Munoz 1

Celeste Munoz

Professor Maura

8 October 2018

Rhetorical Analysis: Just Mercy

“Uh… also, uh… I love you,” (Stevenson 287) were the words spoken by Bryan

Stevenson at the age of 10 to a fellow classmate after teasing his speech impediment. At first

glance this may seem an insignificant act, brought about by a command from Stevenson’s

mother, but the implications go much further than that. This act, and the classmate’s subsequent

response of “I love you, too” (287) were the beginning stages of Stevenson’s own discovery of

what it means to be compassionate towards another person. Compassion, and empathy are huge

roles played throughout Stevenson’s writing, and play a larger role in the message he is trying to

send overall: people should not be characterized by the worst thing they have ever done, and they

deserve to be treated fairly in all circumstances. He demonstrates this message through appeal to

ethos, using contrast, and his overall use of emotional diction.

In the chapter “Broken,” Stevenson speaks about the effects his job has on him. By

bringing in the personal details of him feeling, “deeply distressed,” (277) and overwhelmed by

the amount of execution dates coming up, he is making the connection to himself with “ I am

more than broken,” (290) Stevenson is building his credibility to the audience. In the prior

chapters, he does not speak very much about the tolls his job has on him, so readers can assume

that it is not that difficult for him to just continue doing what he is doing. However, by his use of

personal anecdotes and expressing his emotions then remember that he is only human. A person

can only take so much, which is another point Stevenson is trying to express about the prisoners

he is fighting for. Just like Stevenson, they still have hardships, and problems that take tolls on
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them. He empathizes with the people from his cases, and therefore, the audience has more

empathy too through his shared experiences.

Stevenson argues that the injustice in the criminal system can be merciless does not

always take into account all that a person has gone through. He doesn’t argue that criminals

should not be held accountable, rather that more attention should be paid to them as individuals.

Because of his want to bring awareness about the injustice, Stevenson shifts in tone when

speaking about all of the struggles one of his clients Jimmy Dill faced from saying “I” to “we.” It

is worth noting because by using “we,” he connects the issues to all of his readers as well. It

makes the audience feel like they are being called to help, because it is an issue that affects

everyone, not just the accused. He also shifts to a more emotional tone when he details his

personal anecdotes. For example he says, “My years of struggling against inequality, abusive

power, poverty, oppression, and injustice had finally revealed something about myself” (289).

By doing this, he is opening up the channel to becoming vulnerable, and that in turn, allows the

audience to feel vulnerable with him. He goes on to describe how “shared brokenness connected

us,” (289) and encourages the readers to make those same personal connections to the victims of

injustice in order to go out and feel inspired to make change.

The issue of dehumanization of criminals is another point Stevenson alludes to

throughout his book by using emotional diction. He states, “In their broken state, they were

judged and condemned by people whose commitment to fairness had been broken by cynicism,

hopelessness, and prejudice,” (288.) In other words, he is claiming that there is a broken system

of justice, and that people accused of crimes do not get the fair treatment they deserve. In order

to further make his point, Stevenson again refers to his personal feelings when he looks around

his office and sees, “each pile filled with tragic stories,” (288) and the feelings of his clients by
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repeating the way they were, “broken by war...broken by poverty... broken by disability…”

(288.) These sentences help the audience empathize with all of the problems Stevenson and his

clients have to go through. It sparks emotion in the reader which he hopes, again, then

encourages them to seek out more injustice, and work against it. That is his whole purpose, and

hopes to shed more light on just some of the issues there are in today’s society.

Overall, Stevenson shares his idea of the need for reform in the criminal justice system

throughout his book. He also wants to convey to his readers to look at people suspected of crimes

in a new, more compassionate light. He does this by sharing details of his personal life to appeal

to the reader's emotions, and build his credibility, and has anecdotes where he sharply changes

his tone. Stevenson wants Just Mercy to be seen as a call to action, and for his audience to step

up and want to help the lives of the people he dedicates his work to.

Works Cited

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Spiegel & Grau, 2015.