What is the plot of Inherit the Wind?
In the 1920s, Tennessee schoolteacher Bertram Cates (Dick York) is put on trial for violating the Butler Act, a state law that prohibits public school teachers from teaching evolution instead of creationism. Drawing intense national attention in the media with writer E. K. Hornbeck (Gene Kelly) reporting, two of the nation’s leading lawyers go head to head: Matthew Harrison Brady (Fredric March) for the prosecution, and Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) for the defense.Inherit the Wind / Film synopsis
What does the wind symbolize in Inherit the Wind?
The Wind Symbol Analysis As the play’s title indicates, the wind is a central symbol of Lawrence and Lee’s work. The line from Proverbs, quoted by Brady and then, after Brady’s death, by Drummond, goes as follows: “He that troubleth his own house . . .
Who won the case in Inherit the Wind?
The jury finds Cates guilty, and he is fined $100. Brady protests the minimal punishment. Although he won the case, his victory is a hollow one. The real triumph belongs to Drummond and Cates, who win a moral victory for freedom of thought.
Why is Inherit the Wind called that?
Title. The play’s title comes from Proverbs 11:29, which in the King James Bible reads: He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
What does he that troubleth his own house shall Inherit the Wind mean?
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise in heart. As such, the title of the play is foreboding. When people create problems within their family, community, or country, they ultimately suffer the consequences of their actions.
What is golden dancer in Inherit the Wind?
Golden Dancer, a rocking horse Drummond received from his parents as a child, represents the deceptiveness of external beauty. Despite its bright shine and color, the horse broke the first time Drummond rode it.
Why is Inherit the Wind important?
Inherit the Wind recounts the famous 1925 criminal trial Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes (often referred to as the “Scopes Monkey Trial”), which was a landmark in the debate between evolutionists and creationists.
What does Henry Drummond believe in?
He is idealistic and claims to be an agnostic, believing that knowing whether God exists isn’t possible. Drummond has been sent to Hillsboro at the request of the Baltimore Herald to defend Cates. He is an intelligent, shrewd, and skilled courtroom attorney, well known for defending notorious criminals.
Is Henry Drummond religious?
The author of this book was Henry Drummond, a Scottish evangelical worker who died in 1897. Needham, born three years later, was a Marxist embryologist and a practising Anglo-Catholic.
What is Reverend Brown’s sermon about?
Brown bases his sermon on the creation story in the Bible. Lawrence and Lee use the creation story and Brown’s sermon to both remind the audience of the creation story as it is told in the Bible and to illustrate how narrow-minded these anti-evolutionists are.