Harper Lee s Just Mercy - 1226 Words

â€Å"Finally, I ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned. We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated,† (Stevenson 18). Within Bryan Stevenson’s novel, Just Mercy, the truths of social inequalities in our criminal justice system are confronted and assessed. Discoveries are made on how the social status of a person impacts the way society perceives them. Despite actions made towards others in the majority, an individual’s character will be measured by how they behave towards people in the minority. Through Harper Lee’s portrayal of hostility that various characters possess towards minorities in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Stevenson’s unforgettable descriptions of social inequalities that the incarcerated face, a similar theme is exhibited. The social status of an individual will influence society’s behavior in a negative or positive way and provoke inequality within a community. Within Lee’s novel Jem and Scout live in a community that is evidently divided by social status. Jem and Scout must endure the ridicule of other children as their father, Atticus, defends Tom Robinson, innocent black man.Show MoreRelatedCourage Is A Man With A Gun1350 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"... I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it not matter what† (Lee, 11). This book is a story about two siblings that experienced many things throughout the whole book, most of them hard and new to them, but at the end, they assimilated to face these things. Their father, Atticus, was a lawyer who did everything at his hands to alwaysRead MoreDiscrimination And Fear Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1441 Words   |  6 PagesSouth. However, it is more than just a story of racial discrimination , it is a story about discrimination of those in society who are misunderstood. In this novel the author vividly describes the meaning of fear and discrimination. In doing this Harper Lee uses several characters in the novel that are feared and misunderstood, like Atticus and Scout, Boo Radley, the African American society, and Tom Robinson. Through the actions surrounding these characters, Harper Lee suggests that fear and discriminationRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1389 Words   |  6 Pageswhen others are against you, disagree, and mock or even threaten violence because of the exercise of one’s conscience. This quote is proven true in the story To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is revealed to be true through the actions of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. Harper Lee takes the small rural town of Maycomb, in Southern Alabama, and transforms it during the course of the novel from a hardcore racist town into a community beginning to demonstrate its capacityRead MoreCriminal Justice In America Now And Then Appears To Be1405 Words   |  6 PagesCriminal justice in America now and then appears to be more criminal than just — loaded with blunder, misbehavior, and prejudice, if not unordinary, discipline, combined with determined resistance to change and an inability to learn from even its most recognizable mistakes. What s more, no place, are matters are more worse than in the southern state of Alabama, the embraced grounds where Stevenson has become an advocate for the oppressed in the legal system. Stevenson, the visionary founder andRead More How Harper Lee explores the theme of prejudice in the novel To kill2051 Words   |  9 PagesHow Harper Lee explores the theme of prejudice in the novel To kill a mockingbird? Harper Lee explores the theme of prejudice in her novel, set in a small town called Maycomb. Maycomb County was, and still is, situated in the state of Alabama. Alabama is a state of The United States of America. To kill a mockingbird. What does this mean and in what ways are they shown in the novel? It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because it does not do any harm or faults to a person, but just sing itsRead MoreInterracial Issues Among Marriage, And Criminal Prosecution Between The 1800s And The 1900s934 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the terrible times of the 1800’s and 1900’s when the blacks and whites were racially separated terrifying events occurred to many people of color. The decimation was beyond the unnecessary, the killings and insults were highly common on the black community. Therefore a major problem during the time was the idea of marriage, in which the whites and blacks could only marry there race. In today’s statues that idea sound profound, but during the times of the correctional era it was not easy forRead MoreAnalysis Of Just Mercy By Bryan Stevenson1936 Words   |  8 Pages Just mercy by Bryan Stevenson This is a non-fiction book following Bryan Stevenson’s early career as a lawyer. Currently while practicing law he has started an organization called The Equal Justice Initiative. The organizations goal is to help wrongly convicted people get off of death row. One overarching story that you are following is the case of Walter McMillian, who was wrongly convicted and put on death row for the murder of a young woman in AlabamaRead MoreTruman Capote s Cold Blood1620 Words   |  7 PagesCapote is recognized by many for being a screenwriter, creating a plethora of short stories, and famously for his notable work-- Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Not only was this novel popular back in the 1950’s, Capote released a later novel that drew in many fans-- In Cold Blood. The very formation of Capote s novels and short stories seems to be increasingly insufficient to the eccentric dynamics of the time era (nytimes). Agonizing, horrible, surfeited with disasters -- all used to de scribe the crime novelRead MoreThe Transition Of Childhood Adulthood1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthey learn lessons, and lose some of their innocence. Overtime, the experiences amalgamate and complete the transformation to adulthood, and the process by which the transition happens is depicted in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Although it is set in the late 1930’s, similarly to adolescents today, the characters are constantly adapting to new situations and becoming more mature. Children like Jem and Scout Finch grow from single-minded youngsters, to seasoned individuals that think withRead MoreNight And To Kill A Mockingbird1948 Words   |  8 Pagesconcentration camps, and being exposed to murder, prejudice, and sadism. Throughout the book, Elie experiences traumatic events, such as children dying, people starving to death, and even his own father’s death, who he had a special connection with. Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. This book focuse s on the topics of racism and discrimination. Consequently, people believe this book helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. The story focuses on Scout, a girl whose father is defending a