resource_guide_inherit_the_wind
resource_guide_inherit_the_wind
-Provide resources that help students connect the literature, the play, and their lives.
-Provide resources that help teachers create engaging and enriching experiences.
-Change the name of the curriculum or study guide to a “Resource and Tour Guide.”
-Introduce the world of the literature and the world of the play to help students and teachers
Adequately prepare for the experience of seeing literature come to life on stage.
Reluctant and Struggling Readers – Much research is conducted on students designated as reluctant and
struggling readers. There are many websites devoted to this subject; Links to some of these can be found on the
education pages of our website. In summary, reluctant readers want choice; help navigating through complex
literature, and experiences to share their responses with peers and adults (Baker 2002; Gambrell 1996; Ivey 2002;
Reeves 2004; Sumara 2002; Tovani 2000). Struggling readers need support with vocabulary, “chunking” ideas
rather than decoding words, visualizing, expressing what they see, and how to ask questions as they read.
This guide addresses those concerns by providing a range of information that reluctant readers can choose to
explore, read, and discuss as they discover Inherit the Wind. For struggling readers, complex or unfamiliar
vocabulary is highlighted to help you create “word walls” or other strategies that address comprehension and,
ultimately, enjoyment of the literature.
Visualization, Imagery & Imagination – Wilhelm (2004), in Reading is Seeing, proposed addressing visualization
can:
Imagery – Recreating in one’s mind the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches described by an author (Clewell
2006). Pictures in this guide can help your students visualize and describe what they read and see.
How to use this guide – This guide is not just a collection of lesson plans. While you will find lesson suggestions
throughout the guide, the material is designed to provide material that will enrich your lessons wit students,
encourage them to read the literature, improve their vocabulary with words highlighted in bold that may be
unfamiliar to them, and comprehension of the literature, and stimulate an enjoyment of reading and exploring
literature. The guide is designed to help you find ways of helping your students see the literature, not just as
words on pages, but as vibrant images, characters, settings, conflicts, and ideas that relate to their lives today.
We hope you find this Resource and Tour Guide useful, helpful, and enjoyable. Thank you
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Table of Contents
What is Creationism?..................................................................................................................................23
..................................................................................................................................................... 32
SET DESIGN.................................................................................................................................................. 33
Unit Plan for Inherit the Wind .................................................................................................................. 34
Vocabulary Study for Act I of Inherit the Wind ....................................................................................... 36
Teaching Suggestions for Inherit the Wind, Act One .................................................................................. 39
Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Language Arts: Eighth Grade Benchmark...................................... 40
Inherit the Wind Study Guide ...................................................................................................................... 41
Selected Website Resources for Reluctant Readers………………………………………………………………………………..54
Theatre Etiquette…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..56
THE PLAY
Inherit the Wind tells the story of one of the greatest courtroom dramas of twentieth century America.
While the Scopes Monkey Trial provided the basis for the play, the authors of the drama used creative
license and changed the factual elements to communicate the ideas and concepts of the original trial.
Written nearly thirty years after the actual trial, the play provides a vehicle for demonstrating the
conflicts between fundamentalisms and religious traditionalism on the one hand, and evolution and
the freedom of thought on the other. The authors used the trial as a means to present these universal
and timeless concepts. It must also be considered that the play was written in the 1950’s, while America
was struggling with the issues of the cold war, McCarthyism, and the rights of the individual versus the
state. While there is a risk in bringing history to life through drama, the central issues are clearly not of
the past. They are as pertinent now as they were in the 1920’s and the 1950’s, and they will continue to
create conflicts in societies which value the freedom of ideas, religion, science and politics.
Two additional amendments to the Constitution started the decade and defined its character.
The enactment of Prohibition marked the beginning of a "Noble Experiment" that attempted
to uplift America's moral character through the banishment of alcohol. The experiment failed
and today references to the "Roaring Twenties" evoke images of lawlessness and moral decay.
The 19th Amendment extended the right to vote to women and subsequently changed the role
of women in our society.
