Unbounded

[Just one of my favorites. For the nth time, this has made me to discern about the prevailing prejudice and struggle in my country. Not as extreme as in the novel, but it nods to it in some degree and extends it to poverty, elitism, and the like. See our exchange on benevolenve in our group blog.]


"We're going to lose this case, Carl lee. There are no more points of law to argue here. I want to cope a plea, maybe Buckley will cop us a second degree murder and we can get you just life in prison."

"Jake, I can't do no life in prison. You got to get me off. Now if it was you on trial..."

"It's not me, we're not the same, Carl Lee. The jury has to identify with the defendant. They see you, they see a yardworker; they see me, they see an attorney. I live in town, you live in the hill."

"Well, you are white and I'm black. See Jake, you think just like them, that's why I picked you; you are one of them , don't you see? Oh, you think you ain't because you eat in Claude's and you are out there trying to get me off on TV talking about black and white, but the fact is you are just like all the rest of them. When you look at me, you don't see a man, you see a black man."

"Carl Lee, I'm your friend."

"We ain't no friends, Jake. We are on different sides of the line, I ain't never seen you in my part of town. I bet you don't even know where I live. Our daughters, Jake; they ain't never gonna play together."

"What are you talking about?"

"America is a wall and you are on the other side. How's a black man ever going to get a fair trial with the enemy on the bench and in the jury box?. My life in white hands? You Jake, that's how. You are my secret weapon because you are one of the bad guys. You don't mean to be but you are. It's how you was raised. Nigger, negro, black, African-american, no matter how you see me, you see me different, you see me like that jury sees me, you are them. Now throw out your points of law Jake. If you was on that jury, what would it take to convince you to set me free?

That's how you save my ass. That's how you save us both. "