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Jasmine Bell
Dr. Morgan
LEAD CTW1A
Lens Analysis Essay
Nov 12, 2021

The Subtlety of a Call To Action

Within Bryan Stevenson's book Just Mercy, a masterful depiction of the wrongs

perpetrated in the criminal justice system, the audience is made aware of how debilitating our

system of fairness is to marginalized groups. Stevenson uses small anecdotes to enumerate the

dehumanizing actions that have been normalized and further draw on the audience's empathy by

introducing an individual named Walter. Similarly in James Baldwin's "Letter to My Nephew",

Baldwin details the reality of being a Black man in the world through the story of his brother's

life. His words leave the reader with no imaginative ideas but realistic expectations and how to

approach almost inevitable situations. In chapter 7 of Just Mercy, Stevenson's narration of

Walter's conviction and unequal treatment is akin to Baldwin's account of living in the United

States while Black in "A Letter to My Nephew" in how they indirectly invoke the reader to act.

Both Stevenson and Baldwin exhibits nuance through the use of subtlety; asking the audience

what they wish to do rather than stating what they need to do.

Despite Stevenson and Baldwin speaking on separate realities, with different grievances

burdened, the problem they are addressing is the same. Black people are not given the right to

equality, nor are they given recognition for the torment they have endured. As seen in Chapter 7

of Just Mercy, Stevenson actively fights against Walter's conviction, noting the faulty

testimonies, statements, and apparent racial bias presented by the "impartial" court. Being Black

himself puts him into a dangerous situation with limited options, Ralph Myers saying " You
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know they'll try to kill you if you get to the bottom of everything". Despite being Walter's lawyer

Stevenson is also treated like a convicted individual. Having the reader witnesses an officer of

the legal system have his rights disregarded as if worthless further establishes empathy and anger

for Walter, Stevenson, and Black individuals as a whole.

On the opposing hand, Baldwin addresses his nephew James, although the use of his

nephew's name is sparse, allowing his work to be applied to oppressed people, specifically Black

youth. Baldwin explains the trials he and his family have faced, and acknowledges the fact

people and the systems in place refuse to recognize said trials. Baldwin states, " this is the crime

of which I accuse my country and my countrymen and for which neither I nor time nor history

will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of

lives and do not know it and do not want to know it". Baldwin lets the reader feel the blatant

disregard of black people's trauma, pain, and their truth. With the lack of recognition, you're not

allowed to complain, to educate others of your experiences, and to seek refuge and relief. You're

stuck in this limbo of living in a constant struggle met with continuous dismissal to have a

conversation of the past, present, and future of the treatment of marginalized groups.

What both authors excel in is the graphic detail in which they describe the tiresome trials

Black people have been forced to face and adapt to. With Walter's poorly formed case against

him to Baldwin's brother barely making it through life, the reader is not told to exhibit sadness

and anger on behalf of the people described, they come to that conclusion due to the descriptions

alone. Stevenson and Balwin don't incentivize the audience to act and create the change they

long for in their writing, they are not telling people to raise their voices and pitchforks against the
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oppression they describe in their articles of work, they are posing an unspoken question. The two

authors are asking, " After truly seeing what you know to be true, what do you want to do about

it?". There's no expectation of " what are you going to do about the issue at hand"; both authors

use their stories and pains to greatly express the absence of change to the audience, allowing for

them to picture the current situation in real-time and have the realization that they can play a role

in shaping the future.

Stevenson and Baldwin's wielding of their words is brilliant, there's no over usage of their

credibility as educated, notable Black individuals to have the reader adhere to their words and

vision. Their skillful humane approach appeals to almost all audiences, despite the focus on

racial inequality and the differentiation in treatment, because they communicate on the barest

level possible: as a living being. The tiresome troubles explained leave the reader bare, defined

only by their wishes and wants for people, which leaves them itching to act solely of their own

volition.