| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis: crooked old bishop have made me see a few things
about the Afro-American brother. It wasn't a
good scheme in the first place. And this wasn't the
place to start it going, anyhow--I should have
tried the niggers in the big towns. But I'm out of
it now, and I'm glad of it. What we want to do is to
get away from here to-morrow--go back to Atlanta
and fix up a scheme to rob some widows and orphans,
or something half-way respectable like that."
Well, I drew a long breath. I was with Doctor
Kirby in everything he done, fur he was my friend,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Snow Image by Nathaniel Hawthorne: furnace yonder!"
The Jew's exhibition had scarcely concluded, when a great,
elderly dog --who seemed to be his own master, as no person in
the company laid claim to him--saw fit to render himself the
object of public notice. Hitherto, he had shown himself a very
quiet, well-disposed old dog, going round from one to another,
and, by way of being sociable, offering his rough head to be
patted by any kindly hand that would take so much trouble. But
now, all of a sudden, this grave and venerable quadruped, of his
own mere motion, and without the slightest suggestion from
anybody else, began to run round after his tail, which, to
The Snow Image |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Albert Savarus by Honore de Balzac: detected her wiping away her tears. Tears! in so strong a nature.
"Francesca," said he, taking her hand, "is there a single regret in
your heart?"
She was silent, disengaged her hand which held her embroidered
handkerchief, and again dried her eyes.
"Forgive me!" he said. And with a rush, he kissed her eyes to wipe
away the tears.
Francesca did not seem aware of his passionate impulse, she was so
violently agitated. Rodolphe, thinking she consented, grew bolder; he
put his arm round her, clasped her to his heart, and snatched a kiss.
But she freed herself by a dignified movement of offended modesty,
Albert Savarus |
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 Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: the circumstances, I was prepared to flee with him at once.
Poor John was literally paralysed with joy; such was the
force of his emotions, that he could find no words in which
to thank me; and that I, seeing him thus helpless, was
obliged to arrange, myself, the details of our flight, and of
the stolen marriage which was immediately to crown it. John
had been at that time projecting a visit to the metropolis.
In this I bade him persevere, and promised on the following
day to join him at the Tavistock Hotel.
True, on my side, to every detail of our arrangement, I
arose, on the day in question, before the servants, packed a
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