| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: and mounted on a black horse of powerful frame. He made no offer
of molestation or sociability, but kept aloof on one side of the
road, jogging along on the blind side of old Gunpowder, who had
now got over his fright and waywardness.
Ichabod, who had no relish for this strange midnight
companion, and bethought himself of the adventure of Brom Bones
with the Galloping Hessian, now quickened his steed in hopes of
leaving him behind. The stranger, however, quickened his horse to
an equal pace. Ichabod pulled up, and fell into a walk, thinking
to lag behind, --the other did the same. His heart began to sink
within him; he endeavored to resume his psalm tune, but his
 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: said cheerfully, 'I suppose it does not matter my losing
the train now?' 'No, Jenny--you go below and get
warm,' he growled. Then to us: 'A sailor has no busi-
ness with a wife--I say. There I was, out of the ship.
Well, no harm done this time. Let's go and look at what
that fool of a steamer smashed.'
"It wasn't much, but it delayed us three weeks. At
the end of that time, the captain being engaged with his
agents, I carried Mrs. Beard's bag to the railway-sta-
tion and put her all comfy into a third-class carriage.
She lowered the window to say, 'You are a good young
 Youth |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: cially on Sundays, spoke of opulence. He won-
dered what made them so hardhearted and their
children so bold. He got his food at the back door,
carried it in both hands carefully to his outhouse,
and, sitting alone on his pallet, would make the sign
of the cross before he began. Beside the same pal-
let, kneeling in the early darkness of the short days,
he recited aloud the Lord's Prayer before he slept.
Whenever he saw old Swaffer he would bow with
veneration from the waist, and stand erect while
the old man, with his fingers over his upper lip, sur-
 Amy Foster |