In Baldwins’ letter, he urgently cautions his nephew that there is no basis for the whites to accept him, but that he must accept the white people. This, I believe is Baldwin’s focal argument, although I struggle with the understanding. But the wording of his phrase and use of “accept” brought me to the idea of alienation, which I learned in sociology. Alienation is being isolated from an entity. When you look at the time period this was written, and the location(ghettoes), you immediately register that prejudice and discrimination against blacks was the norm. Baldwin’s tone is not rather aggressive, but he is forceful with his words. He is not attacking the whites but blaming them. He blames them, accusing them that they are at the root of alienation of blacks. There are various types of alienation but they all ultimately lead to estranged emotions and low self-esteem. Baldwin lists these as a grievance the whites have inflicted.

You can note that this letter was originally intended for his nephew, because of the intimate words associated such as “love” and “baby”. There are also multiple familial references which outsiders would not be able to comprehend. However Baldwin writes in an emotional-spurring way as if to convince his nephew to take action. His credibility is established by mentioning his living in the ghettoes, a firsthand experience. In addition, the letter comes across as a heartfelt piece written genuinely out of care for the nephew. The words are sincere and honest and profound. The restriction would be one for the audience. Especially for his nephew, who has grown up living in the ghettos, expecting to settle with being inferior. Baldwin can effectively his desires for James, but it will be the difficult task of James to triumph against society.