Which word or phrase best completes the sentence?

In the poem Lift Every Voice and Sing, James Weldon Johnson conveys the message that freedom is worth the struggle to obtain it._____he uses phrases such as “our weary feet” and “gloomy past” to acknowledge the hardships that have been endured.______ he also emphasizes the joy of freedom through phrases such as “the rising sun of our new day.”

First Blank
A: for example
B: in contrast
C: at the same time
D: in addition

Second Blank
A: Specifically
B: Finally
C: therefore
D: however