5
1920 November 2
Allegheny County women
appeared at polling places to
cast their first ballots.
1920 November 2
Station KDKA, first licensed radio
broadcasting station, gave the
Harding-Cox election returns as its
first scheduled broadcast. It was the first broadcast of its kind in the country.
1921 January 2
Church service was broadcast from the Calvary
Protestant Episcopal Church in East Liberty -- the
world’s first such broadcast..
1921 November 4
Census report for 1920 listed 20,297 persons
over 10 years of age in Pittsburgh as illiterate.
1924 November 6
Pitt Chancellor John G. Bowman announced plans
for a "52-story" Gothic skyscraper, the Cathedral
of Learning. (Left)
1925 May 14
The largest electric
locomotive in the
world, 152 feet long
and weighing
1,275,900 pounds,
was given a test run
at Westinghouse’s
East Pittsburgh
yards.
What is a Flivver?
It usually refers to a Ford Model T, but can mean any small, cheap car
of its day. The term later referred to early flying machines.
7
Charlie Chaplin
Mary Pickford
Popular Phrases of
the 1920’s
Get hot!
It’s the cat’s meow!
23 Skidoo!
Say’s you!
So’s your old man! The record player, called a
Coca Cola Advertisement Victrola, became popular
Get out while the
getting is good!
Louis Armstrong
9
8XK in Pittsburgh
In 1919, Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad reopened his home-
based experimental station 8XK. He went on the air two evenings a
week, playing records that were provided by a local music store in
exchange for on-the-air plugs. His broadcasts were very popular in the
Pittsburgh area.
1926 January 26
Marcus Loew announced plans to erect the largest theater in Pennsylvania, a 4000-seat house
on the site of the old Hotel Anderson, Sixth and Penn,
at cost of $2,500,000.
1929 January 11
Declaring that the city should assume leadership in the
fight against air pollution, City Council authorized
installation of smoke prevention equipment at the city’s
pumping station at Brilliant.
10
SITTING ON FLAGPOLES
DANCE MARATHONS
Jazz
Blues
Show tunes
Hillbilly Music
Novelty Songs
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Character List
Matthew Harrison Brady Three time presidential candidate; Orator; Lawyer; Fundamentalist;
Attorney for the Prosecution; Based on William Jennings Bryan
Henry Drummond Cates’ Defense Attorney; Hired by the Baltimore Herald; Fights for
freedom of thought; Based on Clarence Darrow
E.K. Hornbeck Reporter from the Baltimore Herald; Based on H.L. Mencken
Rachel Brown Daughter of Rev. Brown; Teaches second grade; good friend to Bertram
Cates
Mrs. Brady Matthew Harrison Brady’s wife; Worries about her husband’s health
Mrs. Krebs An outspoken member of the community; Helps Brady during his stay in
Hillsboro
Tommy Stebbins The twelve year old boy who died by drowning
Mayor Supports Brady and welcomes him to town; Believes Brady will win
Jesse H. Dunlap Farmer and cabinetmaker; Questioned by the attorneys before judge
decides he cannot serve on the jury
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Henry Drummond: Suppose God whispered into a Bertram Cate's ear that an un-Brady thought could
still be holy? Must men go to jail because they find themselves at odds with a self-appointed prophet?
Matthew Harrison Brady: We must not abandon faith! Faith is the most important thing!
Henry Drummond: Then why did God plague us with the capacity to think? Mr. Brady, why do you deny
the one thing that sets above the other animals? What other merit have we? The elephant is larger, the
horse stronger and swifter, the butterfly more beautiful, the mosquito more prolific, even the sponge is
more durable. Or does a sponge think?
Matthew Harrison Brady: I don't know. I'm a man, not a sponge!
Henry Drummond: Do you think a sponge thinks?
Matthew Harrison Brady: If the Lord wishes a sponge to think, it thinks!
Henry Drummond: Does a man have the same privilege as a sponge?
Matthew Harrison Brady: Of course!
Henry Drummond: [Gesturing towards the defendant, Bertram Cates] Then this man wishes to have the
same privilege of a sponge, he wishes to think!
