Freedom of Thought in "Inherit the Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Essay by peach2296High School, 11th gradeA, April 2006

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In the play "Inherit the Wind", there is not much freedom of thought. If someone strays away from the common way of thinking, and expresses this thought of difference. They are looked down upon and considered a sinner and even persecuted for it. This happens to Bert when he decides to teach his students about Darwin's theory of evolution. The parents are outraged. They believe that anything that contradicts the Bible is evil. Anyone that would tell children people evolved from monkeys and not created by the Lord must be evil too.

All it says is that man wasn't just stuck here

Like a geranium in a flower pot; that living

Comes from a long miracle, it didn't just

happen in seven days.

But we don't live at the top of the world.

We live in Hillsboro, and when the sun

goes down, its dark and why do you try

to make it different?

You make it sound as if Bert is a hero.

I'd like to think that, but I can't a

schoolteacher is a public servant; I think

he should do what the law and the

school-board want him to do.

"People I thought were my friends look

at me now as if I had horns growing

out of my head"

This narrow view produced many problems both for the people as a whole and in particular on character, Rachel. She is a very submissive character and goes with the flow. She eventually evolves into a very powerful person in order to make a difficult decision. Her first decision is to obey her father and to have the same thoughts and feelings as him, or doing what she believes is right. Her ultimate decision is leave her father and live her life with Bert.

"I think...