Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. How does Brady's
character relate to the idea of hubris, or pride? How is his character
tragic?
2. What is the
significance of the playwrights' description of the setting of the
play? What does it say about their attitudes toward Southern fundamentalism?
3. What purpose
does Cates and Rachel's romantic relationship serve in
inherit
the wind?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. What is the fundamental conflict
in inherit the wind? Discuss the ways in which
the playwrights support this theme through their characters and
motifs.
2. Why do the playwrights imply,
in their note preceding the play, that the themes of their play
are timeless and universal? What relevance do these themes have
today?
3. How does Melinda and Howard's
interaction in the first scene of inherit the wind foreshadow
the play's main theme?
4. Discuss the historical context
of inherit the wind in terms of the Scopes trial
and the rapidly changing society of the United States in the 1920s.
5. How does the play speak to
the struggle of the individual versus larger society? What message
does it contain about the power of the individual to change society?
6. Outline the various techniques
Drummond uses over the course of the trial to undermine Brady's
literal interpretation of the Bible. How does Drummond finally humiliate
his opponent?
