Inherit The Wind: The Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial began on July 10th, 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee when John Thomas Scopes was charged with violating the Butler Act by teaching the theory of evolution in his class by saying men have descended from apes claiming that was the theory of evolution. The prosecuting attorney William Bryant was flooded with questions from the bible by defending attorney Clarence Darrow, several he could not answer. William Bryant, a Christian, could not defend the Bible nor his beliefs and the point of being a certain religion is to understand what you believe and why you believe it. Furthermore, what makes this trial significant is that till this day we still have that debate of how were we created, whether it’s from the religion we possess or from

What was the Scopes Trial? In the summer of 1925, John Scopes went to trial on grounds of teaching evolution, which was against the law in Dayton, TN. There were many factors involved to make this event so very publicly known. The arguments of the Scopes Trial, which is also known as the “Monkey Trial”, have been carried far past the year of 1925. When laws are challenged it shakes the town or city one is apart of. This was true for the U.S. as a whole. The Scopes Trial has never been forgotten, and its repercussions are evident.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the famous father named Atticus says “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it (Judith 2).  This quote is said during a time of intense racism. “Not long after Obama took office, the National Urban League released its 2009 State of Black America report. The findings showed that racial inequities continued in employment, housing, health care, education, criminal justice, and other areas” (Buckley 1).  This essay will primarily focus on the criminal justice area of this when discussing the Scottsboro trials and comparing the trials to the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  In some schools, To Kill a Mockingbird is mandatory for students to read (“Harper Lee dies at 89: A quiet life, a lasting legacy-- see the photos” 2) however, in others it is banned.  Jon Stewart said there is a “gaping racial wound that will not heal, yet we pretend doesn’t exist” (Judith 2). There are similarities between the famous Scottsboro Trials and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

The United States of America in the 1920s was a period of debate, of shifting values and changing social structures, and was, above anything else, a battleground of clashing ideologies that ultimately boiled down and exploded within the Scopes Trial of 1925. The Scopes Trial was not in any way, shape, or form primarily a conflict of simply one issue alone. Instead, the Scopes Trial was the height of the tensions that emerged within America during the infamous Roaring 20s, and it, unfortunately, pushed smaller, less-debated topics to the sidelines to make way for the main conflict. Issues which revolved around racial and gender tensions existed and were debated at length within society, but were completely ignored during the proceedings of the

Examples of this maturation are shown when he explains, "It was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all" (284). Our view of the story changes as well when we notice that Grady 's life of adventure and experiences turns into tragedy and misfortune. His life is more about loss than accomplishment to the point where his life is an ultimate failure. By the conclusion of this story Grady has undergone a complete change. First person point of view used by McCarthy has ended up being a very successful way of telling the story. We see each individual aspect of the story through Grady 's perspective as we are able to understand by his emotion and decisions. The protagonist is also a very reliable character because the reader is never left out of any internal information of the story.

Rhetorical appeals serve as a major role in the characters speaking style. The speaking style reflects his or her main points that the character is trying to convey. It also reveals the characters feelings and emotions. John Proctor uses strong rhetorical appeals throughout the play. John Proctor is loyal, honest, and kind-hearted. Proctor can end Abigail Williams only if he admits to adultery. Proctor does not want to ruin his reputation. The famous play, ‘The Crucible” Arthur Miller explains Proctors speaking style through the use of diction, logos, and ethos.

You tell your friend they’re like a giant, and that the clouds need to jump out of his way. You used figurative language to joke with your friend, which is also used by professional writers to develop specific elements in a story. In The “Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers, and in “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, the authors use figurative language to help develop scene and character.

In the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury uses situational and dramatic irony in relation to the character of the Dust Witch. Firstly, situational irony is evident when the author says “Will pulled his bow back, freighted with single destruction. The bow broke in two pieces”. (Bradbury151) He mentions this as Will is attempting to destroy the balloon in order to get rid of the Dust Witch for the night. Instead of Will shooting the arrow out, it broke in two pieces, not achieving the result he would have expected. This shows how unprepared Will was to face the Dust Witch as he didn’t have an extra arrow in case anything went wrong. This depicts situational irony in this event. Secondly, situational irony also

Perception defines the world around you. It affects every aspect of your being: your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc… In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch begins to understand just how impactful perception can be as she witnesses the deterioration of the dignity of Tom Robinson, a black man who is being tried for the rape of a white girl. In this intriguing read, Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of inaccurate allegations very effectively. More specifically, when inaccurate allegations that are solely based on perceptions are presented, the consequences can be significant, for others may suffer at great lengths.

In the 1930s, if a black man was on trial there was a ample chance he would be convicted even if evidence proved he was innocent. Throughout history humans being prejudice and bias have affected the lives of thousands of people; some ending with favorable outcomes while others weren’t so fortunate. Within the book To Kill a Mockingbird the readers learn that prejudice and bias people outnumber the understanding and kind. One decision or in this case twelve decisions decide the fate for an unfortunate man. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reveals that people often follow their biases and prejudices rather than the truth.

Should one word define the future of an American classic? Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is one of the most controversial novels in America. This narrative regards a boy named Huckleberry Finn in the 1840’s United States, who runs away from home and travels down the Mississippi. Huck meets runaway slave, Jim who journeys with him on their many adventures. Many believe this meaningful piece of literature should be banned from the high school curriculum. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stay in the high school curriculum because it is unprejudiced, historical, and important to literature.

Macbeth is a renowned play about a man dominated by his appetite for power, the same appetite that led to his demise. There have been many adaptations of this acclaimed play and my group’s own adaptation has added to the list. Essentially, for my group’s Macbeth scene adaptation, we decided to focus on changing the diction, setting, and characters of the original play.

John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, who found himself at the center of one of the 20th century’s most famous life-changing court hearings; The Scopes Trial. It was also known as the Monkey Trial, where biology teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution in a public school located in Tennessee (Kemper). Prior to the trial, there was a anti-evolution law that was passed making Scopes actions illegal, this was known as The Butler Act. As a matter of fact, when Scopes went against this law it was the first step in moving towards modernism. As well as, causing America to move away from traditional values. This trial was viewed as an opportunity to challenge the authority of the law and to publicize the accuracy

Mr. Ewell is considered an underhanded, white man who falls on the outer rings in Maycomb’s

Every decision you make is essentially a committee act. Members chime in, options are weighed, and eventually a single proposal for action is approved by consensus. The committee, of course, is the densely knit society of neurons in your head. And “approved by consensus” is really just a delicate way of saying that the opposition was