"Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" is a breathtaking book based on real stories through the lenses of Bryan Stevenson, an African American lawyer advocating for the justice on behalf of inmates wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row. From the start, Stevenson discusses the challenges he encountered throughout his journey through law school, as well as discovering how he found his calling in social justice. After completing law school, Stevenson secured his initial position in Alabama, where Jim Crow laws were still in force, resulting in the unjust arrest and wrongful sentencing to people of color to death row, solely based on their skin color. When arriving, Stevenson was quick to be engulfed in saddening cases. Despite …show more content…
Stevenson describes various personal experiences and encounters throughout the book to support his narrative. An example that was shared was an experience he encountered in the courthouse, where the judge assumed he was an inmate and shrugged him off. After Bryan identified himself, the judge laughed it off. Stevenson confided that he laughed it off too, but was hurt by that encounter. This is a case of racial profiling based off Bryan's skin color when he presented himself in the courthouse. His choice of words of it being destructive and a burden suggested that the impact was bigger than he let on. Walter McMillan was the man Stevenson was representing, who was framed for the murder of Rhonda Morrison because they were involved in a bi-racial relationship. McMillian was targeted because he was black and was dating a white girl, which was not approved of in his day. By constructing a believable story against McMillan, the police put a big red target on his back. Despite Monroe County having a 60 percent white population compared to Baldwin County's 86 percent, McMillian's trial was transferred to Baldwin …show more content…
However, the judge overturned this decision using the Judicial Override in the Alabama doctrine allowing the judge to use his judgement in sentencing which ended in McMillian being served a death sentence. Stevenson did an exceptional job of pointing out and describing how not one person came to McMillian's assistance or served as a support team based on his skin color. This brought rage to society, the color of skin; both stories support the argument Stevenson has based on his book. As the tearjerking stories in “Just Mercy” support Stevenson’s claims about flaws in our justice system, the book often has a hard time with narrative clarity due to the number of cases and anecdotes given. Stevenson describes how his car is cluttered with boxes of documents from the large amounts of cases he has taken on, mirroring the sometimes-scattered narrative of the book itself. In "Just Mercy," Stevenson covers a wide range of topics—from personal incidents like being held at gunpoint to veterans on death row suffering from PTSD. While each story is impactful, the amount of side narratives can be overwhelming, making it difficult for readers to follow the main thread of McMillian's
The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The purpose of this essay is to compare three very similar cases, the Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; and to prove why the defendant in the third trial never had a chance. Each took place in the rural South in the 1920’s and 30’s and involved the unfair conviction of young black males by all-white juries pressured by the threat of mob violence.
The non-fiction text I decided to read that led me to my topic of Capital Punishment is titled, Just Mercy by attorney-at-law Bryan Stevenson, and it provides stories of a lawyer who wanted to bring justice to the court system by helping men, women and children, sentenced to death row by helping them obtain their freedom. The book first begins with a back story of the Mr. Stevenson. Bryan Stevenson is a graduate from the law soon of Harvard. His interest in Death Row cases grew when the law office he was interning for sent him to talk to a man, Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to death row after wrongfully being accused of a murder he did not commit and was framed for. Mr. Bryan helped him, and Walter was eventually released about six years in death row. In the book, Mr. Stevenson goes through many cases that he has taken upon, some failures and some great success. The people Bryan helped were mostly minorities who faced racial bias at the time of their trial. He represented not only men, but also children. There’s stories about how a woman whose baby was born dead was sentenced to prison
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
In the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a memoir where Bryan Stevenson guides us through his life as a lawyer for those who are death sentence. From 1983 when he was student at Harvard Law to 2013 where he lost a client he was defending for years , he takes us through several cases he has taken over the years and showed how they personally impacted him as not only as a lawyer , but a person as well.
The novel, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson is an incredible read. In this book, Mr.
In Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, he uses methods of gothic language, partial language, biased facts and repetition to portray prisons in a negative light, allowing him to subtly persuade the reader, he often times does this through the negativity of prisons focusing on: prison guards, the structures themselves and the mistreatment of the prisoners. This method is a vital form in storytelling, but often times detracts from the overall message of Just Mercy and the injustices of the prison system.
