Question

Read the following passage from Faulkner's Nobel Prize speech:

Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.
How does this passage contribute to the overall purpose of the speech?
A. It declares self-absorption to be the cause of unsuccessful fiction.
B. It congratulates writers today for their focus on optimistic topics and ideals.
C. It describes the key ingredient in the writing of truly great fiction.
D. It implies that stories about romance are the most successful type of fiction.

Answer 1

This excerpt form Faulkner's Nobel Prize speech contributes to the overall purpose of the speech by describing the key ingredient in the writing of truly great fiction (C).

Faulkner notes that today's writers are unsuccessful because they forgot about the problems of the human heart. Rather than congratulating them for their writing, he encourages them to think about the human heart in conflict. He states that it is the only thing that will make their writing worth it. Therefore, by including the human heart in their writing they will write great stories.