Just mercy

PROMPT: You’ve read the Introduction and first chapter of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. In the Introduction, Stevenson writes, “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” (18). If you accept this view of how to take the measure of a society, how do you think the United States is doing today, and why? In Essay 1, you should include what “they say” as well as what you think. This means that in your introduction you should briefly summarize what Stevenson believes about this topic before clearly stating your own thesis (your “I say”). In order to do this, your introduction should follow the basic template for opening with a debate on page 26 in They Say, I Say. In your body paragraphs, follow the TREE formula and include your own thoughts and opinions as evidence. Don’t include any direct evidence – paraphrases or quotations – from the readings (because we’ll work on how to do that later); you also should never use any outside research in any essay for this class (your next class, English 102, deals with research). Your fifth and last paragraph should be a conclusion that sums up your topic sentences and provides a concluding thought. REQUIREMENTS: Introduction Paragraph: Overview: introduce the essay’s topic Summary: sum up the book Thesis: present the main idea and makes a strong argument Body Paragraphs: Topic sentence: make a strong argument to support the thesis Reasons: further explain your topic sentence and argument Evidence: examples (from your own knowledge) that support your argument Ending sentence: tie it all back to the larger picture Conclusion Paragraph: Wrap up: restate the key arguments (thesis and topic sentences) of the essay Concluding thought: final thoughts that dig deeper, show why it’s important Grammar, Language, and Formatting: Grammar: sentences should be free of fragments, run-ons, comma-splices and subject-verb agreement errors. Few other errors should be present. Language: language should be strong and engaging and include strong vocabulary Format: essay should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, no extra spaces between paragraphs, and include a correct heading and title on the first page.