Question

Help me help you please. 70 points

Read the excerpts from Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and answer the question.

[9] 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?"

[10] 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 of things as they are.

In 3–5 complete sentences, thoroughly explain what effect the order of ideas in paragraphs 9 and 10 have on the meaning of the text. Why does Dr. King make his points in this order? What is the effect? Provide at least two specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

In paragraphs 9 and 10 of "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. King uses the order of ideas to contrast the actions of the Church in the past and present. In paragraph 9, he describes his disappointment in the Church's lack of support for the civil rights movement, asking where their voices were when African Americans were fighting for equality. In paragraph 10, he explains that in the past, the Church was a powerful force for change, but now it often supports the status quo. This contrast highlights the hypocrisy and inaction of the Church in the present and emphasizes the need for them to actively work for social justice. Additionally, the order of ideas in these paragraphs creates a sense of progression from disappointment to explanation. This progression gives the readers a sense of understanding of why the church is not acting and what it should be doing, which is an effective way to convey King's message.

Step-by-step explanation: