Inherit the Wind – Critical Essay
Inherit the Wind – Critical Essay
Inherit the Wind is a drama that explores a number of moral issues that are based on the literary element of conflict. The main conflict in the play is a clash of ideas based upon two very different interpretations of life, and how the earth and its inhabitants came into being. In a well-written critical essay that uses dialogue from the play, choose three sets of characters who experience a moral conflict of beliefs and ideas. The conflict does not necessarily have to be about a theory of creation. For each set of characters, state what the moral conflict is between them, and USE THE TEXT to demonstrate the conflict and each character’s point of view. Use quotations directly from the play to support your ideas. Develop each of your paragraphs using specific examples from the play.
Major Characters:
Bertram Cates
Rachel Brown
Reverend Brown
E. K. Hornbeck
Matthew Harrison Brady
Henry Drummond
Melinda
Howard
Use the following format to set up and organize your critical essay.
Paragraph 1 – an introduction to the play and the larger conflicts of Creationism v.s. Evolution.
Paragraph 2 – choose one set of characters and explain what the particular conflict(s) is/are between them. Use the text dialogue to support your ideas.
Paragraphs 3 & 4 – do the same thing as you did in Paragraph 2.
Paragraph 5 – a brief conclusion that “rounds out” your essay.
Make sure each of your supporting paragraphs has a clear topic sentence that identifies the characters and the conflict between them.
When you quote dialogue from the text, set it off from the rest of your essay. For example, if you intend to explore a conflict between Drummond and Brady (when Brady is on the witness stand), see the following example.
Approximate length: 3-4 type written pages, double spaced.