Just Mercy

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird is, like Just Mercy, set in Monroe County, Alabama.

• Compare and contrast Harper Lee’s novel with Just Mercy, a work of nonfiction. In what ways do both books speak to similar themes of racism and the limits of justice? (topic sentence)
• In what ways do the works diverge? Cite at least 3 moments in Just Mercy when Stevenson is confronted with the hypocrisy and blindness of the residents of Monroeville. How are these examples different from events in the novel?
• In your conclusion, describe how the real-life Monroeville evolved (or did not evolve) in a post–To Kill a Mockingbird world, as far as Institutionalized Racism is concerned.

2. The United States is the only Western country to use the death penalty. Behind only China, it executes the greatest number of people each year.

• What about America’s history or culture has allowed capital punishment to persist? (topic sentence)
• What links does Stevenson draw between the death penalty and what it means to be “American”? Give several examples.
• In your conclusion, explain how Justice is not applied equally to all American citizens, depending on their skin color. Also explain how Black and white Americans throughout Just Mercy have different ideas of what “justice” means.

3. Consider the title of the book, Just Mercy.

• What is the relationship between justice and mercy? (topic sentence)
• What does it mean for the law to be both just and merciful? Do any of the cases in the book meet that standard? Why or why not?
• In your conclusion, answer this question: In Stevenson’s mind, which of his clients are most deserving of Mercy? Consider Stevenson’s clients’ background—particularly Walter’s—when answering this question.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In Just Mercy, Stevenson discusses the legal cases of men and women, juveniles and adults. How does gender and/or age affect the cases he describes? Consider the standards of living, the prison “culture,” and the inmates themselves at facilities for men vs. women and for adults vs. juvenile offenders. In your response, compare and contrast at least two cases with individuals of differing identities and/or backgrounds. In your conclusion, discuss how Justice is or isn’t applied equally to these individuals.

2. Consider the childhoods of two or more convicts featured in Just Mercy. What similarities do they share? Could something have been done in their formative years to prevent their future incarceration? In your conclusion, defend your position and explore how, especially for Black convicts, Institutionalized Racism played a role in their traumatic and/or dysfunctional upbringing.

3. Many people are involved in a single trial—a defendant, a judge, lawyers on both sides, and a jury. In your opinion and based on what you’ve read, who plays the most important role in a trial? Who truly decides a defendant’s fate, and what are the limitations of their power? Analyze a case from Just Mercy, breaking down the case in terms of where the power lies. In your conclusion, consider the power status of the individual who is able to dole out Mercy to those convicted of a crime. What does this say about the American criminal justice system?