Just Mercy: A Story Of Justice And Redemption By Arthur Retevenson

Great Essays
There are always two sides to an argument, but different people have different opinions on which side is right and wrong; as a result, we can compare a debate or argument as of a coin, due to the fact that it has two sides. When it comes to the topic of judicial system in America, most of us will readily agree that it needs to be reformed. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of who will step forward and make changes to the court system. Whereas some are convinced that no one is going to do anything about it, others maintain that the government will be the savior by making the changes. In the introduction of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice And Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson -an American lawyer, social justice activist, …show more content…
The author uses a story to make the problem more realistic, which affects a reader’s opinion on the subject. He used the emotional appeal to make the readers feel a certain way. The story of Henry makes the reader feel sorrowful and sympathetic toward him in the introduction. The author used pathos in his writing when Henry, states, “You are the first person I’ve met in over two years after coming to death row who is not another death row prisoner or a death row guard. I’m so glad you’re here, and I’m so glad to get this news” (Stevenson 10). In making this comment, Stevenson urges us to believe that the prisoners on capital punishment are in urgent help. The author tries to accomplish this by showing appreciation of Henry; he is grateful because someone came to meet and help him. This method of the author accomplishes its task by showing the reader how helpless the prisoners are. Stevenson does not uses pathos once, but throughout the beginning of the introduction of the book. The author complicates matters further by stating that he did not like and appreciate the way guards were treating Henry by shoving him toward the door of the room forcefully (Stevenson 11). This statement compels the reader to agree with the author because the guards are not treating the prisoners right. The author also helps ignite terrific thoughts in the mind of the reader by sharing …show more content…
The author used this technique to his advantage because he used his credibility to make the argument stronger in the introduction. The author being a lawyer gives him the right to talk about this topic of unfair treatment in our judicial system. It would have not made sense to the reader if someone else, other than an expert in this field, would have made an argument about this situation. Later in the introduction, Stevenson integrates ethos by stating, “[a]fter graduation from law school, I went back to the Deep South to represent the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. In the last thirty years, I’ve gotten close to people who have been wrongly convicted and sent to death row” (Stevenson 17). Basically, the author is trying to convince the readers to agree with him by showing them his work. In addition, Stevenson included how many years he has been working to help the people who are in need of help. The readers are convinced that the author is not someone who just became a lawyer and wrote this book. None of the less, the readers think that the author is sensible and has the experience to show why he is talking about this

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