"Birmingham Jail" Rhetorical Devices, Relative Clauses

Identify and analyze antithesis, allusion, and rhetorical question in "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Identify relative clauses

Antithesis = a form of parallelism that emphasizes strong contrasts (For instance, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.")

Allusion = a brief, unexplained reference to a well-known person, historical event, organization, literary work , or place (For instance, "We all got the feeling that we were not in Kansas anymore." This is an allusion to a line from The Wizard of Oz.)

Rhetorical Question = a question asked to make a point rather than to get an answer (For instance, "When something good happens, are we happy?")

Identify and analyze antithesis, allusion, and rhetorical question in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (done!)

Identify relative clauses

Clause = group of words that includes a subject and a verb

Relative clause = clause that modifies a noun or pronoun by telling which kind or which one (it describes a noun or pronoun)

Relative clauses usually begin with a relative pronoun (like "that," "which," "who," "whom," or "whose.")

"The month that has 28 days is February." (modifies "month," telling which one/which month)

"The dinner, which includes dessert, is not expensive." (modifies "dinner", telling what kind/what kind of dinner)

"This is the player who broke the record." (modifies "player," telling which one/which player)

"THe next-door neighbor whom my sister has known since college is named Mario." (modifies "neighbor," telling which one/which neighbor)

"The senator whose opinion was in question spoke to the press." (modifies "senator," telling which one/which senator)

Identify and analyze antithesis, allusion, and rhetorical question in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (done!)

Identify relative clauses (done!)