O'Connor uses language throughout her stories that a reader almost cringes in present day hearing, like in the "Geranium" when it says " I say they got 'em a servant next door-a nigger- all dressed up in a Sunday Suit" (The Complete Stories 8). ... Tanner in the story was much like everyone else at this time period, unaware of the changes in the black community that had happened or that were going to happen after World War II. ... Times were changing and the black community had enough of being treated like a dog. ...

• Word Count: 2519
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The federal parole guidelines, initially developed in the late 1960s, allowed parole hearing examiners to set the length of incarceration within a narrow range specified in a chart or grid) based on a) offense severity and b) the offender's past criminal record. ...

• Word Count: 2620
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate

A wave of racial tension hits the town, with its citizens taking sides, the black community organizing marches and the Ku-Klux-Klan returning to the area. ... According to the american Anti-Defamation League, the Klan is very successful at "causing racial tensions in communities previously untroubled by racial issues" (Anti-Defamation League), which is extemely similar to what Grisham describes in his novel. ...

• Word Count: 4938
• Approx Pages: 20
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate