A Time To Kill

1907 Words4 Pages

A Review and Commentary On:A Time to Kill By John GrishamA Time to Kill written by John Grisham is a book that presents the high racial tensions in Canton Mississippi in the early 1990’s. The book opens with two young men, James Lewis Willard and Billy Ray Cobb, joy riding in their brand new yellow pick up truck decked out with Confederate flags. They speed though black neighborhoods throwing full beer bottles at people and houses, until they come across ten-year-old Tonya Hailey walking home from the grocery store. The men pull over, trap her, rape her repeatedly, beat her, hang her, throw her off a bridge and leave her for dead. Her siblings find Tonya later that day, barely alive, her father, Carl Lee Hailey., and the black community are outraged. Tonya’s missing shoe is found in the back of the yellow pick up truck and both men are arrested for rape and attempted murder. Carl Lee confronts his lawyer, Jake Brigance , about similar cases where the white criminals were let off or given light sentences for similar charges, which enrages Carl Lee further. Carl Lee asks if Jake will stand by him in a jam, Jake promises he will. The next morning Carl Lee shoots the two men on the way to their arraignment, both men die and a cop is shot and loses his leg. Carl Lee is immediately arrested for the murder of the two men, as promised Jake stands by his side. Carl Lee confesses to the murders and admits he never had anything against the two men until they messed with his baby, he feels sorry for the men’s families, but not for what he has done. Jake and Carl Lee begin to discuss every aspect of the case immediately, they decide that Carl Lee with plea not guilty by reason of insanity. The District Attorney, Rufus Buckley, begins to discuss the importance of keeping the case in this county in order to have a better chance of an all white jury, Jake files a change of venue for the opposite reason. Meanwhile, members of the Cobb and Willard family seek out the Ku-Klux-Klan to get even with Carl Lee and Jake, they begin a Klan chapter in their county, which immediately begins to terrorize Jake and his family. The NAACP comes to Canton and offers Carl Lee a more experienced lawyer, the NAACP believes “Carl Lee’s acquittal for the killing of two white men will do more for the black people of Mississippi than any event since we integrated the schools. His conviction woul...

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...ts the entire plot rolling. Finally, the entire courtroom chapters, from opening statements to the acquittal of Carl Lee, are truly important. Through out the scenes in the courtroom, the truth about racism in Canton and America is revealed. Carl Lee and Jake prove to the jury that Carl Lee being black, Tonya being black, and Cobb and Willard being white are the central issues in the case. The jury then finds the strength to pass judgment that was not based on race. Although A Time to Kill is based on a fictional story, it still presents many interesting and realistic scenarios. It is easy to imagine that the events in the book actually did happen or could happen in American today. The series of events that unfold easily invoke strong emotions in the reader, no matter where that reader stands as far as racial beliefs. The book represents a wide range of views on the situation, from the Ku Klux Klan, Jake, Carl Lee, the NAACP, Buckley, the Judge, the jury, Dept. Luny, and the general population of Canton. The book presents everything from the extreme events to everyday actions. A Time To Kill is an outstanding book that deals with important issues and shows many simple realities.

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