The intended purpose of pamphlets like Common Sense and The Crisis #1 were to build public opinion for something that was very controversial: American Independence from the British Crown. It is important to remember that many people living in the American colonies considered themselves to be, first and foremost, British.
It was considered treasonous by many in the Colonies to declare the need for independence. There needed to be a publicity campaign to build American support for revolution, and these pamphlets helped to create that debate and convince people of something that was once considered unheard of.
<em>The type of figurative language represented by the use of the word Selma in the provided stanza is allusion.
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<em>Allusion </em>is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance, in this particular case the 1965 civil rights march from Selma, Alabama, in which nonviolent protestors were attacked by police. Allusions are just passing comments about which the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to noticeits importance in a text.
<em>The use of such figurative language affects the last line of this particular stanza by providung a description</em>. Even though the descriptions referred to persons or things in allusions are not fully detailed, its use enables writers or poets to simplify complex ideas and emotions.
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King was a minister criticized by clergymen, so he tried to justify his cause by paraphrasing the words of Thomas Aquinas, a notable interpreter of God's order on earth. He uses this allusion because he wants to underline the crucial difference between just and unjust law, that has been confirmed by one of the highest intellectual authorities in the fields of philosophy and religion. King provides a religious justification for the concept of nonviolent resistance.
The purpose of a society's oral tradition is to teach us about important cultural values.
Hope this helps.
