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

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

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

Paragraph 1 Patient  King hopes to answer the criticism that was given  This paragraph tells us that king is
by his fellow clergymen, Inpatient, and reasonable addressing the criticism that he is
terms. receiving and wants to clear the
misunderstanding.
 Part from
“Letter from
Birmingham
Jail” What is the main idea of this part?
Paragraph 2 The steps that King and others have
taken to try to end discrimination
and the reason for choosing
Birmingham as the site for their
protest
Paragraph 3    King has his endurance all soaked
up, and he had acted upon injustice,
and explained his unavoidable
impatience.
Paragraph 4    King explain his reasons as to how  factual
he was put under arrest for breaking
the law by parading without a
permit.
Paragraph 5    King explains that if an individual
breaks an unjust law that does not
allow the person to exercise
promised right, is in fact respectful
of law and justice.
Paragraph 6   King explain that even though
certain laws are “legal”, there are
still possibilities of such law to be
unjust, and /or not good for the
people.
Paragraph 7 By fighting racial injustice, we are
not causing problems, rather we are
revealing the problem.
What is the
tone of this How is it connected to the ideas before or
paragraph? What does King hope to accomplish with this part? after it?
Factual  Kind hopes for his clergymen to understand why   The paragraph tells us that the king and
he protested as well as why they chose Birmingham his followers had been unjustly arrested,
for the protest. but he still acts in a peaceful manner
whilst writing the letter.
Passionate He shows how foolish it is for the clergymen to say  King tells us how foolish it was for the
“wait” for change. He shows that change must clergymen to have said “wait”, and the
passionate happen soon. lack of judgment. They wanted racial
inequality to end.
 King hopes that they understand that being put  King tells us his situation that he is in jail
under arrest unjustly is isolating people’s rights, unjustly and that not everyone is treated
which is wrong. equally.
 Factual  King hopes that they realize that if unjust laws are  King tries to explain that if you break
broken by an individual, they are respectful of laws unjust laws, you are respecting the actual
and justice, not unjust laws which deny you the law and justice since the unjust laws are
rights that were originally promised. taking away your promised rights.
 Passionate King hopes to explain that even though certain laws  Kings tell us that legal laws can still be
are legal, there are still chances that that same law unjust, just like Hitler when he killed
is unjust and can cause harm and damage to the millions of Jews, he wants the church to
people. He then gives examples (such as Hitler). understand this.
 Factual He wants to remind the pastors that he and other  King tells us that they are revealing the
activists are not causing problems by protesting; problem, and changing the laws so that
instead, they are revealing the problems in society. they are just, and that there is no racial
Inequality.
 Part from
“Letter from
Birmingham
Jail” What is the main idea of this part?
Paragraph 8    King explains that the time to best
act is now and that they have to stop
the racial injustice that they’ve been
facing all this time.
Paragraph 9    King points out that the church
which is usually supposed to fight
for justice was instead silent about
racial Inequality.
Paragraph 10 The Church used to speak up and
cause society to change, but now it
accepts injustice and does not fight
for others.
Paragraph 11    King’s letter at this part reflects
over the injustice of king’s
Circumstances.
Paragraph 12   King’s letter closes with his best
expectations and desires for the
future.
Closing He hopes that the pastors will join
his cause and change society.
What is the
tone of this How is it connected to the ideas before or
paragraph? What does King hope to accomplish with this part? after it?
 Passionate King hopes to persuade that the best time to act is  king tells us that the best time to act is
now, and that they have to end racial injustice and now.
let the truth be revealed and the injustice be
exposed.
 Dire  King hopes that the churches realize that they are  King says that the church before used to
the ones to fight for justice, instead they were silent stand up to racial inequality, but now they
about racial inequality, and that they should rise up are silent. He wants them to realize the
against this injustice. injustice they were feeling, and to aid
them.
 Urgent  King hopes to convince the church that before they The paragraph before it is also about the
used to speak up and defend justice, but instead it inaction of the current church.
now does not defend justice, and lets injustice
prevail. King wants the church to realize the
injustice and wants the church to help against the
racial Inequality.
Reflective  King explains why his speech is so long and It is a new thought reflecting on the length
explains his circumstance as well as all the injustice of the letter and signaling the close of the
they are facing. text.
 Optimistic  King hopes that the church understands king’s  King is hopeful that the church
letter and that they act upon it and rise up and go understands the situation that they are
against injustice as they did once before. facing, the injustice which they are facing,
and that they rise up and aid them to stop
racial inequality.
Factual  King hopes that the pastors join him and end racial  This is the end of the letter, and king
inequality. He then ends his letter. hopes that the pastors aids them in helping
them stop racial inequality and the
injustice being done to them.
 Analysis Questions

1. Complete the following sentence.

The purpose of King’s letter is to cause the people and the church to fight for justice.

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: This paragraph tells us that racial injustice is in abundance in this community, and that it is the most segregate city know in every section of the country.

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: The purpose of that sentence was to show that king was not exaggerating, he was telling them the harsh reality and cold truth of what was going on. He wanted
them to know these facts that sounded unbelievable.

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).

The main Idea of this paragraph is that king. Who travelled to many places has seen the church and questioned why they did not aid in the ending the injustice that they
were facing, and why did they not help and racial inequality.

5. In a complete sentence, state the purpose of each paragraph (paragraphs 9 and 10).

This paragraph’s purpose is that before, the church were strong. They were beautiful, with their massive religious education building, but now they are weak, and not
acting when there is injustice occurring.

6. What is the effect of making these points in the order King has chosen? Respond in two to four sentences.
King made these points for the church to understand the current situation that the colored people were facing. He wanted then to see the injustice
being clearly evident. He wanted the church to aid him and help them end racial segregation.