Stevenson Use Of Ethos Pathos Logos

In “The Hill We Climb” Amanda Gorman says that we are “striving to form our union with purpose,” “we will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.” Bryan Stevenson is the perfect embodiment of this powerful statement. Throughout the novel, Stevenson is constantly striving to build the country with a just purpose. Regardless of the challenges, Stevenson refuses to be turned around or “interrupted by intimidation.” Stevenson proves his argument to be true, not just based on his legacy or experience but on clear proven facts and experiences of others. In “Just Mercy,” Bryan Stevenson uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos,

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. The imprisonment of the child’s mother does not help resolve this issue. Stevenson argues that unfortunately, Marsha Colbey is not alone in this injustice. In the case of infant deaths, “a presumption of guilt has now fallen on thousands of women—particularly poor women in difficult circumstances—whose children die” (Stevenson 145). A deadly combination of nosy peers, a presumption of guilt, and a structural oppressive “justice” system spells the end of free life for many women in minority communities all around the United States. The problem of presumption of guilt spoken about in the first part is built on by a lack of representation endorsed and maintained by the criminal justice system itself. This dangerous statistic demonstrates how widespread this injustice is. Stevenson logically verifies this point with references to the processes used to convict these innocent women. The story of Victoria Banks is a prime example of the