After the long, dangerous voyage across the ocean, stepping foot in the new world was like a breath of fresh air. what does "like a breath of fresh air" mean in the sentence?

a. the mood was light and airy
b. the atmosphere was refreshing
c. the people felt relief at the end of their journey
d. the people were eager to get off the ship

C. The people felt relief at the end of their journey.

Explanation:

In this context, the sentence in quotation marks means that the people who had just endured a long and dangerous trip across the ocean felt relieved that their travels were over and that they were able to stand on solid ground once again. The sentence is, indeed, a simile, in which something, stepping foot on solid ground, is likened to something else, in this case, breathing fresh air.    

dr. kings dream speech

explanation:

it was late in the day and hot, and after a long march and an afternoon of speeches about federal legislation, unemployment and racial and social justice, the rev. dr. martin luther king jr. finally stepped to the lectern, in front of the lincoln memorial, to address the crowd of 250,000 gathered on the national mall.