Inherit the Wind: Religion vs. Science
Stanley Kramer's film, Inherit the Wind, examines a trial based on the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Often referred to as "The Trial of the Century" (Scopes Trial Web Page), the Scopes trial illuminated the controversy between the Christian theory of creation and the more scientific theory of evolution. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was arrested for illegally teaching evolutionism to his class. "The meaning of the trial emerged because it was seen as a conflict of social and intellectual values" (Scopes Trial Web Page). Kramer's film dramatizes this conflict between the Christian believers and the evolutionists in "Hillsboro, heavenly Hillsboro, the
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Drummond implies that Brady's religious beliefs are narrow and stagnant, preventing him from considering any of the scientific discoveries of the twentieth century. As the two men continue to talk on the porch, the audience can see that they are rocking in their chairs at opposite tempos, pulling against each other as religion and science often contradict one another. At this point the camera angle is at face level, allowing each man half of the screen space. This equal division suggests Kramer's belief that society is based on a balance of religion and science.
Both Brady and Drummond agree that creationism is not a proven theory, and although Brady is a religious man himself, he places the people of Hillsboro in a class lower than himself. He explains, "These are simple people, Henry, poor people. They worked hard and they need to believe in something, something beautiful. They're seeking something more perfect than what they have" (Inherit the Wind). By this, Brady concedes that religion is like a fairy tale; it is not real, yet it makes some people feel better about reality. Drummond's fear regarding religion is that people have blind faith in something that is not real. He mockingly refers to this type of faith as, "Window shopping for heaven," while Brady calls religion the "golden chalice of hope" for the residents of Hillsboro (Inherit the Wind). Here, Kramer presents his
Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion concentrates on the Scopes trial, otherwise called the "Monkey Trial," which happened in Dayton, Tennessee in the mid year of 1925. The trial occurred in excess of a Tennessee law that banned the educating of human development out in the open schools. The American Civil Liberties Union needed to test the law, and a junior instructor named John Scopes, consented to help them. The alleged "trial of the century" united the well known government official and speaker, William Jennings Bryan, who headed the opposition to development campaign; and Clarence Darrow, who was viewed as the best criminal protection legal advisor of the time. The two men, plus their individual direction, clashed in the trail with the indictment in the end ready to maintain the law.
Lucy Burnhams 15 April 2015 APUSH 1B 1920’s DBQ The 1920’s was a time of riches and brought a new age of commercialization to the United States. Traditional views clashed against the modern views the twenties inherited and therefore caused tensions between new and old ideas. The 1920’s tensions lied under religious, social, and political issues that sparked reform and advanced technology.
It was stated that Scopes didn’t deliberately teach the theory of Evolution, but the classroom assigned book by the state featured a chapter on it(Armstrong). The whole trial proved that the judge treated everything with extreme bias, from allowing a prayer before each day to making it nearly impossible for Darrow to get a good argument that would be allowed to stay in the records(Noah). When Scopes was asked what point in time that he taught Evolution he said that he didn’t remember if he did at all because it wasn’t in his lesson plans(Noah). This case was held with the most disrespect a judge or state could give a
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 is chosen as the title of the film.
Another source of tension was the difference in religious beliefs among people. A new way of thinking called Modernism emerged in which people took a slightly more critical look at the Bible. The people claimed to believe in the theory of evolution as opposed to the seven-day Creation story of Genesis. Fundamentalists, on the other hand, denounced this as blasphemy. These traditionalists took the word of the Bible as exact and literal. Nowhere was the conflict between these two parties more highlighted than in the Scopes Trial in Tennessee. John Scopes, a schoolteacher, had been arrested for teaching the theory of evolution to his students. He was eventually convicted (but later
Brady himself, however, isn’t aware of that fact, and he asks Drummond, “Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?” To this Drummond replies, “All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away--by standing still” (Lawrence and Lee 67). Drummond is commenting on how Brady is still stuck in the past, he gained popularity by sticking true to his Christian faith, and as a consequence, Brady does not embrace newer theories or allow new ideas such as evolution to discredit or even coexist with his faith. Drummond, however, embraces the the new concepts that are becoming widely accepted in American culture, so he, and not Brady, becomes idol to the people in
Inherit the Wind is about a 24-year-old teacher named Bertram T. Cates, who is arrested for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution to his junior high-class. Some high-profile Hillsboro town’s people press charges and have Cates arrested for teaching evolutionism in a stringent Christian town. A famous lawyer named Henry Drummond defends him; while a fundamentalist politician Matthew Harrison Brady prosecutes. The story takes place in Hillsboro, which is a small town in Tennessee. Cates is merely trying to teach to his class that there is more to life than just what the Bible teaches. He is not trying to be nonreligious; rather he is just teaching his class to think outside the box. The town’s people think that Cates is trying to push
I believe that the state should not tell people what to believe. Everyone has their own mind and they have the right to believe what they want to believe. I see nothing wrong with teachers teaching about Darwinism or Creationism. I think that everyone should be educated on both matters. There is nothing wrong with knowing information about both subjects, and believing or not believing in them. It is the job of teachers to educate the students on people’s ideas and findings from their research. Once a teacher is telling students what they should or shouldn't do then it is a problem. In the movie, Inherit the Wind, there are many instances where I believe that Bert Cates should not have been found guilty for educating his students on the
Martians are trying to take over the world. We humans cannot defeat them. Even with our superlative weapons we are not managing to defeat the Martians. At the ends of the novel little tiny microorganisms are managing to defeat these Martians.
