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Ethos Pathos Logos In Just Mercy

799 Words4 Pages

The book, “Just Mercy”, written by Bryan Stevenson, tells the story of true justice in helping incarcerated people fight for freedom. He develops convincing arguments showing the hidden flaws and inequality in the American criminal justice system. Bryan Stevenson makes his arguments through three appeals, ethos, logos and pathos, using personal experiences, his viewpoint on juvenile sentencing and justice, and his priorities. In chapter 2, Stand, Stevenson shares his personal experiences with the Atlanta Police Department to provide exposure to racial inequality. On a drive home from Gadsden, Alabama, Stevenson gets pulled over by an Atlanta SWAT car: “The other officer was now leaning inside my car and going through my papers. I knew that …show more content…

Charlie had been jailed for murdering his mother’s boyfriend, George, at the age of fourteen with no prior juvenile history. During the first two days at this prison, Charlie was sexually abused and raped. At the beginning of the chapter, Stevenson states, “Ma’am, I can't take the case, but I will drive down to the jail and see your grandson tomorrow. We likely won't be able to represent him, but let me find out what's going on, and perhaps we can help you find a lawyer who can assist you”(94). After this exchange, Stevenson expressed the overwhelming number of current cases he had, with no intention of taking on another, he went to the county jail where Charlie was being detained at, to have a legal visit. Leaving the legal visit with new information about the treatment in-jail, Stevenson told the sheriff, he said, “Who is responsible for this? How could we ever allow this?”(102) Stevenson decided to take on Charlie's case. “Charlie’s case was transferred to juvenile court, where the shooting was adjudicated as a juvenile offense”(103). Taking this case on was a major step for Stevenson, showing his true priorities and intentions as a lawyer, agreeing to take on a case after getting more background even after being swamped with current cases. Chapter 6 shares with us Stevenson's argument of the flaws in our criminal justice system through the emotion of Charlie's

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He explains everything and ends the phone call by warning Stevenson to be careful because if he gets to the bottom of this they will kill him. At the end of this chapter, Stevenson and Michael go through all of the evidence they have collected, from Myers to the Pittman murder files and soon after this, the bomb threats started rolling in. In chapter 8, Stevenson tells the story of Trina Garret who was 14 when she committed her crime and was convicted as an adult of second-degree murder. Throughout her time in prison, she developed several mental illnesses, one of them being multiple sclerosis, and she became confined to a wheelchair. He then tells the story of a kid named Ian Manuel who was also convicted as an adult and due to the risk of rape they put him in solitary confinement.

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Then if one looks in the notes section of the back of the book, one can find where he has cited his source as being the testimony of Ralph Myers during the court case of McMillian v. Alabama. The fact that Stevenson has a notes section in the back of his book at all shows he quoted official public information which effectively appeals to readers’

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Once a young innocent boy, Joe Sullivan, a thirteen year old boy who suffered from mental disabilities from ignorance and abuse from father, became obligated by two older boys to participate in the robbery of an elderly homeowner. The day of the burglary, the homeowner was also mercilessly sexually assaulted. Whilst Sullivan admitted to being the boy’s accomplice, he adamantly denied the sexual assault. Though denying the charges and lack of evidence, Joe Sullivan was convicted as an adult and sentenced to life without parole. Sullivan’s forsaken teenage years behind bars lead him to become an underdeveloped man stuck in the past.

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Throughout the novel Stevenson talks about the failures of the criminal justice system, telling the stories of victims of horrible injustices. Stevenson uses ethos as a technique to pursuade the readers to feel the injustnice of the criminal system while showing his credibility of the topic and theme. Stevenson appeals to the audiences ethics showing his first hand experience’s of what is wrong with the social justice system. Stevenson shows his credibility throughout the novel by showing his background in education at harvard law. He also shows his credibility by his years of experience by working for the equal justice initiative.

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Question 1: Think back to your views before you began to read Stevenson’s book. What, if anything, in this book surprised you? How did this book challenge your beliefs on any of the following? The criminal justice system Capital punishment Legal representation Poverty

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“There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy (Stevenson 109) .” This bold statement is one of many as Bryan Stevenson sets the tone for his renowned award winning novel Just Mercy. As a young lawyer from Georgia, built the foundation for his company, SPDC (Southern Prisoners Defense Committee) to help convicts that are on death row or in need a second chance. Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer from Georgia who fought for justice on the behalf of inmates on death row, showed tremendous intelligence in becoming a successful lawyer, demanding for not backing down in moments of refusal, and was an overall advocate

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By explaining Walter’s situation and why he was convicted and put on death row, Stevenson was able to highlight the injustices within the judicial system and how so many innocent people can be judged too quickly because of one’s race, status, or class. Another anecdote used to demonstrate these prejudices is Stevenson’s mention of the inhuman death of Lourida Ruffin; also a black man, Ruffin lived in Alabama where the predominantly white society felt very negatively towards anyone of a different race. After committing a minor traffic violation, Ruffin was beaten by police and then was refused his asthma inhaler, and he later died in the police station’s holding cell. This case alone emphasizes the constant issue of police brutality, especially towards African American males that is still prevalent today. Stevenson later moves to discuss unfair treatment of the mentally ill in prison, using the case of Herbert

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There are many victims of unfortunate circumstances in the world today, yet some of these results could have been easily avoided. In the novel, Just Mercy, the author Bryan Stevenson addresses many cases in which children under the age of 18 are incarcerated within the adult criminal justice system. By treating children as adults in the criminal justice system their innocence and undeveloped person, become criminalized. These children become dehumanized and only viewed as full-fledged criminals and as a result society offers no chance sympathy towards them. Stevenson argues that children tried as adults have become damaged and traumatized by this system of injustice.

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Bryan Stevenson never knew what could happen and he was full of fear of the possibility of jail time or death. Herbert Richardson was a mentally ill person who didn’t get the help he needed, and due to that, he killed little girl and was executed. During that time, the mentally ill lost most of its funding, and because of that, those who needed help couldn’t get it. Richardson and other mentally ill people didn’t have much money and lived in poverty. Without justice, the world would become nothing but poverty, despair and fear, and the only ones who wouldn’t be affected are the

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Stevenson begins chapter 12 of “Just Mercy” by telling the story of Marsha Colbey, a poor woman convicted of the 1st degree murder of her Stillborn son. A Department of Forensic Sciences autopsy revealed, “that Marsha Colbey’s baby was born alive but also asserted that the child would have survived with medical attention” (Stevenson 144). A mere few weeks after the stillbirth, Marsha found herself sentenced to life in prison for the unrelated death of her innocent child. Stevenson reports that the state weaponized her economic status to forge a powerful narrative against Marsha’s character and parenting ability. The death of a child is already a horrid event, often having significant mental health results on parents and family members.

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