Trials II Inherit The Wind notes Act I
Vocabulary
extradite: move an accused criminal from one entity (like a state or country) to another
Chautauqua: a religious tent revival meeting popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries
privy: outhouse, outdoor bathroom
Charles Darwin’s The Origin Of Species: the 1859 book that announced Darwin’s theory of
Natural Selection as the mechanism for evolution
augmented: added to, strengthened
benign: not harmful, friendly
patriarch: the male leader of a family, a male forefather
repast: meal
heathen: non-Christian, one who has different beliefs than the majority religion
dogma: accepted religious beliefs, religious ideas and religious rules
loath: hate
sovereign: in charge, ruler
agile: able to move well, freely, nimble
agnostic: not being sure, especially about the existence of God
Goliath: in The Bible, a Philistine giant warrior who David slew with a slingshot
debris: shattered remains, as of an explosion, garbage
Sodom and Gomorrah: Biblical cities that God destroyed because of their wickedness
heretic: one who has views other than the accepted religious beliefs
Socrates: Greek philosopher whose penalty for corrupting the youth was to commit suicide in
Athens in 399 B.C.
Dreyfus: Jewish officer in the French army who was falsely convicted of treason
rancid: badly spoiled, bitter
cynical: snide
detestable: awful, something that makes one hate it
hinterland: the sticks, the boonies, out in the country, Foster
Name__________________________ Trials II Inherit The Wind notes Act I
Scene I
What disagreement is apparent in the discussion of the two teenagers?
What is the town like? How can you tell?
Who is Rachel? Who does she want to see? Where is he?
What was Bert Cates’s crime? What does Rachel want him to do?
What is the relationship between Cates and Rachel?
Who is Matthew Harrison Brady, and why is he coming to town?
Why might Cates insist on being in jail when Meeker doesn’t care?
What is the town’s attitude toward this trial? How different is it than ours nowadays?
Inherit The Wind, Act I, Scene I
Who is E.K. Hornbeck? What is his attitude toward Hillsboro’s residents?
What is Brady like? Why does he say he has come to Hillsboro?
What causes has Brady supported in the past?
What is the relationship between Brady and his wife like?
What news does Hornbeck give the townspeople? How do they react to the news?
What is Brady’s reaction to this news? What is his reason? What does this tell you about him?
Why do the playwrights have Hornbeck eating an apple in this scene?
What does Rachel think about the trial and what Bert did? Why?
What does Hornbeck think of Brady? Why?
What are Cates’s chances at this point? Why?
Inherit The Wind, Act I, Scene II
Why do both the prosecution and defense accept Mr. Bannister for the jury?
Why doesn’t Drummond accept Mr. Dunlap for the jury?
In what ways does Drummond outsmart Brady in this scene?
Why did both sides choose Mr. Sillers for the jury? Which do you think made the better move?
Why?
Of what do Brady and Drummond accuse each other?
In what ways does Drummond think the trial is still unfair?
How is Bert changing his opinion? Why? How does Drummond react?
What is Drummond’s opinion about words?
How does Drummond know what Cates is going through?
What news scares Cates? Why?
What does Drummond think of Cates? Why?
Trials II Inherit The Wind notes Act II
Vocabulary
animosity: hatred
fervent: feeling very strongly about something, enthusiastic
Firmament: the Heavens (where the stars are)
writhe: wiggle or move uncomfortably, try to wriggle free
zeal: ardor, commitment, passion
impassively: without showing feeling
shorn: cut off (as with hair)
mete (out): sentence (as with a judge), hand out
condescending: looking down on, in a snobby way
orator: speaker, excellent speaker
effrontery: lack of embarrassment, nerve
southpaw: lefty
imbecilities: stupidities
arbitrary: without reason (as a rule)
Et tu, Brute: supposedly, Julius Caesar’s last words, meaning “You too, Brutus” expressing his
surprise that his buddy had stabbed him.
hearsay evidence: evidence (usually inadmissible) when a person says what another told him/her
incontrovertible: certain
hypotheses: theories
perdition: Hell
Copernicus: 15th century Polish monk who discovered that the earth orbits the sun
apostle: one sent on a mission, especially used of those sent out by Christ to spread his message
begat: gave birth to – an old form used in the King James Bible
indeterminate: unclear, uncertain, can’t be figured out
audacity: boldness, arrogance
Inherit The Wind, Act II, Scene I
What does Brady have to say about Drummond at his news conference?
What is Reverend Brown’s approach to religion? For what does he ask God? What is the
crowd’s reaction to this?
Compare Reverend Brown and Matthew Brady in their approach to religion:
How do Drummond and Brady feel about one another? What does Drummond’s reply to Brady
mean?
Scene II
What does Brady elicit in his examination of Howard? What does he say about it?
What does Drummond say is on trial in this case?
What other argument does Drummond try to make through questions to Howard?
What does Drummond say about right, wrong, truth and morality?
Why did Cates stop going to church?
What other damaging testimony does Brady get from Rachel?
Inherit the Wind, Act II, Scene II continued
How did Drummond plan to defend Cates? Why couldn’t he? Is this fair?
What is the court’s reasoning about Drummond’s witnesses?
What is Drummond’s next idea? Who does he call? Why does he agree?
What does Drummond begin by getting Brady to admit? Will the jury care?
What does Drummond use the stories of Noah and Joshua to try to show? How does Brady
answer this?
What are the single most important things in life to Drummond and Brady?
What does Drummond say about progress and how it relates to Darwin?
What starts to turn the audience toward Drummond?
What is Drummond’s view of the Bible and how to read it?
What does Drummond get Brady to admit? How does he turn this against him?
Trials II Inherit The Wind notes Act III Vocabulary
melange: an odd mixture, a mixture of things that don’t fit together normally or well
precedent: previous decisions (in law) or actions that guide current decisions or action
barren: unable to grow or reproduce
Charlemagne: Holy Roman Emperor (in France/Germany) around 800 A.D.
coronation: crowning ceremony
eloquence: quality of beauty and/or persuasion in speech
omission: the act of leaving someone or something out
incredulous: shocked, extremely surprised
titanic: gigantic
transgressor: one who breaks a rule or law
deference: the quality of treating with respect, of honoring, of going along with
bulwark: protection, originally a protective wall in battle
vindicate: to show that one was correct or not guilty
insinuate (one’s self): ingratiate, brown-nose, to inject one’s self into a situation or someone’s
favor
rotogravures: prints made from a printing plate
lamentations: complaints, whines, expressions of sorrow
Inherit The Wind, Act III
Why in particular is Cates concerned about going to prison?
What is the point of Drummond’s story about Golden Dancer? How does it relate to why he took
this case?
What does the Mayor tell the Judge to do, and why? Is this appropriate?
What is the verdict? What are people’s initial reactions?
What is Cates’s message to the court before he is sentenced? Is this what he should have said?
Why or why not?
How does each side react to the sentence?
What happens to Brady when he begins to make his speech? How do Hornbeck and Cates react?
What does Drummond say about who won? Is what he says fair?
What has Rachel decided to do? Why? What has she learned?
What is the Judge’s news? How do Hornbeck and Drummond react? How are these two
characters’ points of view different?