| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: "It is thou! thou art here! Thou dost pardon me then!"
Marius, lowering his eyelids, in order to keep his tears from flowing,
took a step forward and murmured between lips convulsively contracted
to repress his sobs:
"My father!"
"And you also, you pardon me!" Jean Valjean said to him.
Marius could find no words, and Jean Valjean added:
"Thanks."
Cosette tore off her shawl and tossed her hat on the bed.
"It embarrasses me," said she.
And, seating herself on the old man's knees, she put aside his white
Les Miserables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lin McLean by Owen Wister: bugged up in English clothes?"
"About as good a man as you," said I, "and more cautious."
"Him and his eye-glasses!" said the sceptical puncher, still looking away
from me and surveying Ogden, who was approaching with the Governor. That
excellent man, still at long range, broke out smiling till his teeth
shone, and he waved a yellow paper at us.
"Telegram from Hilbrun," he shouted; "be here to-morrow"; and he hastened
up.
"Says he wants a cart at the depot, and a small building where he can be
private," added Ogden. "Great, isn't it?"
"You bet!" said Lin, brightening. The New Yorker's urbane but obvious
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: before these fellows discover how we have tricked them."
In safety we reached the great gates at the far end of the
courtyard, through which it was necessary to take our
thoats to the avenue beyond. It is no easy matter to handle
five of these great, fierce beasts, which by nature are as wild
and ferocious as their masters and held in subjection by
cruelty and brute force alone.
As we approached them they sniffed our unfamiliar scent
and with squeals of rage circled about us. Their long,
massive necks upreared raised their great, gaping mouths
high above our heads. They are fearsome appearing brutes at
The Gods of Mars |
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 On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: be their chance of succeeding in the battle of life. Thus the small
differences distinguishing varieties of the same species, will steadily
tend to increase till they come to equal the greater differences between
species of the same genus, or even of distinct genera.
We have seen that it is the common, the widely-diffused, and widely-ranging
species, belonging to the larger genera, which vary most; and these will
tend to transmit to their modified offspring that superiority which now
makes them dominant in their own countries. Natural selection, as has just
been remarked, leads to divergence of character and to much extinction of
the less improved and intermediate forms of life. On these principles, I
believe, the nature of the affinities of all organic beings may be
On the Origin of Species |