Henry Drummond: Hornbeck, I'm getting tired of you. You never push a noun against a verb without
trying to blow up something.
E. K. Hornbeck: He's the only man I know who can strut sitting down.
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E. K. Hornbeck: Mr. Brady, it is the duty of a newspaper to comfort the afflicted and afflict the
comfortable.
Matthew Harrison Brady: Remember the wisdom of Solomon in the book of Proverbs. "He that
troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind."
Henry Drummond: I don't swear for the hell of it. Language is a poor enough means of communication.
We've got to use all the words we've got. Besides, there are damn few words anybody understands.
E. K. Hornbeck: He that sups with the devil must have a long spoon.
Townswoman: You're the stranger, ain'tcha? Are you looking for a nice, clean place to stay?
E. K. Hornbeck: Madam, I had a nice clean place to stay... and I left it, to come here.
Matthew Harrison Brady: But your client is wrong. He is deluded. He has lost his way.
Henry Drummond: It's a shame we don't all possess your positive knowledge of what is right and what is
wrong, Mr. Brady.
Matthew Harrison Brady: I do not think about things I do not think about.
Henry Drummond: Do you ever think about things that you do think about?
Judge: [after Drummond asks the judge for permission to withdraw form the case] Colonel Drummond,
what reasons can you possibly have?
Henry Drummond: [Indicates the crowd] Well, there are two hundred of them.
[Crowd reacts angrily]
Henry Drummond: And if that's not enough there's one more. I think my client has already been found
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guilty.
Matthew Harrison Brady: [Rises] Is Mr. Drummond saying that this expression of an honest emotion will
in any way influence the court's impartial administration of the law?
Henry Drummond: I say that you cannot administer a wicked law impartially. You can only destroy, you
can only punish. And I warn you, that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys every one it touches. Its
upholders as well as its defiers.
Judge: Colonel Drummond...
Henry Drummond: Can't you understand? That if you take a law like evolution and you make it a crime
to teach it in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools?
And tomorrow you may make it a crime to read about it. And soon you may ban books and newspapers.
And then you may turn Catholic against Protestant, and Protestant against Protestant, and try to foist
your own religion upon the mind of man. If you can do one, you can do the other. Because fanaticism
and ignorance is forever busy, and needs feeding. And soon, your Honor, with banners flying and with
drums beating we'll be marching backward, BACKWARD, through the glorious ages of that Sixteenth
Century when bigots burned the man who dared bring enlightenment and intelligence to the human
mind!
Judge: I hope counsel does not mean to imply that this court is bigoted.
Henry Drummond: Well, your honor has the right to hope.
Judge: I have the right to do more than that.
Henry Drummond: You have the power to do more than that.
[the Judge holds Drummond in contempt of court]
Henry Drummond: For I intend to show this court that what Bertram Cates spoke quietly one spring
morning in the Hillsboro High School is not crime. It is incontrovertible as geometry to any enlightened
community of minds.
Prosecutor Tom Davenport: In this community, Colonel Drummond, and in this sovereign state, exactly
the opposite is the case. The language of the law is clear, your Honor. We do not need experts to
question the validity of a law that is already on the books.
Henry Drummond: Well, what do you need? A gallows to hang him from?
Prosecutor Tom Davenport: That remark is an insult to this entire community.
Henry Drummond: And this community is an insult to the world.
Henry Drummond: The Bible is a book. It's a good book, but it is not the only book.
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Henry Drummond: But all you have to do is knock on any door and say, "If you let me in, I'll live the way
you want me to live, and I'll think the way you want me to think," and all the blinds'll go up and all the
windows will open, and you'll never be lonely, ever again. If that's the case, I'll change the plea - that is,
if you know the law's right and you're wrong.
