| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass: Easton, in a south-easterly direction, amid the jeers of new
birds of the same feather, through every neighborhood we passed.
It seemed to me (and this shows the good understanding between
the slaveholders and their allies) that every body we met knew
<228>the cause of our arrest, and were out, awaiting our passing
by, to feast their vindictive eyes on our misery and to gloat
over our ruin. Some said, _I ought to be hanged_, and others, _I
ought to be burnt_, others, I ought to have the _"hide"_ taken
from my back; while no one gave us a kind word or sympathizing
look, except the poor slaves, who were lifting their heavy hoes,
and who cautiously glanced at us through the post-and-rail
 My Bondage and My Freedom |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: and while he stood silently gazing at the Ball of Fire it became
so furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room.
He was glad to find his friends waiting for him, and told them
of his terrible interview with the Wizard.
"What shall we do now?" asked Dorothy sadly.
"There is only one thing we can do," returned the Lion, "and
that is to go to the land of the Winkies, seek out the Wicked
Witch, and destroy her."
"But suppose we cannot?" said the girl.
"Then I shall never have courage," declared the Lion.
"And I shall never have brains," added the Scarecrow.
 The Wizard of Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: while the need of it presaged that fearful something which, since
Stewart's passionate appeal to her, haunted her as inevitable.
Madeline did not expect to sleep, yet she did sleep, and it
seemed to have been only a moment until Florence called her. She
followed Florence outside. It was the dark hour before dawn.
She could discern saddled horses being held by cowboys. There
was an air of hurry and mystery about the departure. Helen, who
came tip-toeing out with Madeline's other guests, whispered that
it was like an escape. She was delighted. The others were
amused. To Madeline it was indeed an escape.
In the darkness Madeline could not see how many escorts her party
 The Light of Western Stars |