When Dr. King uses the repeated phrase “Now he belongs to the ages,” he means that Mahatma Gandhi will have a lasting effect and forever be remembered in history. This indicates that Gandhi's contributions and teachings transcend time, positioning him as a significant historical figure whose values and ideals will continue to resonate and influence future generations.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was deeply influenced by the nonviolent methods of Mohandas Gandhi. In 1959, King traveled to India to learn more about and honor Gandhi. The All India Radio staff discovered a message Dr. King recorded nearly 50 years after his visit. Read the following excerpt, and then answer the question.
What does Dr. King mean when he uses the repeated phrase, “Now he belongs to the ages”?
He will have a lasting effect and forever be remembered in history.
He has grown old through the years.
His teachings have been practiced for many years.
“Many years ago, when Abraham Lincoln was shot—and incidentally, he was shot for the same reason that Mahatma Gandhi, was shot for, namely, for committing the crime of wanting to heal the wounds of a divided nation—and when he was shot, Secretary Stanton stood by the dead body of the great leader and said these words: ‘Now he belongs to the ages.’ And in a real sense, we can say the same thing about Mahatma Gandhi, and even in stronger terms: Now he belongs to the ages. And if this age is to survive, it must follow the way of love and nonviolence that he so nobly illustrated in his life. And Mahatma Gandhi may well be God's appeal to this generation, for in a day when sputniks and explorers dash through outer space and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can win a war. Today, we no longer have a choice between violence and nonviolence; it is either nonviolence or nonexistence.”
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