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.

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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.

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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).

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“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.

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“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.

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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