Inherit the Wind Lesson Plan

Why do you think the setting of the play is so general ("Place: A small town. Time: Summer. Not too long ago.")? Does this limit the play in any way?

The very general setting of the play allows viewers/readers to imagine it taking place in any small town in America, at any time. The events of the play are not restricted to the 1920s or to the South, which is important because Lawrence and Lee intended for the play to be a commentary on the McCarthy trials of the 1950s. Much like Miller's The Crucible, this play is meant to highlight the universality of certain human tendencies (pride, fear of change, fear of the unknown, etc.). Students might indicate that "not too long...