Arias Rivera 1

Frida Arias Rivera

Dr. Tarnoff

ENGL 1A

15 October 2018

Rhetorical Analysis

In the chapter, “Surely Doomed,” Bryan Stevenson details his first encounter with

Charlie, a fourteen-year-old boy imprisoned for shooting the man that beat Charlie’s mother

close to death. When describing Charlie, Stevenson focuses on details about Charlie that seem

odd. “[Charlie] never smiled or responded; he just continued looking at the spot on the wall, his

face frozen in sadness” (Stevenson 123). Charlie is silent when being offered help for everything

he has been through; why does he stay silent and why does Stevenson focus on this so much? As

Stevenson goes to argue, Charlie was deeply traumatized by a broken system that failed to

protect him. However, the significance of this account of silence goes beyond Charlie’s story.

Many people remain silent when it comes to the flaws of the justice system. Trauma and abuse is

just one example of why people say silent. Many times, it is difficult for the people oppressed by

the system to speak up for themselves because they are not being heard. Through this chapter,

Stevenson calls attention to the problem of silence and how to break it. Stevenson shows what

happens when people speak up. Stevenson composes his narrative as a call to action—it is

intended not only to expose the cycle of injustice but to inspire others to take action to disrupt

and transform the justice system.

Stevenson juxtaposes two perspectives on Charlies “crime” by first presenting Charlie's

perspective and then the judges. Stevenson gets into Charlie's mind by using small details about
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Charlie to describe the night of the event. When Charlie finds a kitchen towel to soak up the

blood from his mothers head wrapped around a pot, Stevenson mentions that black-eyed peas

were in the pot. Charlie “loved black-eyed peas” (118). It is a random detail to point out, but

details like that show who Charlie is and how his evening was going before Charlie’s mother’s

boyfriend entered the house. Stevenson shows the how a wholesome night for Charlie turned into

something horrible by going back and forth from facts about Charlie and the events of the night.

This is done with the intention that the reader will see the night from Charlie’s perspective in

order to understand the reasoning behind his actions.

Unfortunately, this form of rhetoric does not work on the judge due to personal bias that

the prosecutor held during the trail. The prosecutor was friends with the man that Charlie shot

and therefore insisted that Charlie should be tried as an adult and place a harsher punishment

than he should have gotten. This trail is linked to a bigger problem that Stevenson draws

attention in the book: bias in the courts. While there is not much that can be done about

Stevenson maps out a way to help. Charlie’s story touches the hearts of an older couple, Mr. and

Mrs. Jennings who lost their grandson. Stevenson's purpose of writing ​Just Mercy​ is fulfilled

through this couple. The Jennings relate to Charlie’s grandmother and the suffering she was

going through. It is the connection the Jennings feel to the issue that drives them to take action

on the problem of youth incarceration. They help Charlie through his time in jail and getting him

through college after jail. This is only one way to help the broken system that Stevenson

presents. The power of storytelling inspires the couple to get involved with Charlie; when

Stevenson thinks how Charlie was thinking that night is when Stevenson felt the need to help

Charlie which is why Stevenson choose to include those details.

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Charlie’s story is a call to action. Stevenson narrates it this way in order to show he was

moved to take on a new purpose, juvenile cases. Stevenson continues his focus on juvenile cases

in chapter 8,​ “​ All of God’s Children,” with three different cases he worked on in which children

were tried as adults: Trina Garnett, Ian Manuel, and Antonio Nuñez. The common theme

presented is that it was not the actions of the children that got them in prison, but rather their

upbringing and home life. Steveson shares Trina Garnett’s upbringing before presenting her

crime because it is Trina’s upbringing that creates empathy for her and an understanding of her

actions, similar to Charlie. Ian Manuel shot Debbie Baigre’s jaw during a robbery when Ian was

only thirteen; Ian was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ian reached out to Ms. Baigre

after he arrived at the prison and continued to stay in contact with her throughout his time in

prison. Ms. Baigre was touched by the effort made by Ian for forgiveness which lead her to

writing “to the court and told the judge who sentenced Ian . . . that his sentence was too harsh

and his conditions of confinement were inhumane” (153). Ms. Baigre got close to Ian by seeing

Ian's perspective of that night and was able to forgive Ian. A woman who was wronged was able

to forgive her attacker is another way step in solving the problem that Stevenson presents. It the

cycle of listening to those who are silenced and taking action that Stevenson wants to get across

through the stories he tells.

The children are introduced to the reader in a humanized way, something not common

among media today. Going back to the beginning of the book, Stevenson claims that a person is

not the worst thing they have ever done. With the stories in this book, helps lay out Stevenson's

bigger picture, lack of understanding. Not everyone is able to experience what these children

have and therefore there is a lack of understanding, especially in the justice system. The
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placement of details in these stories creates an understanding between a story and the reader.

Stevenson presents the children's cases from their perspective and are not introduced as the worst

thing they have done. Evoking emotions for the criminal by providing their background is a way

that Stevenson uses storytelling to create a change. Stevenson's work on these cases follows the

steps in which he wants the reader to take. He listens, then helps by sharing stories and taking

action.

Byran Stevenson claims that “this book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and

extreme punishment in America, . . . how easily we condemn people” and the history behind

what was done (14). However, there is a greater meaning to this book than simply educating the

audience. Throughout Stevenson’s narrative, he shares stories of the victims of extreme

punishment in the U.S. Stevenson wrote this book with the intentions of having the audience

connect through the stories inspire them to do something. Storytelling has the power put yourself

in the shoes of others and understand where they are coming from. It is through the details of

storytelling that we are able to get a close look at the problem and understand the severity of the

problem. After all the stories are told, Stevenson ends the book by sharing a link to his

organization, the Equal Justice Initiative, as a final suggestion in ways the reader can get

involved. Stevenson passes the torch to the reader in hope that everything he said will create a

difference after the book is put down.

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Works Cited Page

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2015.