Language in King's Letter
"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."

What ⬇
Type of figurative language:
Meaning of figurative language:
Effect on tone and mood:
Effect on audience:

Question

Language in King's Letter
"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."

What ⬇
Type of figurative language:
Meaning of figurative language:
Effect on tone and mood:
Effect on audience:

SmokeyBrown · Answer

Hi again!
In this passage, one thing (the Church) is being compared to something else (thermometer, thermostat) using "was". I think you probably know what kind of figurative language that is.
Like before, we can talk about the other aspects of the question if you'd like

tdatlearner · Answer

I believe it is a Metaphor but I just wanted to make sure.

SmokeyBrown · Answer

I agree, I'm pretty sure that is a metaphor

tdatlearner · Answer

I just don't understand the effect it has on the audience/readers

SmokeyBrown · Answer

Hmm, that's fair, it definitely isn't as obvious this time, so I'm not entirely sure what to say about that.
Maybe if we think about the meaning first it will give us some hints about the effect of the language. What are your thoughts on that part?

tdatlearner · Answer

King is speaking to clerics, reminding them of the past church's power and urging them to quit being silent about the wrongs occurring in the country and stand up against the odds.

tdatlearner · Answer

King is using figurative language to give more detail so the reader can understand. So maybe the effect on the reader is that they are more informed.

SmokeyBrown · Answer

@tdatlearner wrote:

King is speaking to clerics, reminding them of the past church's power and urging them to quit being silent about the wrongs occurring in the country and stand up against the odds.

Nice, that's more in-depth than I was expecting! I think that sounds like a good answer. Specifically about the comparison between "thermometers" and "thermostats", a thermometer is a tool that measures and records temperature, while a thermostat is a tool that we can use to adjust the temperature. This plays into the point you made about the "church's power". Since you mentioned that King is speaking to clerics, that gives us an idea of the intended "audience" of this piece, which might help us figure out the intended effect of the language. Oh btw, I need to go eat dinner so I'll be off for a bit. If you need more help in the meantime, you can try tagging someone or waiting for another user to come by with suggestions