‘Michael X on Death Row’ details the case of Michael X, convicted in Trinidad for the murder of a follower. This case has been constructed in a way to heighten our impression of the author himself, along with persuading us to take his perspective as our own, in turn shaping our understanding of conflicting perspectives as a whole. Presenting himself as a selfless champion of justice, Robertson seeks to stir out admiration, drawing sympathy for himself and his client. Robertson utilizes social, political and cultural contexts as he begins do delve into the different aspects of the case in terms of race, political influence on civilians and the conflicting views of death-row lawyers ‘against human sacrifice’ and the judges who give the death penalty. Robertson constantly emphasises the fact race played a highly significant role in the case, describing Michael X as ‘the most vocal black power prophet...’, as well as constantly referring to the fact that Michael X was a man of colour. Here, Robertson’s rhetoric stirs our sympathy in that we are lead to believe the death penalty, ‘human sacrifice’ as Geoffrey Robertson sees it, was given out of racial prejudice, though that was not necessarily the case.
The case gives us a clear view of how the public opinion changed as Michael X lost his perceived leadership. This self-impression is understood to have been created by ‘…hubris, by familiarity with the famous and by constant media attention’, following his release from prison, charged with ‘inciting racial hatred’. This shapes our understanding of conflicting perspectives in that it allows us to follow the way that Michael X perceived himself and how the media and, in turn, the public perceived him. Robertson uses this case to present, to us, his views on capital punishment, arguing that ‘The death penalty does not deter murder’ and likening the sentence to human sacrifice. This reference to an ancient practice is aimed to manipulate our perspective to match his....