| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: flashing spectacles, who worked on him in relays over periods which
lasted--he thought, he could not be sure--ten or twelve hours at a stretch.
These other questioners saw to it that he was in constant slight pain, but
it was not chiefly pain that they relied on. They slapped his face, wrung
his ears, pulled his hair, made him stand on one leg, refused him leave to
urinate, shone glaring lights in his face until his eyes ran with water;
but the aim of this was simply to humiliate him and destroy his power of
arguing and reasoning. Their real weapon was the merciless questioning
that went on and on, hour after hour, tripping him up, laying traps for
him, twisting everything that he said, convicting him at every step of
lies and self-contradiction until he began weeping as much from shame as
1984 |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: swiftly; full of heart-satisfying incident and life, with man and boy growing
closer in an intimacy that was as warm as it was unusual.
Two reasons might account for this: First, there is no sane human being who is
not better off for companionship. An exile would find something of happiness
in one who shared his misery. And, secondly, Joe was a most acceptable
comrade, even for a slayer of Indians. Wedded as Wetzel was to the forest
trails, to his lonely life, to the Nemesis-pursuit he had followed for
eighteen long years, he was still a white man, kind and gentle in his quiet
hours, and because of this, though he knew it not, still capable of affection.
He had never known youth; his manhood had been one pitiless warfare against
his sworn foes; but once in all those years had his sore, cold heart warmed;
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther: souls have been drawn down to hell by these snares, so that you
may recognise the work of antichrist.
In brief, as poverty is imperilled amid riches, honesty amid
business, humility amid honours, abstinence amid feasting, purity
amid pleasures, so is justification by faith imperilled among
ceremonies. Solomon says, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and
his clothes not be burned?" (Prov. vi. 27). And yet as we must
live among riches, business, honours, pleasures, feastings, so
must we among ceremonies, that is among perils. Just as infant
boys have the greatest need of being cherished in the bosoms and
by the care of girls, that they may not die, and yet, when they
|
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 Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) by Dante Alighieri: Without being asked, and crieth: "I submit."
Now be thou joyful, for thou hast good reason;
Thou affluent, thou in peace, thou full of wisdom!
If I speak true, the event conceals it not.
Athens and Lacedaemon, they who made
The ancient laws, and were so civilized,
Made towards living well a little sign
Compared with thee, who makest such fine-spun
Provisions, that to middle of November
Reaches not what thou in October spinnest.
How oft, within the time of thy remembrance,
The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