E. K. Hornbeck: I may be rancid butter but I'm on your side of the bread.
E. K. Hornbeck: Looks like you're going out in a blaze of glory counselor. You were pretty impressive for
a while there today, Henry. "Your Honor, after a while you'll be setting man against man, creed against
creed" etc, etc, ad nauseam unquote. AHH, Henry! why don't you wake up? Darwin was Wrong! Man's
still an ape. His creed still a totem pole. When he first achieved the upright position he took a look at the
stars... thought they were something to eat. When he couldn't reach them, he thought they were
groceries belonging to a bigger creature... that's how Jehovah was born.
E. K. Hornbeck: Aw, Henry! Why don't you wake up? Darwin was wrong. Man's still an ape. His creed's
still a totem pole. When he first achieved the upright position, he took a look at the stars - thought the
were something to eat. When he couldn't reach them, he decided they were groceries belonging to a
bigger creature; that's how Jehovah was born.
Henry Drummond: I wish I had your worm's-eye view of history. It would certainly make things a lot
easier.
E. K. Hornbeck: Oh ho, no! Not for you. No, you'd still be spending your time trying to make sense out of
what is laughingly referred to as the "human race." Why don't you take your blinders off? Don't you
know the future's already obsolete? You think man still has a noble destiny. Well I tell you he's already
started on his backward march to the salt and stupecy from which he came.
Henry Drummond: What about men like Bert Cates?
E. K. Hornbeck: Cates? A monkey who tried to fly. Cates climbed to the top of the totem pole, but then
he jumped. And there was nobody there to catch him. Not even you.
Henry Drummond: You poor slob! You're all alone. When you go to your grave, there won't be anybody
to pull the grass up over your head. Nobody to mourn you. Nobody to give a damn. You're all alone.
E. K. Hornbeck: You're wrong, Henry. You'll be there. You're the type. Who else would defend my right
to be lonely?
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Henry Drummond: Is that the way of things? God tells Brady what is good; to be against Brady is to be
against God!
Matthew Harrison Brady: No! Every man is a free agent!
Henry Drummond: Then what is Bertram Cates doing in the Hillsboro Jail?
E. K. Hornbeck: [Cates rises as his girlfriend is called to testify] Sit down, Samson, you're about to get a
haircut.
Matthew Harrison Brady: I have been to their cities and I have seen the altars upon which they sacrifice
the futures of their children to the gods of science. And what are their rewards? Confusion and self-
destruction. New ways to kill each other in wars. I tell you gentlemen the way of science is the way of
darkness.
Henry Drummond: As long as the prerequisite for that shining paradise is ignorance, bigotry and hate, I
say the hell with it.
Townspeople: [singing] We'll hang Bertram Cates from a sour apple tree, we'll hang Bertram Cates from
a sour apple tree, we'll hang Bertram Cates from a sour apple tree. We'll hang Henry Drummond from a
sour apple tree, our God is marching on.
Matthew Harrison Brady: [to Henry Drummond] They're looking for something that's more perfect than
what they already have. Why do you want to take that away from them when it's all they have?
Rachel Brown: [addressing the court about the Stebbeins boy] He went swimming in the river with the
other boys, he got a cramp and drowned. At the funeral, my father said that Tommy's soul couldn't pass
on to Heaven.
Bertram T. Cates: Tell them what your father really said, that Tommy's soul was damned and burning in
hellfire! Religion is supposed to comfort people, not scare them to death!
Rachel Brown: Don't you see? Bert didn't think it was fair that a little child couldn't go to Heaven.
Howard: He said that men sort of evo-luted from Old World monkeys.
Matthew Harrison Brady: Do you hear that, friends? Old World monkeys! According to Bertram Cates,
we don't even descend from good American monkeys!
[laughing]
18
1859-1925
1859 Charles Darwin's Origin of Species is
published. Its revolutionary theory of
natural selection will have profound
effects on both the scientific world and
society at large.
July 17: Judge Raulston reads his decision forbidding the defense
team's scientific experts to testify before the jury. Darrow objects
strenuously. Believing the trial is over, many reporters leave
town.
Bryan dies in his sleep in Dayton. Many blame his death on the
stress of Darrow's interrogation, but he had been ill with diabetes
for some time.
What is McCarthyism?
Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was a Republican U.S.
