Persuasive Techniques In Just Mercy

The prison system in the USA is very flawed and functions as a way for racists to torture people, and the story “Just Mercy” is an excellent example. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a true story about the wrongfully accused and about the terrible system functioning on racism and torture. In his memoir, Bryan Stevenson uses literary nonfiction strategies to reinforce his argument that “the criminal justice system can do a better job of respecting the humanity and dignity of all people.”

The descriptive settings help to really show the torture and mistreatment, furthering his argument. His description of death row is an excellent example of how his descriptions show the torture: “Condemned prisoners on Alabama’s death row unit were housed in windowless concrete buildings that were notoriously hot and uncomfortable. Each death row inmate was locked in a 5 by 8 foot cell with a metal door.the temperatures in August consistently reached more than 100 degrees. many could smell the scent of burnt flesh”(Stevenson 54-56). This quote is an excellent description of the horrid living conditions. Being locked in a cubicle sized concrete room over 100 degrees is very clearly torture. The description of the scent in those cells is

The phrasing he used on why Walter was accused really showed that it was just racism. Stevenson wrote: “Now, four months into his term as sheriff, he faced a seemingly unsolvable murder and intense public pressure. But there was now evidence against Walter except that he was an African-American man in an adulterous interracial affair. maybe that was evidence enough.” This quote demonstrates how racism makes people suffer for nothing but their ethnicity. As the quote states, there was no evidence besides the fact that he was a black man dating a white woman. He was caused much suffering, because he was framed for murder, simply for being a black