By coming into the country, other races are denied of superiority and are exposed to an already “racialized society”. (pp.78) Oppression also comes into place with hierarchy, such as the “Bonds of Sisterhood” by Romero that portrays a difference between African American servants and housewives. It sets up an inequality between both women, showing inferiority over African American woman. One last reading that has emerged and captivated attention is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson expresses oppression in one of his own narratives when he was discriminated by two S.W.A.T officers. He describes his experience terrifying yet shocking since he had done nothing wrong. He was accused of a burglary based on the color of his skin because he lived in a white neighborhood. Not only that, but he was also investigated and searched which violated his rights. This unlawful act portrayed the ignorances for complex, multiple, and cross cutting relationships because Stevenson was an educated lawyer; yet, was seen different by the two officers in his own residence. Overall, Stevenson’s book has captured attention since it has given an experience of what he went
There were many innocent people that were punished for crimes they did not commit because they could not afford adequate counsel. Being poor and black can become a life or death situation. I believe that both books makes very valid points when it comes to mass incarceration and racial biases. The injustices have become so engrained in the system that many are blind to what is actually going on. More and more black men are becoming incarcerated and this is not because more blacks commit crime, so why then are so many being institutionalized? I believe it is to try to regain that power that was lost from the abolishment of slavery. The New Jim Crow highlighted the creation of the new racial caste system by revealing that the conception of this permanent segregation was implanted well before the Civil Rights Movement ended (Stevenson, 2014). While Just Mercy pinpoints the aftermath of a preconceived idea. It showed that America operated off of fear and anger, rather than truth and
Humanity instructs us that we must behave with tolerance and respect towards all. Just Mercy exemplifies how that is not the case for many Americans. Critical Race Theory is a theory which focuses on the experiences of people who are minorities. It argues that people who are minorities in the United States are oppressed and, because of the state of being oppressed, creates fundamental disadvantages (Lecture 4.7). A study conducted for the case McCleskey v. Kemp revealed that when a black defendant killed a white victim, it increased the likelihood the black defendant would receive the death penalty (Stevenson, 2014). Looking at this fact through the lens of a critical race theorist, it illustrates how unconscious racism is ignored by our legal system. The actuality that, statistically, people of color have a higher chance of getting sentenced to death than white people is a blatant example of inequality. In Chapter 8, Stevenson discusses the case of multiple juveniles who were incarcerated and sentenced to death in prison. These juveniles who were sent to adult prisons, where juveniles are five times more likely to be the victims of sexual assault, show an innate inequality towards minors (Stevenson, 2014). Ian Manuel, George Stinney, and Antonio Nunez were all only fourteen-years-old when they were condemned to die in prison. Although they did commit crimes, the purpose of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate young offenders. Trying juveniles in adult court represents a prejudice against age, which Stevenson sought to fight by working on appeals for Manuel and Nunez (Stevenson, 2014). His humanity shines through once again, as he combats the justice system to give the adolescents another chance at life, rather than having them die in prison. The way prisoners with mental and/or physical disabilities are treated while incarcerated is also extremely
Mercy can be hard to distinguish. It is not something that can be instructed but rather demonstrated. The theme of mercy is evident in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men is about two men, George Milton and Lennie Small. The two are traveling to a new ranch for work. Lennie is large, big built, hard working but mentally disabled. He is very depended on his friend George. George is small, wise and witty but he is very short tempered. Together the two dream of owning a farm together. At the new ranch Lennie gets himself into trouble by killing the boss’ daughter-in-law. He runs away, in the meantime the rest of the folks on the ranch become aware of Lennie’s actions and set out to find and kill him. George knows where Lennie is and sets out to see him. Lennie is scared and asks George to tell him about their dream ranch. As George tells Lennie about the dream ranch he tells Lennie to look across a river to “imagine” the ranch. As Lennie imagines the dream ranch George pulls out a gun and shoots Lennie at the back of his head. George knew keeping Lennie alive
However, Bryan Stevenson took the postconvicition case where he proved that the state’s witnesses had lied, and Walter McMillian was released in 1993 after spending six years on death row for a crime that he did not commit. This is a prime example of how the people control the court system. In this case, racism controlled the court, they wanted to frame an innocent African-American man of a murder in the act of racism. This wasn’t the only example of a case where the people ruled the court, it even went as far as celebrity murder cases on the other side of the
In Conclusion. Both justice and mercy are considered honorable and good. They both uphold the law and hold everyone accountable for their actions. However where justice is required it often acts as the bare normal for society. When mercy is extended it allows forgiveness to people that often disserve a second chance. It provides them with the opportunity to become better and change themselves. Which is often the greatest thing that you can provide to people that have found error. When mercy is extended love and the desire for improvement are often shown. This is often enough to get people on the right track. Les Miserbles shows both the laws of mercy and justice and why mercy is often a better law to judge someone by.
Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer who graduated from Harvard law school, which is one of the best school in this major if not the best in the world. He is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). He was born in November 14, 1959, in Milton, Delaware. According to equal justice initiative website, Bryan is interested in children in adult prison, death penalty, prisons, sentencing reform, race and poverty. He has a book, Just Mercy, that is talking about justice in the United state of America. Bryan got famous because pro pone work and has a lot of stories. In one of his most famous cases, He helped innocent a man on death row Walter McMillian. He was found guilty of killing 18-year-old Ronda Morrison, who was found under a clothing rack
Furthermore, Harper Lee exhibits her view on the lack of justice through allusion. “I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man,” Reverend Sykes is foreshadowing the Jury’s decision of Tom Robinson’s trial and how he knows that it is an injustice that black people like Tom Robinson are always unfairly trialed and persecuted. Furthermore, Reverend Sykes understands the injustice that Tom Robinson faces and has come to terms that he will be convicted guilty just like all other colored men when on trial. To conclude, through the use of colloquial language and foreshadowing, Harper Lee explores the key theme of injustice, which stems from 1930’s Alabama, which this novel is based
Blind Justice is the juridical term for describing equal and fair treatment to a person or between peoples in a particular (juridical) case. But is justice really blind? Well, we'll discover the answer using the exemple of the unfair justice treatment of Jean Valjean (a repented thief), and the family Thénardiers (Monsieur Thénardier and Madame Thénardier) in the famous novel of Victor Hugo Les Misérables. Les Misérables follows the struggle of Jean Valjean trying to become a better man in the Post-Napoleonic France society fulled of unfair justice. This will lead us to the meaning of mercy and the role of mercy in Les Misérables.