Senator from the state of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy
became the most visible public face of a period of extreme anti-communist suspicion inspired by
the tensions of the Cold War. He was noted for making unsubstantiated claims that there were
large numbers of Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers inside the federal government.
Ultimately, his tactics led to his being discredited and censured by the United States Senate. The
term "McCarthyism," coined in 1950 in reference to
McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-
communist pursuits. Today the term is used more generally
to describe demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated
accusations,
as well as
public
attacks on
the character
or patriotism
of political
opponents.
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WHAT IS EVOLUTION?
Evolution is a fairly simple idea. A broad definition of it is "Species change over time.”
23
Evolutionary theory is supported by a huge body of evidence, including the fossil record and
observations of organisms alive today. That is one of the reasons it is embraced by most mainstream
scientists.
Charles Darwin
WHAT IS CREATIONISM?
Many people believe that
the Earth and all the
creatures in it were
created by God. Although
most religions have
creation stories as part of
their beliefs, those who
refer to themselves as
Creationists are mainly
fundamental Protestant
Christians. These
Creationists believe the
version of creation found in the Bible in the book of Genesis. In this account, God created the
Universe, including the Earth and all the creatures in it, in seven days. Most Creationists believe
this means seven twenty-four hour days. Other Christians and Jews believe the seven days
symbolize periods that lasted much longer.
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George Washington Rappleyea (left) and John Thomas Scopes (Bertram Cates in the play)
(right), Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925.
Rappleyea was an engineer and geologist who managed the Cumberland Coal & Iron Company,
and he is widely credited with suggesting that Dayton challenge the new anti-evolution statute.
“The selection of a jury to try Scopes... showed to what extreme lengths the salvation of the local
primates has been pushed. It was obvious after a few rounds that the jury would be unanimously
hot for Genesis. The most that Mr. Darrow could hope for was to sneak in a few bold enough to
declare publicly that they would have to hear the evidence against Scopes before condemning
him. ” H.L. Mencken
William Jennings Bryan (seated at left, below) being interrogated by Clarence Seward Darrow,
during the trial of State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, July 20, 1925.
That Monday afternoon, because of the extreme heat, Judge Raulston decided to move the court
proceedings outdoors. The session was held on a platform that had been erected at the front of
the Rhea County Courthouse to accommodate ministers who wanted to preach during the time of
the trial. Defense lawyers for Scopes (John R. Neal, Arthur
Garfield Hays, and Dudley Field Malone) are visible seated to
the extreme right. One of the men at left, with his back to the
camera, appears to be Scopes. The court reporters are seated at
the table. The photographer appears to have been standing on
the platform directly behind Scopes. [Image #2005-26202]
Dayton teacher and football coach John Scopes, (right) seen here during sentencing, was fined
$100 on July 21, 1925. Both Bryan and the ACLU offer to pay it for him.
“The Scopes trial, from the start, has been carried on in a manner exactly fitted to the
anti- evolution law and the simian imbecility under it. There hasn't been the slightest
pretense to decorum. The rustic judge, a candidate for re-election, has postured the
yokels like a clown in a ten-cent side show, and almost every word he has uttered has
been an undisguised appeal to their prejudices and superstitions.”H.L. Mencken, July 18,
1925
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While the playwrights did not intend to write a historically accurate account, they nonetheless
used many details from the trial record and newspaper descriptions to recreate the essence of the
event: A young teacher, John Scopes, (Bertram Cates in the play) was accused of teaching Darwin’s
theory of evolution despite a Tennessee law prohibiting such teaching. His defense attorney, Clarence
Darrow, (Charles Drummond in the play) was a nationally famous trial lawyer drawn to the case by his
desire to challenge the constitutionality of that law. The prosecution’s star attorney was the famous
orator and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (Matthew Brady in the play), a
strong supporter of the ban on the teaching of evolution. Brady had become popular as a featured
attraction on the Chautauqua circuit, delivering inspirational speeches in tents all across rural and small
town America. Attracted by the presence of these two important figures as well as the issues in the trial
itself, newspaper reporters from around the country descended on the small town of Dayton, Tennessee
(Hillsboro in the play). One of them was the writer H.L. Mencken, represented by the character
Hornbeck in the play. He and others filed daily reports from the carnival-like scene as thousands of
people gathered in and around the courtroom to watch the two famous men go head to head in a battle
over what some saw as good vs. evil and others as conformity vs. freedom of thought.
