Characters
This character is described as “psychologically complicated,” “physically scared,” and “a tragic outcast.”
Ralph Myers
This character is the protagonist of the novel; while his “classmates put on expensive suits and interviewed at firms in New York, Los Angeles, or Washington, DC,” this character opened The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit legal organization.
Bryan Stevenson
“I feel like a bird, I feel like a bird.”
Simile
Ralph Myers had “always feared fire, heat, and small spaces.” Why?
Ralph Myers fears fire, heat, and small spaces because as a child living in foster care, he had been horribly burned in a fire.
This rhetorical device refers to an appeal to reason based on logic.
Logos
This character is a White American woman who “take[s] a mischievous pride in her intimacy with Walter [McMillian].”
Karen Kelly
This character is a “well-behaved” fourteen-year old boy who “shot and killed a man named George,” the abusive and alcoholic boyfriend of his mother.
Charlie
“Mockingbird tells the story of an innocent black man who is accused of raping a white woman in the 1930s, and is bravely defended by Atticus Finch, a white lawyer. What is often overlooked is that the black man falsely accused in the story was not successfully defended by Atticus.”
Allusion
Why does the death of Ronda Morrison shock Monroeville?
Her death shocks Monroeville because murder was uncommon in the area, and Ronda was popular and well-liked by the community.
This rhetorical device is an emotional appeal meant to forge an emotional connection to the audience.
Pathos
This character is “a Vietnam War veteran whose brutal, nightmarish experiences left him traumatized and scarred by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
Herbert Richardson
This character is a pulpwood business owner whose “independence won him respect and admiration, but it also sparked contempt and suspicion.”
Walter McMillian
“These aren’t scars, cuts, and bruises. These are my medals of honor.”
Metaphor
In his legal argument, Bryan Stevenson argues that in Ralph Myers’ testimony, he states that there was an imaginary third man with black-gray hair involved in the crime: “The white man in charge has never been identified or arrested by the State. The State has not been looking for a third person, a ringleader for this crime, because I think they recognize that this person doesn’t exist.” Which rhetorical appeal does Stevenson employ in this passage?
Logos
This is a rhetorical appeal that serves to establish the credibility or character of a speaker.
Ethos
Known as “a jailhouse snitch,” this character “had been released from jail immediately after giving the police his statement that he’d seen Walter’s lowrider truck at the cleaners on the day of the murder.”
Bill Hooks
This character worked with Bill Hooks at the NAPA Auto Parts store; he gave Bryan Stevenson an “affidavit (official statement) that Hooks’ testimony was a lie,” but he was arrested for committing perjury, after doing so.
Darnell Houston
“Everyone I saw at the prison seemed surrounded by a cloud of regret and remorse.”
Metaphor
Bryan Stevenson concludes his memoir with the following statement: “I continue to meet stonecatchers along the way who inspire me and make me believe that we can do better than we’ve done for the accused, convicted, and condemned among us - as well as those who were victimized by crime and violence - and that all of us can do better for one another. The work continues.” What is Bryan Stevenson's tone in this passage?
This refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.
Implicit Bias
This character is “the White [American] mechanic who had modified Walter’s truck and converted it to a lowrider. He confirmed that the work had been done more than six months after Ronda Morrison was murdered.”
Clay Kast
This character is the “Monroeville police officer who testified that he was the first to arrive at the crime scene on the day of the murder. He asserted that the body of Ronda Morrison was not by the front counter, where Myers had testified it was.”
Woodrow Ikner
"I decided that I was supposed to be here to catch some of the stones people cast at each other...I know you's a stonecatcher, too.”
Allusion
According to Bryan Stevenson, what does it mean for an individual to be a “stonecatcher?"
A "stonecatcher" is an individual who shields someone from hatred, injustice, and oppression; this individual intervenes to help those who are marginalized and mistreated by society by offering compassion, mercy, and the opportunity for redemption.
This is when a system or social institution, such as a government, has unjust laws, procedures, or rules that cause harm to people based on their race.
Systemic Racism