Genre
Nonfiction
Setting and Context
Set in 1949 in Groveland Florida
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Informative and reflective
Protagonist and Antagonist
Thurgood Marshall is the protagonist of the story.
Major Conflict
The main conflict is that four black boys are accused of raping a white teenage girl.
Climax
The climax comes when the Florida House of Representatives absolves all the four boys accused of raping the white girl.
Foreshadowing
The white supremacy mentality foreshadows the abuse of civil rights. The black American communities are seen as unfit, and in most cases, they are not favored in the justice system.
Understatement
The challenges facing Thurgood Marshall in his line of duty are understated. Besides being a civil rights activist, Marshall's life is under threat because he constantly fights for the lives of the oppressed.
Allusions
The story foreshadows the rot in the judiciary and Justice systems which favor the whites in various rulings.
Imagery
The imagery of the legal framework and justice system is evident in the text, and it aids readers to see the biased rulings that are made daily.
Paradox
The main paradox is that people like Sherriff are immune to Justice Systems and commit cold-blooded murders without being judged.
Parallelism
The rights of black Americans parallel the expectations of the legal systems in place.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The legal system is incarnated as unwise and biased.