When Inherit the Wind was first produced on Broadway in 1955, most critics concluded that the
playwrights had used this fictional recreation of the Scopes trial as a response to the social tensions of
the McCarthy era. Since then the play has become a staple on American stages, as it seems to speak to
the conflicts in our society in every new decade. It continues to provide entertainment as a great
courtroom drama, while the issues at stake remain relevant and troubling. As Drummond states in the
play “You don’t suppose this kind of thing is ever finished, do you?” The play’s most recent
Broadway revival occurred this past summer and starred Christopher Plummer as Drummond and Brian
Dennehy as Brady. In addition to countless theatrical productions over the past forty-two years, Inherit
the Wind has been adapted for film and television. The 1960 film version starred Spencer Tracy as
Drummond, Frederick March as Brady and Gene Kelly as Hornbeck. The most recent television version
aired in 1999 featuring Jack Lemmon as Drummond and George C. Scott as Brady.
Our production aims to give you a ringside seat from which you are free to root for either side.
We hope to make you feel a part of the action as it unfolds in front of and around you.
Costumes are one more tool used to help bring the characters to life on
stage. Not only do costumes need to be historically accurate but they also
can help to set the mood or give subtle nuances or imagery to what the
director is trying to present.
When preparing to costume a show I research the era/time period the play is being set in and what the
fashions were of that time. I also take into account where the play is set.
With this in mind, the goal for the sound design in Inherit the Wind was twofold. During the
time before the performance, the artistic team decided to set the atmosphere of an old
fashioned tent revival, with all the excitement and fervor that could be generated in such a
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presentation. Obviously a religious setting, the music must necessarily be religious as well,
leading us to gospel and hymnal music. What would the townsfolk be inclined to sing while
worshiping in that era and location? As sound designer, my goal was to find uplifting and
exciting music within this genre.
Once the performance has started though, it becomes necessary to support the play by
bridging scenes and acts with music. This music must uphold the mood of the play at that
specific point, without distracting the audience. Note how this music can vary widely (within
the same genre) between scenes and acts depending on the action of the play.
In addition to music, sound effects can also play a role. Due to the setting of this play, they
are used sparingly, but can be utilized to designate a change in location, such as the use of
birdsong to designate being outside.
SET DESIGN
SET DESIGNER: GIANNI DOWNS
A model of the set for Inherit the Wind designed by Gianni Downs. www.giannidesigns.net
34
This play, while written in the 1950's and set in the 1920's, has as much relevance today as it did
in those periods of American history. While this is drama and not history, students can be guided to
see the implications from this writing in their own lives and the broader picture of life in the United
States of the twenty-first century. Parallels can also be drawn to other more recent events and persons
in U.S. History with which students are familiar from Social Studies classes.
Whichever way(s) you decide to use these topics, they will generate discussion.
1. What is the significance of the title? (Reference needs to be made to the proverb from which
2. Ben Cates, a teacher, deliberately broke the law. Is there ever a time or situation when this
is acceptable? Can you think of other times in our history when this was done? (Guide
discussion to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Montgomery bus boycott.)
5. Read the introduction on the back cover and discuss. (“The accused was a slight frightened
man who...”)
8. Who should choose what is taught in public schools? Who does it now?
9. What does the term “separation of church and state” mean? When and why did this concept
11. What does the word heretic mean? To whom do the townspeople apply this term?
13. p. 33: Rachel, a school teacher, says, “A schoolteacher is a public servant. I think he should do
what the law and the school-board want him to.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
15. What does the word conformity mean? Give an example in your own life.
16. What does the word pariah mean? Give an example in your own life.
17. p. 51: Drummond says, “It’s the loneliest feeling in the world—to find yourself standing up
when everybody else is sitting down.” What does he mean? Can you name some people in
history that have been “standing up” when everybody else is “sitting down”? Has this ever
happened to you?
