Josiah Hoskins Emily Chappell ENGL 102 27 February 2024 Just Mercy Analysis Just Mercy, written by the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson, is a collection of the stories of the wrongfully imprisoned and an explanation of the actions he took to rectify their situations. Stevenson takes the reader on an emotional journey across the country into the lives of multiple incarcerated or recently freed Americans. The winner of multiple awards, such as the “MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius’ Prize” and the “National Medal of Liberty from the American Civil Liberties Union”, Stevenson shows that he is truly an advocate for social reform and proves it throughout his entire story (https://eji.org/bryan-stevenson/). Bryan …show more content…
Most prominently, Stevenson uses pathos throughout the entire story by not only giving emotionally heart-wrenching stories about his clients, but by giving his own back story to change other people’s perceptions of his clients. He also uses logos and ethos, by giving factual evidence to support his claims, and by giving logical reasons as to why the audience should believe someone as experienced and successful as he is. Kairos is also used to give the audience context and perspective on the situations and events, before and after, surrounding his work with the Equal Justice Initiative, to better support his cause. Overall, the author effectively shares multiple reasons why and gives many examples of the United States justice system's corruption, racial injustice, and shows the audience why there is a need for real change. Works Cited Stevenson, Bryan. A. Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults: A True Story of the Fight for Justice. Thorndike Press, Part of Gale, Cengage Company, 2020. The "Bryan Stevenson" Equal Justice Initiative, 7 Feb. 2024, eji.org/bryan-stevenson/. “Harvard University.” U.S. News and World Report, 20 Apr. 2023, www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/harvard-university-03074. Dyvik, E. H. (2024, January 8). Countries with the most prisoners: 2023. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262961/countries-with-the-most-prisoners/#::text=At%20the%20end%20of%202023,Brazil%20followed%20in%20third. " Loving v. Virginia. I am a sailor." Oyez, www.eyez.org/cases/1966/395. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
Throughout Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer who opened his own nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, was determined that he would be the one to help those that needed and couldn’t get it, to help those who were wrongly condemned. Throughout the memoir, he mainly focuses on one falsely accused death row prisoner, Walter McMillian. He was falsely accused of committing murder and mistreated, though all evidence supported that he was innocent. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only falsely
decisions and their lasting consequences. We thoroughly investigate the theme of choices and consequences by analyzing it through the perspectives provided by four different sources: Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," John Grisham's "A Time to Kill," Bryan Stevenson's "Just Mercy," and Wes Moore's "The Other Wes Moore." Each piece provides distinct perspectives on the intricacies
Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer, Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond by Marc Lamont Hill, and Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy: A story of justice and redemption, seek to describe how social injustices and economic issues manifest