The text below was written in 1918:

"when the mariner, sailing over tropic seas, looks for relief from his weary watch, he turns his eyes toward the southern cross, burning luridly above the tempest-vexed ocean. as the midnight approaches, the southern cross begins to bend, the whirling worlds change their places, and with starry finger-points the almighty marks the passage of time upon the dial of the universe, and though no bell may beat the glad tidings, the lookout knows that the midnight is passing and that relief and rest are close at hand. let the people everywhere take heart of hope, for the cross is bending, the midnight is passing, and joy cometh with the morning."

what is the purpose of the final paragraph in eugene debs' statement to the court?

a. to prove his innocence to the judge and jury
b. to appeal to the religious sentiment of the audience
c. to portray a better world through metaphor
d. to predict the future of socialism