| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: was right. Strong uttered a desperate "Bah!" and began pacing up
and down the garden with reckless strides.
Mrs. Willoughby watched him with secret delight, and when he
came to a halt, she wriggled to his side with simpering
sweetness.
"What COULD folks say?" she asked. "A minister and a young
circus riding girl living here like this with no one to--" She
found no words at this point and Strong, now thoroughly roused,
declared that the congregation should have no further cause for
gossip, and went out quickly in search of Douglas.
When Strong was gone, Elverson looked at the set faces of the
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about
that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or
maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course
may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance.
But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is
very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by
cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be
reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now
in almost as hopeful a condition. They cannot get work, and
consequently pine away from want of nourishment, to a degree,
that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour,
A Modest Proposal |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: to Perry. Hooja did not renew his advances toward the girl,
nor did he again venture near me.
Again the weary and apparently interminable marching became
a perfect nightmare of horrors to me. The more firmly
fixed became the realization that the girl's friendship
had meant so much to me, the more I came to miss it;
and the more impregnable the barrier of silly pride.
But I was very young and would not ask Ghak for the
explanation which I was sure he could give, and that might
have made everything all right again.
On the march, or during halts, Dian refused consistently
At the Earth's Core |
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 Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: I found my two officers waiting for me near the supper table,
in the lighted cuddy. We sat down at once, and as I helped
the chief mate, I said:
"Are you aware that there is a ship anchored inside the islands?
I saw her mastheads above the ridge as the sun went down."
He raised sharply his simple face, overcharged by a terrible
growth of whisker, and emitted his usual ejaculations:
"Bless my soul, sir! You don't say so!"
My second mate was a round-cheeked, silent young man, grave beyond
his years, I thought; but as our eyes happened to meet I
detected a slight quiver on his lips. I looked down at once.
The Secret Sharer |
