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.

In this text, the main idea that King wants to convey is that churches are not fulfilling their duty of threatening unfair power structures. King begins this argument by painting an image of peace and beauty when referring to the churches of the South. This image is supported by the references to "spires pointing heavenward." King most likely begins this section in such a way in order to increase the contrast effect with the rest of the text. In the rest of the text, King accusses the church of being passive and complacent, and of not being brave enough to challenge inequalities. This increases the contrast in the text, as well as emphasizes the main idea that King wants to convey.

annyksl annyksl · Answer 2 · 2025-03-24T08:45:22-04:00

Paragraphs 9 and 10 show that churches that were once seen as a place of hope for oppressed people have become a stimulator of oppression, going against the principles that God stipulated.

We can arrive at this answer because:

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" was the text that Martin Luther King wrote when he was arrested for encouraging civil rights marches.

He shows how civil rights were essential to the freedom of the black population, who were constantly oppressed in America.
In paragraphs 9 and 10, he shows how black people did not have popular support, not even from the churches that were supposed to help the oppressed, as God taught.
On the contrary, the church tried to fight the civil rights movement, causing black people to continue to live in oppression.

Thus, King questions what is the relevance of churches if they act against what God taught? This is significant because it shows how civil rights is a social and even a religious issue.

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