Biology professor Kenneth Miller’s central argument is that science should not undermine one’s faith in God. “Science itself does not contradict the hypothesis of God.” He makes this argument by stating that science explains the things that God has made and in doing so, trying to prove the existence of God through natural or scientific means does not make sense. Once the supernatural is introduced, there is no way to use nature, thus science, to prove or disprove its existence. Miller argues that science gives us the window to the dynamic and creative universe that increases our appreciation of God’s work. The central point of his argument is evolution. Creationists, of the intelligent design movement, argue that nature has irreducible complex systems that could have only arisen from a creature or designer. This theory is widely supported among devout believers in the Bible and God. Miller argues that if they truly believe this, completely ignoring hard facts and theories, then they are seeking their God in the darkness. Miller, a Christian himself, believes that this “flow of logic is depressing”; to fear the acquisition of knowledge and suggest that the creator dwells in the shadows of science and understanding is taking us back to the Middle Ages, where people used God as an explanation for something they have yet to or want
Since the dawn of mankind religion has been one of the most significant elements of a society’s social and cultural beliefs and actions. However, this trend has declined due to the general increase in knowledge regarding our the natural sciences. Where we had previously attributed something that we didn’t understand to the working of a higher power, is now replaced by a simple explanation offered by natural sciences. While advocates of Religion may question Natural Sciences by stating that they are based on assumptions, it is important to note the Natural Sciences are based on theories and principles which can be proven using mathematical equations and formulas. Faith however contrasts from the easily visible feasibility of data
There seems to be en everlasting conflict between science, and between faith. Man has always chosen between the two, giving the world great leaders of science, and great leaders of faith. In Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, the viewer is thrusted into an ultimate tale of destiny versus coincidence. A young man who has made it onto the popular game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” is shown being questioned by the authorities, who refuse to believe that this young man, who has been brought up from the slums and forced into a world of poverty and violence, can simply know all the answers. They accuse him of being a cheat, and a liar. Throughout the story the viewers are shown, through
In 1895 Charles Darwin published a book describing his theory of evolution, and his theory of the natural selection process. This theory caused much uproar in the religious community because Darwin’s theory went against the story of creation portrayed in the Holy Bible. His theory claimed that all life currently in place had evolved and adapted from a single organism in the beginning. Over time and by process of natural selection only the dominant species were left over while the other, less dominant species, went extinct. His theory, backed by scientific analysis, had dismissed the idea of a single deity creating all life on Earth. It is not like Darwin had a personal agenda against religion or anything,
The Way of the Wind by Amos Oz, is about a man named Shimshon Sheinbaum, and his view of his son, Gideon. Shimshon was a military, political, and social hero amongst his kibbutz. He is a founding father of the Hebrew Labor Movement. People in his kibbutz looked for him for guidance, because this man was in top physical and mental shape devoting all of his life to learning as much as necessary and the remainder to stay in peak shape. As one can imagine, he would expect the same of his son, and he does but his son isn't the same man as his father. His father didn't have someone else make a decision like that for him and he can't make that decision for Gideon. Shimshon, regardless how much he cared for his son, pushed him too far and had too
In the centuries leading up to the “Jazz and the Machine Age”, the nineteen-twenties was in a major dispute over religious beliefs between the traditionalist and the modernists. In 1925, a trial was held that was known as the Scopes trial. John scopes, a high school teacher, taught the theory of evolution in a Tennessee public high school. At the time, Tennessee had a state law they made it illegal to teach evolution in schools. The modernists had believed that the teachings of evolution gave the public another perspective through science but not religion. The traditionalist however, feared that the teaching of the Bible would be lost along with religious morals if Scope had won the trial. Traditionalist had