Alyana read the following passage in a myth. odysseus was alone, lost, and close to despair. there was nothing on the horizon. odysseus—the great and experienced warrior, hero of battles, and slayer of terrible monsters—could see nothing but small rolling waves. the vast ocean, in every direction, seemed to go on forever before finally meeting the horizon. which of the following details from the passage provides insight into the values of the myth-tellers? a. the small rolling waves b. the emptiness of the horizon c. the vastness of the horizon, which “seemed to go on forever” d. the description of odysseus as a “great and experienced warrior, hero of battles”

the correct answer is option d. the nature of democracy. on november 19, 1863, president abraham lincoln delivered his famous gettysburg address in gettysburg, pennsylvania. in his speech, rather than focusing on details of the war (soldiers, casualties, aftermath of battle), lincoln invoked the very nature of democracy, that power ultimately comes from the people, when stating, “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish”. these words mean that democracy is a government by the people (citizens) in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by the people or by their elected representatives for the benefit of all citizens. the survival of democracy in the united states is one of the reasons why this speech so significant today.