Drummond Inherit The Wind
“When you’re through learning, you’re through” – Will Rodgers. The book, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, takes place in a small town in the heart of Tennessee, Hillsboro, and the Bible Belt in the 1920’s. The play covers one of the first evolution v. religion cases in the South. A teacher named Bertham Cates thought the teachings of Darwin were fascinating. Even though it was outlawed to teach evolution, he decided to teach his students the teachings. Not soon after, he finds himself behind bars, and big lawyers like Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry S. Drummond come rushing in to shine a light to the town in darkness. The town sides with Brady, the prosecutor and a profound Christian who ran for president multiple times. On the other hand, most of the town shuns, dislikes, and looks down on Drummond, an agnostic who is defending Cates. While Brady and Drummond duke it out to get the favor of the jury, we find that Drummond possesses few key virtues that make him a successful attorney and a good man. Although some people might consider Drummond harsh and cruel, he possesses great resilience and receptivity throughout the book, showing
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us that you must be open-minded in order to succeed in any facet of life. Even though Henry Drummond is rough around the edges, he is still a good man and a successful attorney.
In the midst of the case, Drummond realizes he swore on the radio and he shows no regret, “‘You’re not supposed to say God on the radio!’ [says Radio Man] ‘Why the hell not?’ [says Drummond]” (Lawrence and Lee 111). Drummond lacks polish and empathy, which are major vices, but they don’t stop him from being a good man. After Drummond has exposed Brady he continues to make a mockery out of him, “(laughter begins) ‘Gentlemen, meet the ‘Prophet from Nebraska!’” (Lawrence and Lee 99). Drummond has a cruel side because he continues to tarnish Brady’s reputation after he has exposed him as a fraud. Although Drummond is rough around the edges, it doesn’t prevent him from being a good man nor a successful
attorney. Drummond’s great resilience helps him succeed in this specific case. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly or easily from misfortune or shock. Soon after Brady arrives, he is named an Honorary Colonel because of the popularity he has accumulated with the town, so Drummond also requests to have the same title: “I hereby appoint you, Mr. Drummond, a temporary Honorary Colonel in the State of Militia” (Lawrence and Lee 43). At this point, Drummond displays resilience through not crumbling under the pressure of coming into a situation where he is at a huge disadvantage. This is because the Judge only calls Drummond Colonel out of pity. He counteracts this by actively trying to find ways to even out the playing field. After the court charges Cates as guilty, Drummond looks at it differently and stays positive: “You won…Millions of people will say you won” (Lawrence and Lee 122). Instead of feeling defeated because he ‘lost’ the case that he would have won if he had a fair jury, Drummond is not affected by the result because he sees the larger picture. In reality, his case made a difference and would help get the law against evolution overturned. Overall, Drummond’s resilience makes him an excellent attorney and helps make him into a strong, dependable man. More importantly, Drummond’s receptivity has helped him become a good man and will continue to help him to grow to become an even better man. Receptivity is the willingness to consider new ideas and suggestions. While eliminating jury members, Drummond gives the entire town an idea that changed the close-minded people’s perception: “Moses never made a phone call. Suppose that makes the telephone an instrument of the devil?” (Lawrence and Lee 74). The open-minded Drummond changes the opinion of the entire town by introducing them to a foreign idea in terms that they can understand. In another example of Drummond’s receptivity, after the case is closed while thinking Drummond considers both Darwin’s Evolution Theory and the Bible: “Drummond slaps the two books together and jams them in his briefcase, side by side” (Lawrence and Lee 129). Although Drummond doubts both the Bible and Darwin’s Evolution Theory, he is still open to the teachings of both. Drummond’s ability to think and learn independently lets him continue to advance in his ideas, while others stay rooted in their beliefs. In order to be a good man like Drummond, you must recognize that you have flaws and continually work to improve them.
