One thing I noticed in Baldwin’s letter to his nephew is that it strikes a desperate tone: there is nothing else to do except to hold on to their own perception of reality. The burden of proof is not on validating the Negro experience in America; Baldwin and his nephew already know that these feelings are valid. Rather, it is on those who are unaware of those conditions. “They are, in effect, still trapped in a history they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it,” This allows Baldwin to emphasize further how much things need to change, and that it cannot be done just from his work. It is also important to realize that Baldwin is speaking to all African Americans in this letter, which then justifies the tone he takes, as well as giving a peek to others what the experience is truly like. This same sentiment is shown in his Talk to Teachers, except now Baldwin is attempting to do the work that he said needed to be done for society: he is trying to educate them. It is not an explicitly desperate tone but rather a call to action. He is trying to teach teachers the truth about their society so that they could spread that knowledge to all children. The importance of education is emphasized, as teachers have to perpetrate the “aims of society”. He even gives an immediate example of what can happen if you don’t teach with the intention of questioning the society you live in: you can reach a situation akin to Nazi Germany. Baldwin highlights the fact that to address a different audience, the rhetorical tools that are effective look very different, even with the same topic in mind (even if it is a big one): how to improve society for African Americans.