1) Before being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, Anthony Ray Hinton was in trouble with the law for stealing a car. Does this in any way make you less sympathetic to his plight?
• It was a Trevor Noah “move”
• Not less sympathetic
• More angry that he
wasn’t given a break
2) Discuss the friendship of Ray and Lester. Can you imagine a friend who would visit you every visiting day for 30 years? What does their relationship teach us about friendship?
2) Discuss the friendship of Ray and Lester. Can you imagine a friend who would visit you every visiting day for 30 years? What does their relationship teach us about friendship?
• Amazing
• He knew the system was
never going to admit he was wrong
3) What did you think of the friendship of Ray and fellow inmate Henry Hays, who was raised in a family of virulent racists? What does this friendship teach us about love and hate?
3) What did you think of the friendship of Ray and fellow inmate Henry Hays, who was raised in a family of virulent racists? What does this friendship teach us about love and hate?
• The importance of
making personal relationships
4) Do you think the death penalty system is broken? How would you like to see it changed?
4) Do you think the death penalty system is broken? How would you like to see it changed?
• We were all opposed
• It is broken when
young adolescent black boys are put in jail (Just Mercy)
5) The State of Alabama has not apologized or compensated Ray Hinton for his wrongful imprisonment. Do you think he should be paid? Some say he shouldn't be paid because he was never proven innocent. What do you say to this argument?
• You are assholes
5) The State of Alabama has not apologized or compensated Ray Hinton for his wrongful imprisonment. Do you think he should be paid? Some say he shouldn't be paid because he was never proven innocent. What do you say to this argument?
• You are assholes
• We’re surprised that
you could anything at all in Alabama, given how racist it’s history is
6) Ray and Bryan Stevenson, his lawyer, both say that nobody is defined by the worst thing they have ever done. Do you agree? Does this help you have more compassion for those incarcerated or on death row?
• Yes, and for ourselves as well
• Many people say that
prison doesn’t reform
• Do we really have
“free will”?
7) What was the turning point for Ray in how he would survive in prison? What does this teach you?
• He grabbed his Bible
• It’s how you live your
life
8) What personal qualities help Ray not only to survive prison, but actually make a positive impact around him?
• Catch more flies with honey
• He was a talker
• He thought he was
gonna die
9) How would you like to see our prison system reformed? What programs would be beneficial to our society, and why?
• Don’t send so many people there in the first place
• Get rid of solitary
confinement
10) Do you think Ray Hinton should have forgiven those who wronged him? If you were greatly wronged, could you forgive? Do you believe there are situations in which forgiveness is not the right solution?
• It depends on how you define forgiveness (absolution or letting go of anger)
• He got railroaded
• He had a rock solid
alibi, but there was an “eye witness”
• Forgiveness is for
yourself, not for the other person (who has to figure it out for themselves)
• In Catholicism,
forgiveness is absolution
11) Ray spent his first three years on Death Row without speaking. When is silence the loudest form of expression? Have you found moments in your own life when silence was more powerful than speech?
• Safety
• Don’t want to hear
anything or engage in conversation
• He was not accepting
the situation
• Don’t have anything
good to say, don’t say nothin’ at all
• We listen more to
learn
• It is a gift to others
12) Ray states that "spending your days waiting to die
is no way to live." What are some ways that you practice living,
not merely existing? Where do you draw the line between the two?
• Try to do things “on my list” regularly
• Try to do things “on my list” regularly
• Giving things away
• Connect with nature
• Singing in the car
• Crafting
• Gift myself with time
for reading
13) What is the role of faith in The Sun Does Shine?
Does Ray Hinton's questioning of his own faith strengthen or diminish it? What
if Ray Hinton had not believed in God at all: Do you think that would have
affected his ability to sustain himself?
• It’s hard to visualize THIS story
• It’s hard to visualize THIS story
14) Along with his friend Lester, Ray Hinton's mother was
his most faithful visitor and supporter. If you were accused of a terrible
crime, would you expect support from your family and best friend? If someone
you loved were accused, would you offer that support?
• We might try
• We might try
• We might organize
15) Ray Hinton founded a book club on death row, reading
books by James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and others. If you were confined with a
group of people, whether incarcerated or in another circumstance, what books
would you want to read for a book club?
• The Warmth of Other Suns
• The Warmth of Other Suns
• If it was religious
group, The Evolution of God
• My Ishmael
16) Some books about the worst of life—Elie Wiesel's Night,
Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Jeannette Walls' The
Glass Castle—endure as inspirational classics. Why do people find hope in
such stories? Does The Sun Does Shine make you feel angry or hopeful?
• Inspirational
• Angry
• Hopeful
