Toward the end of Inherit the Wind, Rachel Brown discerned the right of thinking without restrictions due Bert Cates’ trial. Demonstrated in the passage above, she addressed her fear of independent thought, which reflected the petrified emotions of the townspeople to express their thoughts on evolution. Creating a barrier to assert freedom of thought ceases the opportunity to explore unorthodox ideas, such as evolution in this time period; this concept prohibits an individual to be intellectually independent from ideas that advance society. The assertion Rachel made conveyed one of the main conflicts in the book, freedom of thought. Not having the ability to consider new approaches limited the views of the townspeople. This resulted in a very conservative perspective. Howard believed “when the whole world was covered with water, there was [nothing] but worms and blobs of jelly” (Lawrence and Lee 1 1 16-18). Since this was a forbidden topic to discuss, Melinda was astonished. Debating over evolution was “sinful talk” (1 1 21), and Melinda threatened to have “Pa make [Howard] wash [his] mouth out with soap” (1 1 21-22). She felt very offended and appalled because she was raised to accredit religion. The townspeople were never introduced to new ideas, so they had difficulty …show more content…
Lee emphasized the significance of freedom of thought by portraying religion being pushed frequently and profoundly. Cates defends himself by expressing “religion’s supposed to comfort people. Not frighten them to death” (2 1 188-189). People of Hillsboro were fearful to think about anything other than topics discussed in the Bible. When Rachel finally decided to “read [Cates’ book] all the way through” (2 2 366-367) and leave her father, she earned the freedom of thinking for herself. This was a way she could evade from the controlled and hindered society. She overcame the fear of being intellectually independent, which conveyed the power of the freedom of
After jury selection, Rachel Brown talks to Drummond and asks him to call off the trial. She tells him that Cates is shocked that people are treating him so cruelly. She also claims that Cates is now very nervous about his trial and fearful of its outcome. Drummond advises Rachel to stand beside Cates; he warns that if the trial is called off, Cates will be branded as a coward. Rachel then reveals that the prosecution wants her to testify against Cates. Brady has taken her aside and questioned her about Cates' belief in science and evolution. She admits that she is fearful of supporting Cates, largely because she fears her father, Reverend Brown. Her mother died when she was a child, and she has always been afraid of the man who raised her. Rachel confesses to Drummond that she is terribly upset and confused. Drummond tells her that a wise person is one who can say she does not know the answer.
Emily’s act was splendid, and she never talked during her performances. Her actions were funny enough to intrigue the little children watching her perform. Oddly, the children enjoyed seeing an adult clown being outwitted by Belgan and Edward C., two dwarfed men that appeared to be the size of children. Each day, Emily worked strenuously, far exceeding the job description of a clown. Constantly mingling with the crowds, and giving continuous efforts to win laughs, Emily is a great asset to the carnival’s prosperity.
Firstly, in the town of Hillsboro teaching the theory of evolution to students was strictly against the law. Bert Cates was in opposition to this idea and, he believed that every student had the right to know about the Origin of species. Teaching the theory of evolution was against the law because it contradicted the teachings
A distinct conscience is formed by the values and desires of one’s unique identity. However, common beliefs of societal standards can influence conscientious desires. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces a young girl named Scout, who learns about the difference between social conformity and human conscience. Through this, she notices the conflict it brings: choosing to conform or stand with your desire. Through Maycomb’s discriminatory principles, Atticus’ actions against common beliefs, and Scout’s comprehension of Boo, Lee reveals how society’s standards and conformity hinders personal desires for righteousness.
Khaled Hosseini 's novel, The Kite Runner uses lots of literary techniques. The authors use of craft reveals how Amir’s childish psychological state results in his betrayal of hassan and his irrational behavior afterwards. The main elements used are setting, conflict, and point of view.
