Directions: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” includes many examples of figurative language meant to persuade people to take action. Read the lines from the letter and identify ONE type of figurative language (some excerpts may contain more than one), its meaning, its effect on mood and tone, and its effect on audience. An example has been completed for you. Then, answer the analysis question.
4. 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.
Type of figurative language:
Meaning of figurative language:
Effect on tone and mood:
Effect on audience: