| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: same time, do not forget my real interest; say all that you can to convince
him that I shall be quite wretched if he remains here ; you know my
reasons--propriety, and so forth. I would urge them more myself, but that I
am impatient to be rid of him, as Mainwaring comes within half an hour.
Adieu !
S VERNON
XXXII
MRS. JOHNSON TO LADY SUSAN
Edward Street.
My dear Creature,--I am in agonies, and know not what to do. Mr. De
Courcy arrived just when he should not. Mrs. Mainwaring had that instant
Lady Susan |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Proposed Roads To Freedom by Bertrand Russell: Houses. And such harmony would filch away from
the individual the liberty which he had hoped to
secure by the quarrels of his masters.
There is no method, if we are not mistaken, by
which a body representing the whole community,
whether as producers or consumers or both, can
alone be a sufficient guardian of individual liberty.
The only way of preserving sufficient liberty (and
even this will be inadequate in the case of very small
minorities) is the organization of citizens with special
interests into groups, determined to preserve autonomy
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: double down there in my cabin must have heard, and certainly could
not feel more relieved than I. Four fellows came running out from
somewhere forward and went over the side, while my own men,
appearing on deck too, lined the rail. I escorted my visitor to
the gangway ceremoniously, and nearly overdid it. He was a
tenacious beast. On the very ladder he lingered, and in that
unique, guiltily conscientious manner of sticking to the point:
"I say . . . you . . . you don't think that - "
I covered his voice loudly:
"Certainly not. . . . I am delighted. Good-bye."
I had an idea of what he meant to say, and just saved myself by the
'Twixt Land & Sea |
