While
Inherit the Wind is a fine play, it does take many liberties in the way it depicts the events of the Scopes trial. Reading through
portions of the actual Scopes trial transcript give a bit better picture of what actually took place at the trial, particularly giving a more accurate picture of the role played by William Jennings Bryan. Choose any portion of the transcript that looks interesting to you and comment on the proceedings. Note how and why different people might interpret this trial very differently. You might find the
debate over prayer or Bryan's (undelivered)
closing remarks particularly interesting.
What really caught my eye is that he was at court for teaching about evolution. But in the final remarks, at the very end the judge starts talking about God. So, why can you talk about God in court but you can not teach about evolution? It kind of seems hypocritical to me. I mean why should it be unlawful to teach about evolution? Every person has their own opinion and they should not be punished for it.
ReplyDelete-Melissa Justison
I believe Bryan would have done anything to prove how strongly he believes in the Bible. He only takes into account what he is taught in the Bible, and he "does not think about things, he does not think about." (At least I think that's how the quote went). I took the trial as many Americans being extremely closed-minded. Yet, at the same time, it really makes sense. I mean think about how many Darwinian-Christians there are today. It was interesting for me to see, how many people back then were going to stick with what they knew and what they were taught. Today our minds are much more easily influenced. But I really was impressed by Bryan, and how he stood up for himself on the stand, even if at times he seemed a bit foolish.
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