Introduction to Inherit the Wind
and to Drama
Introducing a play and an art form
Questions
I. What is drama?
II. What play-reading tips help comprehension?
III. What are the elements of drama, and what meaning can we derive from ITW?
IV. What link does ITW have with American history?
I. Definition of Drama
--story that comes to life on a stage through actors’ speech and movement, and whose purpose is to instruct and entertain.
II. Play-reading tips:
A. Read everything
1. stage directions tell actors where to move ("Brady moves Rachel easily away from the others") and how to say lines ("Quietly")
2. characters’ names indicate new speaker
B. See and hear in imagination (big challenge to visual generation of TV, Internet)
III. Elements of this play weave its meaning, and are similar to novel, short story elements.
A. Themes in ITW
1. skin-deep level: Creationism v. Evolution
http://www.natcenscied.org/pope.htm
2. deeper level
a. intolerance, social change Kansas and evolution
b. does majority have right to set practices for all?
c. What control should parents have over school teachings?
B. Conflict involves struggle between 2 nearly equal forces
1. man v. man/society (Cates as pariah; Drummond v. Brady)
2. man v. himself (Cates, Rachel v. conscience)
3. Conflict escalates quickly
.a. hinted at in stage directions
b. verbalized by Howard, Melinda
c. heightened by Rachel, Bert’s argument
d. peaks during Drummond’s questioning of Brady on witness stand
1). Brady--divine imagery (Extra Credit: find 4 images showing Brady’s godlikeness in I.i [act one, scene one].)
2
). Drummond--(d)evil imagery (E.C.: find 4 images showing Drummond’s devil-likeness in Act I.)3). not so black-and-white in real life . . .
e. subsides after Brady’s death
C. Drama probes the human heart confronted with hard choices--dilemma.
IV. ITW "is not history" but has ties to 1925 Scopes’ Monkey
Trial in Dayton,
Tenn.