22.6k views
2 votes
These are for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

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:


It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that, if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal.


• Type of figurative language:

• Meaning of figurative language:

• Effect on tone and mood:

• Effect on audience:

User Msnfreaky
by
8.1k points

1 Answer

5 votes

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: it is a 'metaphor', which is a figure of speech that makes an implicit or hidden comparison between two unrelated things.

Meaning of figurative language: in this case, the metaphor is used to compare the Church with a thermometer or a thermostat that measures the humor in society.

Effect on tone and mood: As regards the tone, the author uses this metaphor to make it easy to understand the role of the Church. As regards the mood, the author conveys a serious atmosphere to the text.

Effect on the audience: It allows the audience to have a better idea of the social situation lived in those days.

It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that, if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal.

Type of figurative language: It is also a metaphor.

Meaning of figurative language: In this case, the metaphor is used to explain the act of helping the Jewish people in terms of something forbidden, in terms of the law.

Effect on tone and mood: The author compares helping the Jewish with something illegal to show the seriousness of the social situation.

Effect on the audience: The audience is left with the feeling that nobody could help the Jewish.

User Andrewcockerham
by
8.1k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.