Answer:
C. Expressing criticism or contempt.
Explanation:
The word "opprobrious" means to criticize or say a bad word about a particular thing. It contains a negative meaning for the given word and is used as a means of expressing scorn or derogatory word about the thing.
In the given passage from <em>The Open Boat</em> by Stephen Crane, the four survivors of the shipwreck were on a lifeboat, hoping and looking for the sight of any help, land or people to be saved. And in their eagerness to be found, they were oblivious to the fact that there was no lifesaving station nearby. And as a result, they blamed the <em>"nation's lifesavers"</em> for their poor eyesight and their inability to see them struggle out in the sea. The author used the word <em>"opprobrious"</em> to state how the four men<u> criticized and expressed their negative feelings</u> about the inability of the men supposed to be out working to save any survivors out at sea.
It affects the text by telling you how Billy feels, and the reader will understand Billy.
McKay develops the theme of "America" by showing how the narrator's relationship with his country is personal rather than abstract. McKay creates tension by showing how even though America feeds, or nourishes the narrator, it is with "bread of bitterness." The narrator admits that even though America steals his "breath of life," he still loves it. This contradiction is inherent to the theme: that what harms the narrator about his relationship with America is also what makes him stronger. Yet the narrator's conclusion is that the seemingly mighty future of America is in danger of disappearing "like priceless treasures sinking in the sand."
