teaching evolution in a classroom. The defendant, Henry Drummond stands up for Cates in the famous Monkey Trial. By expressing his humor, persistence, and sarcasm, Drummond helps others learn about evolution and its contribution to society, even though he did not win the case.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A black man wrongly accused of raping a white women does not stand a chance in the criminal justice system of Maycomb county and Tom Robinson is aware of that. Although he will not go down without a fight. Tom Robinson confronts his fears and shows courage by getting a lawyer to defend himself. Tom knows the jury is plotted against him but by getting a lawyer he proves he will not give up and will fight for the truth, displaying real courage. For example ; "Real courage...(is not) man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do"(Lee, 116). Tom knows the odds are against him but follows through anyway because he knows the truth and will not let a prejudice society dictate otherwise. Tom faces society and a great fear of standing up to a white community, with courage and his own dignity to keep him fighting for.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Losing one’s innocence, or rather the simple act of growing up is inevitable. The children of primary focus in Harper Lee’s classic, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, succumb to their eventual fate by evolving into mature characters with help from the influential events in the town.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, the reader follows a man of the same name on his journey through the forest to an unspecified ritual. Leaving behind his wife—appropriately named Faith—he sets off, unaware of what awaits him. While many are content with believing this story is a tale about lying, there is evidence that more meaning lies beneath the surface. Rather than just stating the obvious, Hawthorne may have been meaning to warn readers of the dangers of overestimating their own faith. By believing that his faith was unshakable and pure, Goodman Brown leaves himself open to the deception of the outside world that lurks when his “Faith” is not around. Hawthorne expresses how evil thoughts are inherently human, no matter how innocent or religious a person attempts to live. Faith alone cannot protect people from the world outside of it.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tkam Essay

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages

    America has always taken pride in its detailed history, for better or for worse. Many novels have attempted to demonstrate historical events, but none have quite come close to the outstanding perspective of To Kill a Mockingbird. Readers get to see America as it was in the 1930's through the eyes of an untainted, unhindered child. As it has always been told, sadly, racism and prejudice were somewhat of a building block for the founding of this country. The audience experiences this firsthand in the novel as Atticus Finch, a middle-aged lawyer, takes on a case in which he must defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Circumstantially, the cause for this case would be lost; the black man would be found guilty upon being seen by the jury. As even Reverend Sykes stated, “[he] had never seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man” (279). But Atticus, an entrepreneur of his own kind, defied the accepted truth and caused the jury to ponder for hours. This was an important moment for both literature and for the well-being of America. It puts into perspective the hardships of African Americans during the 1930’s, which is not something to be taken lightly.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Society has evolved over hundreds of years to be where it is now. Throughout that time, people have created thoughts and opinions about many topics such as how one should live, the way people should act, and how to treat others. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression in the 1930s. During this time, whites were superior to blacks. Lee uses the case against Tom Robinson to depict the impact slavery has had on racial views towards blacks. Tradition, being the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, is an example of how previous ways of life effect the present. Through the experiences of the Finch family during the time of the Tom Robinson case, it is evident that tradition affects the lives of individuals in a negative way because it shapes the way a society thinks, leaving long lasting views of racism, sexism, and classism.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Coming of age comes with the conscience of losing one’s innocence, without which the seed of maturity can not be planted. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper lee is during a time of economic depression where racism and prejudice are prevalent. In the sleepy southern town of Maycomb county, a court case between an African American and white women accompanied the process of two kids journey to maturity. Jem and Scout both became more mature though the Tom Robinson’s trial and learning to respect others for who they are as an individual.…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    People can develop through the ages quite rapidly sometimes; taking on contrasting values and becoming virtually different people. It is a common feature in the entire of humankind, that during the course of extreme change or difficulties, people change their qualities to adapt. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s renowned novella To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem Finch goes through such changes. The story set in a small and quiet town in Alabama in the 1930s, revolves around the existing racial prejudice and how it affects the Finch household. A trial involving an innocent and poor black man who has been accused of rape by a white woman who lives her life as a social outcast shakes the moral conscience of the whole town. The…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Out of many reoccurring themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, injustice proves itself the most extensive. In the small southern town of Maycomb, populated by both blacks and whites, several situations involve great injustice. One will see injustice practiced by a person making quick assumptions or judgments, as well as one possessing a prejudiced or predetermined bias. Whether a minor situation or one in a courtroom, injustice is always wrong. The common theme of injustice displays itself through a number of vastly different scenarios, such as Aunt Alexandra’s quick judgments about Walter Cunningham, the Finch’s unique experience at Calpurnia’s church, and the people of Maycomb’s biased verdict of Tom Robinson.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays