Themes/Deeper meaning
What is the central theme
Moral courage
What does the "knock" symbolise
A call to moral responsibility
What Bible story is King’s sermon about, where a man asks for help at midnight?
The Parable of the Persistent Friend
What rethorical appeal does King use describing fear, loneliness and injustice
Pathos
What is the deeper meaning of midnight
moral decay
What is the darkness and light symbolising
Goodness/justice and evil/injustice
What does the friend’s persistence in the story stand for?
Faith or not giving up in prayer.
What rhetorical device is used in: "I get worried about Alabama. I get worried about Georgia. I get worried about all of these other places. And I get worried about the white backlash. "
Anaphora
What does the sermon encourage individuals to respond with
Love, Justice, compassion
What word is commonly used to create a feeling of fear or negativity
Midnight
What does King compare the “midnight” of injustice to in the Bible?
The “dark night of the soul.”
What are some of the main ways King creates emotional resconance and memorability?
Rhythmic phrasing and biblical cadence
What does King believe will conquer societies decay
Justice and gods love
What does the “bread” in the parable stand for?
Spiritual strength or moral guidance.
Which Gospel talks about light defeating darkness, like King says?
The Gospel of John.
Give us two rhetorical devices used here:
"Keep the bread fresh enough to let them know that death is not a period which ends this great sentence of life, but a comma that punctuates it to more loftier significance.
Keep the bread fresh enough to let them know that death is not a blind alley that leads the human race into a state of nothingness, but an open door that leads men into life eternal."
Antithesis, repetition/anaphora, Imagery, Metaphor, Parallelism.
King’s idea of “midnight” connects to what civil rights message about perseverance?
The belief that moral progress is slow but inevitable through faith and action
King’s image of “midnight” connects to what African American cultural tradition?
The Black church sermon style or prophetic tradition.
What kind of leader does King show himself to be through these Bible links?
A modern-day prophet or moral leader.
Ethos