| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: one road, it is sartin you'd better go t' other, and then you'll
be sure to find 'em. Now, my private 'pinion is, Lizy took der
road; so I think we'd better take de straight one."
This profound generic view of the female sex did not seem to
dispose Haley particularly to the straight road, and he announced
decidedly that he should go the other, and asked Sam when they
should come to it.
"A little piece ahead," said Sam, giving a wink to Andy with
the eye which was on Andy's side of the head; and he added,
gravely, "but I've studded on de matter, and I'm quite clar we
ought not to go dat ar way. I nebber been over it no way.
Uncle Tom's Cabin |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: The embryo in the course of development generally rises in organisation: I
use this expression, though I am aware that it is hardly possible to define
clearly what is meant by the organisation being higher or lower. But no
one probably will dispute that the butterfly is higher than the
caterpillar. In some cases, however, the mature animal is generally
considered as lower in the scale than the larva, as with certain parasitic
crustaceans. To refer once again to cirripedes: the larvae in the first
stage have three pairs of legs, a very simple single eye, and a
probosciformed mouth, with which they feed largely, for they increase much
in size. In the second stage, answering to the chrysalis stage of
butterflies, they have six pairs of beautifully constructed natatory legs,
On the Origin of Species |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: appeared. Mugambi shook his head, and continued along
the trail, but with redoubled caution.
All day he traveled, stopping occasionally to call
aloud the single word, "Lady," in the hope that at last
she might hear and respond; but in the end his loyal
devotion brought him to disaster.
From the northeast, for several months, Abdul Mourak,
in command of a detachment of Abyssinian soldiers, had
been assiduously searching for the Arab raider, Achmet
Zek, who, six months previously, had affronted the
majesty of Abdul Mourak's emperor by conducting a slave
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: tumbles, and Tip really worked harder than he ever had in the fields or
16
forest; but a love of mischief urged him on, and it pleased him to test the
cleverness of his workmanship.
"Jack's all right, and works fine!" he said to himself, panting with the
unusual exertion. But just then he discovered the man's left arm had fallen
off in the journey so he went back to find it, and afterward, by whittling a
new and stouter pin for the shoulder-joint, he repaired the injury so
successfully that the arm was stronger than before. Tip also noticed that
Jack's pumpkin head had twisted around until it faced his back; but this was
easily remedied. When, at last, the man was set up facing the turn in the
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
