INHERIT THE WIND - DLS



INHERIT THE WIND

These are discussion questions. Well thought out responses are expected. Since each question will require multiple paragraphs to completely answer – please answer on a separate piece of paper.

1. Discuss the quote that Matt Brady uses at the prayer meeting (Proverbs: 12:29)

“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.”

What does this quote mean, how does it relate to the main themes of the movie, why is it such an important quote that it was chosen as the title of the film.

2. What is the significance of the song “give me that old time religion”. How does the “old religion” differ from Catholicism. Why are the townspeople afraid of ideas such as evolution.

3. Cates said “religion is supposed to comfort people, not frighten them to death.” React to this statement (agree, disagree) and then discuss what exactly this quote means. Additionally compare this quote with your concept of official church teachings regarding heaven and hell.

4. Discuss how Cates’ quote compares to Hornbeck’s quote “It is the duty of a newspaper to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Find two articles in the newspaper that reflect Hornbeck’s philosophy and describe how the articles relate to his philosophy.

5. List what religious philosophies each of the six major characters (Bert Cates, Henry Drummond, Brady, Rachel, Rev. Brown, Hornbeck) believe in. (Are they agnostic, atheist, or fundamentalist - be sure to include definitions of each of these beliefs) Be sure to support your answers - some character’s beliefs are harder to figure out than others.

6. Is de-evolution possible? (Remember the monkey smoking a cigarette) Answer in terms of what Darwin said on the topic (i.e. consult textbooks).

7. How does Darwin's theory of natural selection compare to the beliefs of the Catholic Church. How do they compare to the beliefs of Fundamentalist Christians.

8. On the witness stand, Brady asked Rachel if Cates had left her father’s church. Rachel replied, “Bert left the church, but he didn’t abandon God.” If one can remain faithful to God while rejecting the church, then what is the purpose of religion? What does the church offer that is of real value?

9. At the end of the movie Henry says “Don’t you understand the meaning of what happened here today?” What really did happen in that courtroom that was so important as to capture world-wide attention and still be remembered 70 years latter as a milestone in American history?

10. The final verdict was that Bert was guilty, guilty of what? Matthew Brady (William Jennings Bryan) won the case yet felt rejected and died of a heart attack six days later. Who were the real winners and losers of this case? Support your answers.

HISTORICAL FACTS:

State of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes, 1925

Henry Drummond = Clarence Darrow Hornbeck = H.L. Mencken

Matthew Harrison Brady = William Jennings Bryan Bert Cates = John Scopes

William Jennings Bryan: Three time Democratic presidential nominee, secretary of State under President Wilson, died July 26, 1925 - less than one week after Scopes verdict.

INHERIT THE WIND

FAMOUS QUOTES:

“I won’t invest in antiquity” {Banker}

“What should I do... tell them to let my body out of jail in order that they can put my mind in prison”

{Cates}

Heavenly Hillsboro: does it have a hole in its head or its head in a hole? - {Chicago Tribune Headline}

“I ain’t got no opinions...opinions are bad for business” {hot dog man to HD}

“I have had enough of this ‘Hallelujah and ignorance here we come’” {Cates to Rachel about her father}

“I love God and I hate his enemies...” {Rev. Brown}

“Wake up Copernicus! The law still revolves around the lawmakers and this is their terra firma” {Hornbeck}

“How did we move so far apart?” “Well Matt, all motion is relative...Maybe you moved away by standing still” {HD and MB}

“Its not the right to think that’s on trial here” “It is very much the right to think that is on trial...and it is fearfully in danger here” {HD and the judge}

“Do you believe in right?” “I don’t believe in right... but I do believe in truth.” {HD and MB}

“He said that God did not create man, but that man created God...A vengeful God out of his own bigotry and the devil out of his own hell” {Rachel about Bert}

“Fanaticism and ignorance are forever busy and need feeding.” {HD}

“I say that it is impossible to administer a wicked law impartially, you can only destroy and mane with it.” {HD}

“Hooligans of the world unite ... You have nothing to burn but your intellectuals.” {Hornbeck}

“Darwin was wrong...man is still an ape.” {Hornbeck}

“It frightens me to think of the state of the world, if everyone had your driving curiosity.” {HD to MB}

“The start of creation was at 9:00a.m. Oct. 23, 4004 B.C. according to Bishop Usher.” “Was that eastern standard or Rocky mountain time... It wasn’t daylight savings time was it?“ {MB and HD}

“I do not think about things, I do not think about.” {MB}

“Is nothing Holy to you?” “Yes...the individual human mind...an idea is a greater monument than a cathedral.” {MB and HD}

“The Bible is a book...a good book...but not the only book.” “How do you know that God didn’t speak to Darwin?’

“The prophet Brady!” {HD}

“A giant lived in that body but Matt Brady got lost because he looked for God too high up and too far away....Don’t you understand the meaning of what happened here today?” Hornbeck - “It had no meaning.” “You have no meaning. You are like a ghost pointing an empty sleeve and smirking at everything that people feel strongly about, want, work hard for,...isn’t there something you want, value...what stirs you, warms you, what do you need? Don’t you dream? I pity you, you’re a poor slob...all alone.” {HD to Hornbeck}

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