18. What people, places, things or ideas are worth standing up for?
19. Drummond says, “The man who has everything figured out is a fool.” What does he mean? Do
determined, with reasonable accuracy from context. Because these words are rich in usage and
vocabulary enrichment, you could choose to teach them through games, dictionary races, worksheets,
1. converging
2. looming
3. improvised
4. indignant
5. distraught
6. tentative
7. earnest
8. extradite
9. impassive
10. saunter
11. halyard
12. rube
13. miffed
14. infidel
15. haughty
16. prosecution
17. defense
18. augment
19. surge
20. jubilant
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21. paunchy
22. benign
23. patriarch
24. contemptuous
25. alpaca
26. oratorical
27. agape
28. blasphemy
29. precept
30. assail
31. heathen
32. dogma
33. sovereign
34. agile
35. indict
36. fervor
37. throng
38. debris
39. fray
40. rancid
41. petulant
43. superfluous
44. askance
45. affable
46. jaunty
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47. nettled
48. pious
49. defer
50. denounce
51. sustained
52. render
53. impartial
54. preposterous
55. indecisive
39
Drama is meant to be acted out, an activity intrinsically motivational for middle school students.
After the set has been established and students are reasonably comfortable with the vocabulary and
characters, assigning parts and having students assume them is amazingly effective. Since this play is
centered on the confrontation and conflict of ideas and the words used to express them, it is ideal for
active student involvement. Students need not memorize the parts; reader's theater is equally effective.
For our purposes I have divided the play into two sections:
1. Anticipatory set, vocabulary and Act One, to be completed by Lesson 1 on our schedule
2. Acts Two and Three and Vocabulary, to be completed by Lesson 2 on our schedule.
The material in the Teacher's Resource Guide is very helpful in helping students to distinguish between
the history behind this play and the drama that is this play.
The opening remarks are also critical; Time: Summer. Not too long ago. Place: A small town.
As Lawrence and Lee say in their opening: “So Inherit the Wind does not pretend to be journalism. It
is theatre. It is not 1925; The stage directions set the time as 'Not too long ago.' It might have been
yesterday. It could be tomorrow.” The universality in this drama shows students the relevance of a classic
piece of literature to their own lives and this is how can make literacy come alive for them. The
G Demonstrate after reading understand and interpretation of both fiction and nonfiction text
B: Analyze the use of literary elements by an author, including characterization, setting, plot,
E. Analyze drama to determine the reasons for a character's actions, taking into account the
1. 4. 8: Types of Writing
A. Listen to others.
D. Contribute to discussions.
http://www.jlc.net/rwright/pages/itwsg.html.
41
Note: There are several different aspects to consider in studying this play. First, there is the
play itself. Then there is the actual Scopes trial, which took place in 1925. Then, there is the
screenplay of which several films have been made. All three are important to your study of
Inherit the Wind, but all three are different in many respects. Don't mix them up.
What is the Time and Place of the play, according to the authors?
What do Lawrence and Lee say about the play in the preface right before Act I?
Act I scene i
3. Who is Meeker?
4. Describe Rachel.
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10. What is the trial like for them? How are they "preparing" for it?
11. How important is religion to the people of Hillsboro? How do you know?
Where is he from?
13. What attitude does Hornbeck seem to have towards the town?
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15. What does Brady say about Cates (though he doesn't mention his name) in his first speech?
According to him, why is he in Hillsboro? (p. 20)
16. What title does the Mayor give Brady? (p. 22)
17. What has Brady done at least three times in the past?
20. Who is Drummond? For what is he best known to these people? (pp. 26-28)
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Explain why Brown doesn't like what Drummond did in Ohio. Did Drummond do the right thing
in that case? Explain.
