In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson tells a first person account of his years defending the people who were wrongly convicted or punished by the US justice system. At the heart of the novel is the story of Walter McMillian, a man wrongly convicted of murder and sent to death row. Throughout the novel, Stevenson presents examples of individuals who were wrongfully punished due to racism and discrimination. He shows the readers how our criminal justice system unfairly impacts members of the Black community. He also highlights the destruction and devastation this can cause. For instance, although Walter was liberated, his time on death row traumatized him. After his trial, he was left divorced, jobless, and depressed. Walter's life was ruined because …show more content…
I used this metaphor because I thought that it perfectly explained the courage and strength that Stevenvson shows throughout the novel. He constantly faces new challenges and he overcomes them with perseverance and bravery. Lions are brave enough to go a different direction even when everyone else is going another way. This is exactly what Stevenson did when he decided to create a nonprofit law organization. He knew that his fellow classmates would end up working for a rich law firm, but he wanted to do something more. So he risked everything and he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a very successful nonprofit organization that works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality. Throughout the novel, Stevenson faces his adversaries despite his fear or doubt. This is another characteristic of a lion. One example of this during the novel was when he was working on Walter McMilian’s case and he got bomb threats. However, instead of quitting, he continued working on the case and ended up freeing Mr. McMillian. Throughout his entire life, Stevenson showed strength and courage when facing obstacles and most importantly he never gave up on any of his clients. He showed the most important characteristics of the king of the