Read this passage: I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I
refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964Why does King repeat the phrase "I refuse to accept" in this passage? A.To establish his credibility as an expert on the subject B.To ask the audience to consider their own feelings C.To emphasize the overall point of the paragraph D.To provide the audience with facts and evidence
C. To emphasize the overall point of the paragraph.
Explanation:
In this excerpt, King repeats the phrase "I refuse to accept" at the beginning of each new sentence. This phrase is used to indicate that what he will mention afterwards is a claim that he does not believe in, and that he intends to fight against. By repeating the same words over and over again, King is able to give more weight to his words and to encourage people to question the same things he questions. More importantly, the phrase allows King to emphasize the overall point of the paragraph.
