Purposeful Structure in King's Letter

Recall the writing prompt for this unit:

What makes King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" powerful and effective? After reading King's letter, answer the question by analyzing how he
uses structure and language purposefully in his text. Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.

Your study of structure in this assignment will begin to help you answer this question and respond to the prompt later in the unit.

Using what you learned in the lesson, complete the following chart and respond to the analysis questions in complete sentences. Some parts of the chart are already
completed for you. Use the activities from the lesson to help you complete the rest of the chart.

Part from “Letter What is the tone

from Birmingham of this What does King hope to accomplish with this How is it connected to the
Jail” What is the main idea of this part? paragraph? part? ideas before or after it?

Heading The heading shows that King is in jail. Not applicable He hopes to show the injustice of the situation. Not applicable

Greeting King addresses “fellow clergymen.” Kind He shows that he is also a clergyman and that The whole letter is written to
he considers himself a part of the group he is these clergymen who criticized
addressing. King for taking action.

Paragraph 1    Patient    

Paragraph 2 The steps that King and others have taken to Factual    
try to end discrimination and the reason for
choosing Birmingham as the site for their
protest

Paragraph 3    Passionate He shows how foolish it is for the clergymen to  

say “wait” for change. He shows that change
must happen soon.
Paragraph 4         

Paragraph 5         

Paragraph 6         

Paragraph 7 By fighting racial injustice, we are not causing   He wants to remind the pastors that he and  
problems, rather we are revealing the problem. other activists are not causing problems by
protesting; instead, they are revealing the
problems in society.

Paragraph 8         

Paragraph 9         

Paragraph 10 The Church used to speak up and cause society     The paragraph before it is also
to change, but now it accepts injustice and about the inaction of the
does not fight for others. current church.

Paragraph 11    Reflective   It is a new thought reflecting

on the length of the letter and
signaling the close of the text.

Paragraph 12         

Closing He hopes that the pastors will join his cause      

and change society.  

Analysis Questions
1. Complete the following sentence.

The purpose of King’s letter is to cause __________________ to fight ________________________.

2. What is the relationship between the underlined sentence and the bolded sentences?

In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: (1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive; (2) Negotiation; (3) Self-purification; and (4)
Direct action. We have gone through all of these steps in Birmingham.  There can be no gainsaying of the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is
probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country. Its unjust treatment of
Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this
nation. These are the hard, brutal, and unbelievable facts.  On the basis of these conditions Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the political
leaders consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.

Response:

3. What is the purpose of the sentence "These are the hard, brutal, and unbelievable facts" in the following paragraph?

In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: (1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive; (2) Negotiation; (3) Self-purification; and (4)
Direct action. We have gone through all of these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying of the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is
probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country. Its unjust treatment of
Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this nation.  These are
the hard, brutal, and unbelievable facts. On the basis of these conditions Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the political leaders consistently
refused to engage in good faith negotiation.

Response:

For questions 4-6, reread the following paragraphs from King's letter, paying attention to the way that he structures his ideas.

Paragraph 9 of 12

I have travelled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at
her beautiful churches with their spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlay of her massive religious education buildings. Over and over again I have
found myself asking: "Who worships here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and
nullification? Where were their voices of support when tired, bruised, and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the
 bright hills of creative protest?" 

Paragraph 10 of 12

There was a time when the Church was very powerful ... In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular
opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought
to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." Things are different now. The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with
an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch-supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average
community is consoled by the Church's silent and often vocal sanction (approved action) of things as they are. 

4. In a complete sentence, state the main idea of each paragraph (paragraphs 9 and 10).
5. In a complete sentence, state the purpose of each paragraph (paragraphs 9 and 10).
6. What is the effect of making these points in the order King has chosen? Respond in two to four sentences.