In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words
of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In this portion of his famous speech, what is one way that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. expresses his message or theme? A)He uses similes to compare the issues that he mentions in his speech.B) He uses a metaphor to compare an uncashed check to the promises of America. C) He uses personification to make the United States of America seem like a real person. D) He uses hyperbole to exaggerate the lack of freedom and justice in the United States.
I believe the correct answer is B) He uses a metaphor to compare an uncashed check to the promises of America.
Explanation:
<u>A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing by referring to something else.</u> Therefore, it uses words and phrases in their non-literal meaning. A check (cashed or uncashed) has a precise meaning of "a written order to a bank to pay the amount specified from funds on deposit" (according to TheFreeDictionary.com); when Luther uses it in this context, he refers to something entirely different - the promise of universal human rights. It's like a check that all Americans should be able to cash in. We can only infer this meaning by looking at the context.
Metaphors do function by comparing one thing to another. But unlike similes, they don't use prepositions such as "like" or "as".