23. What does Rachel think of what Hornbeck has written so far about Bert Cates? (pp. 32-33)
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Did Bert do anything very different from this? What book was he using? (Careful: the screenplay
and the stage script differ greatly on this!)
25. Describe what Hornbeck tells Rachel on pp. 34-35 regarding Brady and American society.
Act I scene ii
4. What does Drummond say about Brady's title of "colonel"? What does the judge do?
6. What does Drummond say he wants to accomplish by defending Bert? (p. 47). QUOTE him.
7. What does the judge announce? (p. 48) What is Drummond's reaction?
10. What conditions does Drummond give Cates for changing his plea?
11. What does Brady want Rachel to do? What does Cates say about this? (pp. 53-54)
Act II scene i
3. What disagreement arises at the end of the meeting, between Brown and Brady?
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Act II scene ii
3. What does Drummond say throughout the trial about thinking and the human mind?
Why is his goal a very important one to accomplish in a constitutional republic such as the
United States?
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What is the problem with having a state law against the teaching of any idea, discovery,
hypothesis, etc. in public schools?
Should people be allowed to send their children only to schools that teach, say, only creationism,
or ban the mention of any ideas? Explain.
Act III
2. What does Drummond use his "Golden Dancer" story as an analogy for?
4. Why does the judge go easy on Cates in sentencing him? (p. 115)
7. What has Rachel decided if to do? What does she say about thought?
8. About what do Hornbeck and Drummond disagree? Who do you think is right?
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Scholastic Publishers:
This is an excellent and very comprehensive resource for teachers,
parents, and those wanting to produce work for this population. It features
specific grade levels and links for “books which hook „reluctant readers‟”.
TeachersFirst.com:
This site, hosted by the National Education Association, contains Kids‟
Top 100 Books, a list tabulated from an online survey from November
1999 through February 2000. The “teachers first” site also contains a link
for suggested sixth grade reading level books.
Theatre Etiquette
Going to a play is a special experience. We offer these Theatre Etiquette suggestions to make the experience a
positive one that you and the people seating near you will remember for a long time.
If you came with a group, please stay together. Wait for the ushers to help find your seat - they want make sure
everyone is in the right place.
Once you are ushered to your seat, make yourself comfortable, enjoy reading the playbill, and look over the
theatrical space. Imagine what you will be seeing during the play.
Please silence all cell phones and pagers before the performance. And please do not use them during a performance.
If you have to take a call, please go to the lobby.
Photographs and the use of recording devices are strictly prohibited in the theatre. They are disturbing to the actors
and the audience.
Chewing gum or eating during the performance can be disturbing to others sitting near you. So, please leave all gum
and food in the lobby before the play begins.
When the house lights dim and the play begins, you will be ready to enjoy the show.
Remember that live theatre requires active listening. The actors can see, hear and sense you. Although we welcome
laughter and applause, we ask that you do not talk with your neighbor during the performance.
Please stay in your seat until the break between acts (intermission). One goes to the bathroom or gets a drink before
the performance or at intermission.
Intermission is the time for you to visit the restrooms, enjoy refreshments in our lobby and discuss the show with
your friends and family.
Food and drinks are permitted only in the lobby and outside the theatre.
Show appreciation by clapping. The actors love to hear applause. This shows how much you enjoyed it.
Be polite and attentive. These suggestions can help you play your part to make the experience special for everyone.
www.themonkeytrial.com
www.aboutdarwin.com
www.npr.org
www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttrials/scopes
www.siarchives.si.edu/research/scopes
www.amnh.org
www.enotes.com
www.filmsite.org/inhe.html
www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/SCO_INHE.HTM
www.webenglishteacher.com/drama3.html
http://teacherslounge.editme.com/InherittheWind
http://www.novelguide.com/InherittheWind/toptenquotes.html
http://www.msu.edu/course/mc/112/1920s/Scopes/
http://www.antievolution.org/topics/law/
http://www.bradburyac.mistral.co.uk/tenness1.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/
http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/lisa/20s.html
http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/bryan.html
http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAdarrow.htm
http://wawa.essortment.com/johnscopesmonk_rect.htm
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