What is the central idea of this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Opening Ceremonies of the New
York and Brooklyn Bridge" by Hon. Seth Low, Mayor of the
City of Brooklyn
Fourteen times the earth has made its great march through
the heavens since the work began. The vicissitudes of
fourteen years have tried the courage and the faith of
engineers and of people. At last we all rejoice in the signal
triumph. The beautiful and stately structure fulfills the
fondest hope. It will be a source of pleasure to-day to every
citizen that no other name is associated with the end than
that which has directed the work from the beginning--the
name of Roebling With all my heart I give to him who
bears it now the city's acknowledgment and thanks
Low explains that it took Roebling fourteen years to
design and build the Brooklyn Bridge
Low celebrates the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge
and the hard work that went into building it.
Low takes credit for managing the planning and
construction of the Brooklyn Bridge
Low complains that the construction of the Brooklyn
Bridge took much longer than it should have

2. read the excerpt from martin luther king, jr.'s nobel peace prize acceptance speech: 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. i refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. i believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. this is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. i believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. i believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. i have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. i believe that what self-centered men have torn down other-centered men can build up. i still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of god and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." i still believe that we shall overcome! instructions: create an outline for a speech that connects a theme from this excerpt to your own life. in the first part of the outline, organize an explanation of what king's theme means. in the second part of the outline, organize your explanation of how this theme connects to at least one event from your life. the first and second parts of your outline do not need to be of equal length. throughout the outline, be sure to cite or describe specific evidence from the text or from your personal experiences. also, organize ideas appropriately, develop your argument with relevant information, and provide a concluding section. (15 points)