Question

From the quote First they Came by Martin Niemoller What does the phrase because I was not emphasize about the speaker? A. The speaker is deeply sorry and wants to justify why he did not speak out against the arrests. B. The speaker is lonely and distanced form the rest of society, which is why he did not speak out. C. The speaker is a selfish, prejudiced person who did not care about the suffering of other people. D. The speaker regrets not speaking out because he was not being targeted and ignored those who were.

Answer 1

Hello. You forgot to enter the necessary text to answer this question. The text is:

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Answer:

C. The speaker is a selfish, prejudiced person who did not care about the suffering of other people.  

Explanation:

The above text shows how indifferent the speaker was when groups of people, of which he was not a member, were abused in some way. In other words, he claims that as he was not part of these groups, he did not care to defend them and did not care about the injustices they suffered. However, one day, he was the victim of injustice and there was no one else who could help him.

In this case, the expression "because I was not" is used to express that the speaker is a selfish and prejudiced person, who did not care about the suffering of other people.

Answer 2

Answer:

What does the phrase “because I was not” emphasize about the speaker? The speaker is lonely and distanced from the rest of society, which is why he did not speak out. The speaker is deeply sorry and wants to justify why he did not speak out against the arrests.