Even though Henry Drummond has character flaws, he has good virtues that make up and make him a phenomenal lawyer and man. His great resilience and receptivity helped him to push forward his beliefs and ideas led him to victory in the case. Through reading Inherit the Wind and studying Drummond, I have learned that if I can keep a curious and open mind while not giving up, the sky is the limit for whatever I choose to pursue. In Drummond’s world, this ability to continue learning will transform Henry Drummond into an even better man and attorney. In my world, instead of being content with where I am today, I will consistently actively strive to learn more and become a better person and whatever I choose to do each and every single day.
us that you must be open-minded in order to succeed in any facet of life. Even though Henry Drummond is rough around the edges, he is still a good man and a successful attorney.
In the midst of the case, Drummond realizes he swore on the radio and he shows no regret, “‘You’re not supposed to say God on the radio!’ [says Radio Man] ‘Why the hell not?’ [says Drummond]” (Lawrence and Lee 111). Drummond lacks polish and empathy, which are major vices, but they don’t stop him from being a good man. After Drummond has exposed Brady he continues to make a mockery out of him, “(laughter begins) ‘Gentlemen, meet the ‘Prophet from Nebraska!’” (Lawrence and Lee 99). Drummond has a cruel side because he continues to tarnish Brady’s reputation after he has exposed him as a fraud. Although Drummond is rough around the edges, it doesn’t prevent him from being a good man nor a successful
attorney. Drummond’s great resilience helps him succeed in this specific case. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly or easily from misfortune or shock. Soon after Brady arrives, he is named an Honorary Colonel because of the popularity he has accumulated with the town, so Drummond also requests to have the same title: “I hereby appoint you, Mr. Drummond, a temporary Honorary Colonel in the State of Militia” (Lawrence and Lee 43). At this point, Drummond displays resilience through not crumbling under the pressure of coming into a situation where he is at a huge disadvantage. This is because the Judge only calls Drummond Colonel out of pity. He counteracts this by actively trying to find ways to even out the playing field. After the court charges Cates as guilty, Drummond looks at it differently and stays positive: “You won…Millions of people will say you won” (Lawrence and Lee 122). Instead of feeling defeated because he ‘lost’ the case that he would have won if he had a fair jury, Drummond is not affected by the result because he sees the larger picture. In reality, his case made a difference and would help get the law against evolution overturned. Overall, Drummond’s resilience makes him an excellent attorney and helps make him into a strong, dependable man. More importantly, Drummond’s receptivity has helped him become a good man and will continue to help him to grow to become an even better man. Receptivity is the willingness to consider new ideas and suggestions. While eliminating jury members, Drummond gives the entire town an idea that changed the close-minded people’s perception: “Moses never made a phone call. Suppose that makes the telephone an instrument of the devil?” (Lawrence and Lee 74). The open-minded Drummond changes the opinion of the entire town by introducing them to a foreign idea in terms that they can understand. In another example of Drummond’s receptivity, after the case is closed while thinking Drummond considers both Darwin’s Evolution Theory and the Bible: “Drummond slaps the two books together and jams them in his briefcase, side by side” (Lawrence and Lee 129). Although Drummond doubts both the Bible and Darwin’s Evolution Theory, he is still open to the teachings of both. Drummond’s ability to think and learn independently lets him continue to advance in his ideas, while others stay rooted in their beliefs. In order to be a good man like Drummond, you must recognize that you have flaws and continually work to improve them.
Even though Henry Drummond has character flaws, he has good virtues that make up and make him a phenomenal lawyer and man. His great resilience and receptivity helped him to push forward his beliefs and ideas led him to victory in the case. Through reading Inherit the Wind and studying Drummond, I have learned that if I can keep a curious and open mind while not giving up, the sky is the limit for whatever I choose to pursue. In Drummond’s world, this ability to continue learning will transform Henry Drummond into an even better man and attorney. In my world, instead of being content with where I am today, I will consistently actively strive to learn more and become a better person and whatever I choose to do each and every single day.