Essay Example on the Play Inherit The Wind

The play Inherit the Wind, shows that the state o Tennessee had passed a statute that prohibited the teaching of evolution in public schools. However the book summer of the Gods shows that from history that had been collected by the author, the statute only prohibited the teaching of human evolution. The evolution of the rest of the species was not illegal in Tennessee.

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The play insinuates that the statute gave an unfair advantage to fundamentalist Christianity over the science of evolution. The intent of the act according to the book summer of the Gods was not to favor Christianity but to avoid the teaching of human evolution to students which caused confusion as they were also taught on the human creation according to the bible.

A John Scopes was arrested by the clergyman of Tennessee and his crew as he was teaching evolution to his students. He is brought out in the play as being a victim of a witch hunt. Summer of the gods on the other hand says that Scopes was not forcefully arrested. He was not even arrested by the clergy man. He was arrested by the city attorney of Dayton. It actually brings out Scopes and the American Civil Liberties as the hunters as they are the one trying to make the statute that was passed to be overturned.

In Inherit the wind Clarence Darrow is shown to be Scopes only lawyer. He is also shown to be having a disadvantage when it came to the support of the public. In summer for the gods however, Scopes is represented by a team of lawyers who are known to have strong cases. Clarence was the main defense lawyer but he was not the only lawyer that Scopes had to represent him.

After his arrest Scopes is seen to be taken to jail in the play. He receives a hostile treatment from the public while he is in jail. He receives threats of being lynched by the public which makes him fear for his life. Far from this, Larson shows that John was never taken to jail and was welcomed in the state without any threats on his life.

John is brought out by Jerome Lawrence as being alone and unrepresented. He is actually shown to not have an attorney up to the day before the start of his trial. He even wrote in newspapers asking for assistance but no one was willing to help me. From the beginning of the case, Larson tells his audience that John enjoyed the representation of one of the best attorneys in the country.

The play shows Bryan being received upon his arrival into town by a huge parade led by the strong Christians of the state. They are shown to be singing hate songs to the defense and praise songs for Bryan as they received him. Clarence, the defense lawyer who arrives at the last minute is however ignored and is regarded as evil by the people. Contrary to this, summer of the Gods shows both the prosecutor and the defense lawyers arriving to the same kind of treatment. No side was favored by the public. The banquet that was organized was attended by both attorneys and each given a fair chance to speak. The play however shows that only Bryan was allowed to speak in the banquet and Clarence was completely ignored. In fact, he does not even attend the ceremony.

Bryan in the play is brought to be very popular and was the towns favorite. It is shown that he will win the case because of the public support that he enjoyed which gave him a lot of confidence. This is because he shares the same view on evolution as most of the town. They all believe that evolution should be banned from school. Unlike this view, summer of the Gods shows both the attorneys are shown to be very good at their jobs. Clarence is actually shown to have more experience in court than Bryan who had been out of the courts for a while.

In the play Bryan opposes the evolution theories purely based on biblical and Christian grounds. However in the summer for the gods bryan opposes the concept of evolution based on both biblical and scientific grounds. He did not base his opposition solely on the bible.

The play shows that the judge agrees with the prosecution and throws out the request by the defense to use Darwins books as evidence in the case. Contrary to this, summer for the gods shows that the books by Darwin were allowed as evidence by the judge.

In the play, the judge is shown disallowing the testimony of a scientist that the defense had called as a witness. Unlike in the play, summer of the gods shows the scientist giving out his testimony for the case. The scientist was a zoologist. The only event that the book records to have happened is the judge excluding the jury from that particular testimony.

The religious community of the state is shown to be having one accord, to fight evolution teaching, and was represented by one spiritual leader in the play. The book summer for the gods does not however indicate that there was uniformity in the decision of all the Christians of the state. It does not show that all the Christians were against the teaching of evolution in school.

The summer for the Gods shows Bryan as an assistant prosecutor and not the lead prosecutor in the case. He was invited by the prosecution team to help them in the case. Inherit the wind however shows Bryan as the lead prosecutor.

The play by Jerome shows the judge announcing that there would be a prayer meeting that would be lead by the reverend Jeremiah at the end of the first day of the trial. The announcement is objected by the defense lawyer claiming that it had commercial content. The summer for the Gods does not mention any reverend Jeremiah and there is also no prayer meeting that is announced in the court. The only objection by the prosecution is the prayer that was offered by the court before opening any trial session. The prayer was simply a routine that the judge performed in his sessions before commencing a trial.

At a prayer meeting held by reverend Jeremiah he calls upon God to strike down John for his beliefs and his fiancee for objecting the condemnation in the play inherit the wind. Summer for the Gods does not mention any reverend Jeremiah, and Scopes is not shown to be having a fiancee.

In the play Inherit the wind, Jerome shows Bryan bringing out Rachel who is Scopes girlfriend as a surprise witness. Rachel had confided in Bryan about some of Scopes beliefs and views on Christianity. Bryan is shown to have twisted some of the words of Rachel while she was in the stand. There is no mention of Rachel in the Summer for the Gods. Scopes has no girlfriend or fiancee that is mentioned in the book. The only surprise witness that is called to testify in this book is Bryan who was called by the defense to testify. Actually Bryan carried out no cross examinations in the case.

In the play, the prosecution is the side that wins the case after making Rachel a surprise witness in the case. The pprosecution and the judge push Scopes fiancee into revealing the secrets that Scopes had confided in her. Later on after the days session in court Rachel goes to speak to the wife of bryan. She tells her of how her husband had betrayed her after she, Rachel, confided in him. In summer of gods there is no mention of Scopes girlfriend. No women were ever called to the stand as witnesses.

On the last day of court while awaiting the decision of the jury,...