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Summary: Analyses the play and how it differs from the Scopes Trial
Comment: I did my dissertation on the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, with one chapter focusing on "Inherit the Wind," a play in which I once had the role of Reverend Brown. Consequently, if you are using the play or either one of the available film versions, I can strongly recommend Suzanne Pavlos' CliffsNotes for Lawrence and Lee's "Inherit the Wind." Pavlos begins with the life and background of the playwrights, looking at themes in their other works such as "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail" and the influence of Maxwell Anderson's play "Winterset" dealing with the Sacco-Vanzetti trial. The introduction to the play section is especially strong as she covers both the passage of Tennessee's Butler Act in 1925 and the ACLU's test case in the Scopes Trial. More importantly, she specifically details the major differences between the play and the history. Despite Lawrence and Lee's insistence their play "is not history," I can tell you that there are a lot of history textbooks and reference works that have confused the two. I would not like to think that this play is being taught without students understanding the differences. After all, Lawrence and Lee were concerned more with McCarthyism than the teaching of evolution in public schools. This section also includes a synopsis of the play, a list of characters and a detailed character map.
Of course there are critical commentaries (with glossaries) reflecting the five act/scene divisions of "Inherit the Wind" as well as Character Analyses of Brady, Drummond, Hornbeck, Cates and Rachel. The Critical Essays cover dramatic conventions and devices such as the chorus character and dialect, themes including freedom of thought, external and internal conflicts, and a note on proverbs. The book ends with the traditional review section and a resource center that covers both tradtiional and on-line reference materials.
A final note: if by chance you screen the Stanley Kramer film version, please be aware that the screenplay worked in several elements from the actual Scopes Trial, specifically the exchange in which Darrow/Drummond is cited for contempt of court and the speech of forgiveness given by the presiding judge. Also: "Inherit the Wind" was not only the longest running drama in American history when it closed on Broadway in 1957, the 1960 film was the first "in-flight" movie used by TWA to lure first-class passengers.
