Why Do Students Have The Right To Think In Inherit The Wind

The play, Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee has caused me to think about how a teacher can impact/influence how a student thinks about important/controversial topics.

Throughout the trials and testimonies, I believe that Howard’s testimony was the most important because he was the child that was given the right to think. This is who the story affects the most because children are still able to change their minds about things as they begin to think more independently whereas adults have pretty much already decided that they believe in creationism and that that is the only way. Teachers have such a big influence on students because they look up to them, and they listen and learn in the classroom every day. Teachers and parents

Kids are taught from a young age about creationism through religion. This means that they never learn anything else. How can anyone have the right to think when they only know one way of thinking? That is what Drummond is trying to talk about in Howard’s testimony. I believe Cates has left a positive impact because he has given them the right to think. He has given them that because he introduced Darwin’s theory of evolution. Students need the type of influence to allow them to form their own opinions. An opinion can only be formed when you know the whole story or else it is biased and not your true opinion. We can’t grow as a society if everyone thinks the same and no one can think differently. In society, we see a lot of controversial subjects and the only way to make an opinion is to listen to all sides of the argument. In Hillsboro, the students only had what they learned from their parents influencing their opinions but Cates was able to allow them to be more open-minded to the other side of the argument. In conclusion, I believe that a teacher can impact/influence how a student thinks about important/controversial topics and this is what gives them the right to think as Drummond explained during the testimony. You only have the right to think when you know the whole truth and nothing is being kept from you, otherwise, you are being forced to accept the only truth that you know. In Hillsboro, most people only accepted creationism because they didn’t have the freedom to think for themselves. They were taught that to think differently from creationism was wrong but that wasn’t the