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For Oral Exam ACT 3 INHERIT THE WIND

In Act 3 of 'Inherit the Wind', Cates expresses his fears about the trial's outcome and the possibility of imprisonment, while Drummond reflects on the unpredictability of the law and his experiences as a lawyer. Drummond shares a nostalgic story about a childhood rocking horse named Golden Dancer, symbolizing unattainable dreams and the harsh realities of life. The conversation highlights themes of hope, disillusionment, and the complexities of justice.

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26 views2 pages

For Oral Exam ACT 3 INHERIT THE WIND

In Act 3 of 'Inherit the Wind', Cates expresses his fears about the trial's outcome and the possibility of imprisonment, while Drummond reflects on the unpredictability of the law and his experiences as a lawyer. Drummond shares a nostalgic story about a childhood rocking horse named Golden Dancer, symbolizing unattainable dreams and the harsh realities of life. The conversation highlights themes of hope, disillusionment, and the complexities of justice.

Uploaded by

lteves
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INHERIT THE WIND ACT 3

CATES (Staring straight ahead) Mr. Drummond. What’s going to happen?


DRUMMOND What do you think is going to happen, Bert?
CATES Do you think they’ll send me to prison?
DRUMMOND They could.
CATES They don’t ever let you see anybody from the outside, do they? I mean – you
can just talk to a visitor – through a window – the way they show it in the movies?
DRUMMOND Oh, it’s not as bad as all that. (Turning toward the town) When they
started this fire here, they never figured it would light up the whole sky. A lot of people’s
shoes are getting hot. But you can’t be too sure. (At the other side of the stage, BRADY
rises majestically from his debris of paper napkins and banana peels, and goes off.)
CATES (Watching BRADY go off) He seems so sure. He seems to know what the
verdict’s going to be.
DRUMMOND Nobody knows. (He tugs on one ear) I’ve got a pretty good idea. When
you’ve been a lawyer as long as I have – a thousand years more or less – you get so
you can smell the way a jury’s thinking.
CATES What are they thinking now?
DRUMMOND (Sighing) Someday I’m going to get me an easy case. An open-and-shut
case. I’ve got a friend up in Chicago. Big lawyer. Lord how the money rolls in! You know
why? He never takes a case unless it’s a sure thing. Like a jockey who won’t go in a
race unless he can ride the favorite.
CATES You sure picked the long shot this time, Mr. Drummond.
DRUMMOND Sometimes I think the law is like a horse race. Sometimes it seems to me
I ride like fury, just to end up back where I started. Might as well be on a merry-goround,
or on a rocking-horse … or … (He half closes his eyes, his voice is far away, his lips
barely move.) Golden Dancer …
CATES What did you say?
DRUMMOND That was the name of my first long shot. Golden Dancer. She was in the
big side window of the general store in Wakeman, Ohio. I used to stand out in the street
and say to myself, "If I had Golden Dancer I'd have everything in the world that I
wanted." (He cocks an eyebrow) I was seven years, and a very fine judge of rocking
horses. (He looks off again, into the distance) Golden Dancer had a bright red mane,
blue eyes, and she was gold all over, with purple spots. When the sun hit her stirrups,
she was a dazzling sight to see. But she was a week's wages for my father. So Golden
Dancer and I always had a plate glass window between us. (Reaching back for the
memory) But, let's see, it wasn't Christmas; must've been my birthday – I woke up in the
morning and there was Golden Dancer at the foot of my bed! Ma had skimped on the
groceries, and my father'd worked nights for a month. (Reliving the moment) I jumped
into the saddle and started to rock – (Almost a whisper) And it broke! It split in two! The
wood was rotten, the whole thing was put together with spit and sealing wax! All shine,
and no substance!

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