Inherit the Wind Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. The stage directions in Inherit the Wind say that the play takes place "not too long ago." What does this direction tell us about how we should understand the play's events? How do we apply the play's moral lessons to today?
  2. Why does talking about evolution cause such scandal in Inherit the Wind?
  3. If the play were about a different case, like Roe v. Wade or Brown v. Board of Education, how would it be different?
  4. The journalist Hornbeck has a special style of speech in the play. What is the effect of his playful but incisive dialogue?
  5. Why do you think the authors chose a biblical reference for the title of their play?