Analisys of "Letter of a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

VEHICLE OF INFORMATION

This text is a letter written by Martin Luther King, Junior when he was confined in the jail of the more segregated city in the United States, Birmingham.


In the letter, the author refering to thesegregation situation that is being live by the community in Birmingham. He is in this city trying to carry the gospel of freedom to his people, making a comparison between his mission and the one that prophets had in the past (paragraph 3).


In the 4th paragraph he states a very important idea: "anyone who lives inside the United States can never be consider an outsider anywhere within its bounds", calling for the end of segregation and the beginning of social inclusion.

LANGUAGE FEATURES

Register

The writer use long and well structured sentences, and the use of contractions is not present. As we can see in the 4th paragraph: "Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states". The use of this compound sentence and the conjuction "Moreover", and also "I am" instead of the contraction "I'm", denote that the register used in this letter is formal.

Some words that produce reflexion or Impact: jail, president, Lord, injustice, mutuality, unfortune, power, nonviolent, negotiation, purification, racial, brutuality.

Semantic field:
1) Seldom, Jail, Criticism
2) President, Honor, rights
3) Lord, Jesus, Prophests
4) Justice, Injustice, mutuality
5) Unfortune, power, Negro
6) Injustices, racial, brutality

Resume of pg. 1:
The letter was written for a Clergymen. The letter explain that he was in the Birmingham city jail. He said that he pause to answer criticism of they work and ideas. He want to said why he is in Birminghman. He have the honor of serving as a president of the Southern Cristian leadership Conference in Georgia. The affiliate in Birmingham asked to engage in a nonviolent direct action program. The our come and they lived up to theres promise. He was there because he was invited there. He was there because hehave an organizational there. He said that he is in Birmingham because injustice is there. He want to compelled to coury the gospel of freedom beyond his own home town. Demostration are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortune that the city's white power structure left the Negro comunitywith no alternative. Steps of newcolut canpaing: cllection of facts, negotiation, self purification, direct action.