| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: Stephen.'
'But we can't return now,' he said in a deprecatory tone.
'I must! I will!'
'How? When do you want to go?'
'Now. Can we go at once?'
The lad looked hopelessly along the platform.
'If you must go, and think it wrong to remain, dearest,' said he
sadly, 'you shall. You shall do whatever you like, my Elfride.
But would you in reality rather go now than stay till to-morrow,
and go as my wife?'
'Yes, yes--much--anything to go now. I must; I must!' she cried.
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: Socrates stepped forward and said: "In the first place, sirs, I am at
a loss to imagine on what ground[20] Meletus asserts that I do not
recognise the gods which are recognised by the state, since, as far as
sacrificing goes, the rest of the world who have chanced to be present
have been in the habit of seeing me so engaged at common festivals,
and on the public altars; and so might Meletus himself, if he had
wished. And as to novel divinities, how, pray, am I supposed to
introduce them by stating that I have a voice[21] from God which
clearly signifies to me what I ought do do? Why, what else do those
who make use of the cries of birds or utterences of men draw their
conclusions from if not from voices? Who will deny that the thunder
The Apology |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll: And it's handy for striking a light.
" 'You may seek it with thimbles--and seek it with care;
You may hunt it with forks and hope;
You may threaten its life with a railway-share;
You may charm it with smiles and soap--' "
("That's exactly the method," the Bellman bold
In a hasty parenthesis cried,
"That's exactly the way I have always been told
That the capture of Snarks should be tried!")
" 'But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then
The Hunting of the Snark |