She admits that she suffers through internal conflicts regarding her religious beliefs multiple times in “To My Dear Children”, even explicitly stating “I have argued thus with myself” (Bradstreet 164). Her struggle with what to believe was so great that she nearly abandons her original goal of writing to her children. This letter starts off addressing her children directly, but after the first paragraph she does not write in second person, with one exception, until the conclusion. Bradstreet instead writes the entire middle section about the issues she faced in her lifetime regarding her religion and how she overcame these problems. This gives great perspective into the mindset of all of her neighbors in Massachusetts as well. The “city upon a hill” (Winthrop 149) that John Winthrop told the Puritans they could create was not a perfect utopia even though they were finally free from the oppression of the Catholic Church. Doubts about whether God was truly on their side ensued as the Puritans discovered how laborious it was to live on the land and away from the luxury they were accustomed to in Europe. They began to question their own beliefs, just as Anne Bradstreet did. She presents these doubts in her letter and provides an understanding as to how this was not the perfect society it was meant to be. She also defends all of her doubts with
The world’s greatest innovator Steve Jobs once said, ”Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Whenever someone explains what courage is, a person’s definition would be about overcoming fear or having bravery. Despite that, courage can be an individual handling what society is asking from them and going by what their hearts say and dealing with their own problems. This concept comes into play in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, where several of Lee’s characters experience courage by going against societal means. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee connects the characters going through their own conviction to show her theme that courage is going against society’s beliefs and handling one’s situation.
In the chronological, descriptive ethnography Nest in the Wind, Martha Ward described her experience on the rainy, Micronesian island of Pohnpei using both the concepts of anthropological research and personal, underlying realities of participant observation to convey a genuine depiction of the people of Pohnpei. Ward’s objective in writing Nest in the Wind was to document the concrete, specific events of Pohnpeian everyday life and traditions through decades of change. While informing the reader of the rich beliefs, practices, and legends circulated among the people of Pohnpei, the ethnography also documents the effects of the change itself: the island’s adaptation to the age of globalization and the survival of pre-colonial culture.
In The Way To Rainy Mountain, the author N. Scott Momaday makes a clear use of figurative language throughout the story and descriptive language to describe the nature around them, explains their myths about how their tribe came to be a part of nature, as well as the importance in nature that are a part of the Sundance festival and the tai-me.
Rachel begins her book by painting us an image of a small quiet town. Keep in mind though, this town isn’t a real place, but is a parallel of our society. In this town, she describes the people living modest lives, and all is well. This is used to represent the calm before the storm, so to speak. The people start to notice strange things, such as birds dying and strange sicknesses. The people themselves are blissfully unaware of what is happening, and that they are to blame. This example is used in parallel to our world. We are unaware of the effects of Pesticides in the long term and if we don’t become aware of these effects, permanent damage will be done.
Calixta and Alce, the two main characters in the short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, are sexual, mature, and knowing adults. By having them discover amazing sex outside their marriages, they return to their own marriages renewed. Chopin openly condones adultery due to the fact that the characters are not punished and in the end “everyone was happy” (paragraph 40) . A common theme of fresh sexuality and desire is seen in this story though symbols and other literary elements. Kate Chopin is an American author that wrote short stories and novels in the 20th century.
Daniel Willey once said that “I believe that the best advocates of a certain issue are the ones that fully understand both sides” (Quotes About Sides). (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/sides) Even though he was discussing politics at the time, this statement holds true for many things. In the same way one needs to see both sides of a coin to fully understand it, sometimes a person has to look outside of one thing in order to find its true meaning. By reading both Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” and an excerpt from George Gordon, Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto IV the reader can gain a better understanding of each work as well as a more thorough grasp of Romantic ideas regarding humanity and nature.
In the beginning, Tom is blinded by the chance to impress his boss and possibly get a promotion at work that he does not realize he is jeopardizing his relationship with his wife. Although he feels guilty about leaving Clare alone in order to work and after she reminds him, “You work too much… and too hard” (Finney 1), he continues to lie, saying he must stay home to work. Not only does this prove that he places work above everything else, but he is willing to lie to his wife, ultimately showing his true values. This is an important aspect since it reveals to the audience that he is letting the chance to succeed get in the way of his personal relationships. Even after the wind takes his work, his mind is focused merely on the possible raise it could bring rather than considering the danger he would put himself through to get it back.
where they lie cold and low/ Each like a corpse within its grave, until/ Thine
He switched on the kitchen lights and the wrought-iron chandelier illuminated bright plaster frescoes of Italian vineyards, cabinets topped with yellowish-green leaves, and a lavishly carved ceiling.