Just Mercy Ch 5-8

What is the author’s purpose for including the allusion to W.E.B. DuBois’ short story “Of the Coming of John” from The Souls of Black Folk (Stevenson 100-101)?

• Stevenson wants readers to realize that referencing well-known short stories is helpful to prove points in a lengthy text.

• Stevenson makes this connection to illustrate how his own mission parallels that of the main character, John, because he is determined to seek equality and liberation.

• DuBois is a famous author, and Stevenson also faces struggles as a writer, so he illustrates how difficult it is to share a message with an audience.

• Stevenson is demonstrating that it is hopeless to fight against systems of oppression, because the ending of “Of the Coming of John” is tragic.

In chapter 6, “Surely Doomed,” what is the author’s purpose for including the lengthy account of Charlie’s story?

• Stevenson knows the story seems extreme, so he describes it in detail in order to ensure that the reader will believe that it is true.

• Stevenson appeals to the reader’s empathy with Charlie, in order to illustrate the importance of understanding the context in which a crime was committed so that we will have mercy.

• Stevenson hopes to enlighten readers about how prevalent domestic abuse is, in order to urge people to seek help if they are in need.

• Stevenson is suggesting that all policemen are corrupt and hungry for power, in order to explain why the prosecutors valued the life of George (who was a policeman) over Charlie.

Which of the following pieces of evidence best supports Stevenson’s claim from chapter eight that the children whose stories he shares “weren’t exceptional” (Stevenson 160)?

• “The difficulties outside Antonio’s home were compounded by severe domestic abuse inside the home” (Stevenson 154).

• “By the late 1980s and early 199s, the politics of fear and anger sweeping the country and fueling mass incarceration was turning its attention to children” (Stevenson 159).

• “There were thousands of children like them scattered throughout prisons in the United States” (Stevenson 160).

• “Trina’s mental and physical health made her life in prison extremely challenging” (Stevenson 160).

“I don’t know how to make you feel the emotion and importance of those photos, but to be real, I want to show the world I’m alive! I want to look at those photos and feel alive! It would really help with my pain. I felt joyful today during the photo shoot. I wanted it to never end. Every time you all visit and leave, I feel saddened. But I capture and cherish those moments in time, replaying them in my mind’s eye, feeling grateful for human interaction and contact. But today, just the simple handshake we shared was a welcome addition to my sensory deprived life” (Stevenson 162).

What is the author’s purpose for including the letter from Ian at the end of chapter 8?

• To help the reader realize how many prisoners reach out to their lawyers from prison, in order to show how important lawyers are.

• To illustrate how well someone in solitary confinement can still write well considering their lack of communication, in order to appeal to the reader’s emotions.

• To give the reader the point of view of someone in solitary confinement, in order to reveal that Ian was actually innocent and was unfairly convicted.

• To present the point of view of someone who was convicted of a crime when he was a child, in order to support the claim that sentencing children to life imprisonment is cruel and unusual punishment.

“I don’t know how to make you feel the emotion and importance of those photos, but to be real, I want to show the world I’m alive! I want to look at those photos and feel alive! It would really help with my pain. I felt joyful today during the photo shoot. I wanted it to never end. Every time you all visit and leave, I feel saddened. But I capture and cherish those moments in time, replaying them in my mind’s eye, feeling grateful for human interaction and contact. But today, just the simple handshake we shared was a welcome addition to my sensory deprived life” (Stevenson 162). 

 What do the photographs symbolize for Ian?

• His sense of himself as a human being.

• His mother’s birthday.

• The cruelty of the people who put him in solitary confinement.

• His sense of sadness that results from his isolation.

“I don’t know how to make you feel the emotion and importance of those photos, but to be real, I want to show the world I’m alive! I want to look at those photos and feel alive! It would really help with my pain. I felt joyful today during the photo shoot. I wanted it to never end. Every time you all visit and leave, I feel saddened. But I capture and cherish those moments in time, replaying them in my mind’s eye, feeling grateful for human interaction and contact. But today, just the simple handshake we shared was a welcome addition to my sensory deprived life” (Stevenson 162). 

What is the overall tone of the passage above?

• Angry

• Hopeless

• Bittersweet

• Melancholic

What did Sheriff Tate give Bill Hooks for testifying?

• A new car

• a new job

• $5000 & dismissed charges

• nothing--Bill Hooks was telling the truth

Who said the following: "It was all a lie. What I'm going to tell you is going to blow your mind...after I told all of 'em what I'd done, everybody said I needed to make it right. That's what I'm trying to do."

• Bryan Stevenson

• Michael O'Connor

• Walter McMillian

• Ralph Myers

True or False: Debbie Baigre, the woman Ian shot in the face, is the same one who calls to try to get Ian's sentence shortened.

• True

• False

True or False: Antonio, the final boy in chapter 8, was shot in his neighborhood in Los Angeles, along with his brother Jose. Both escaped the shootings with minor injuries.

• True

• False