| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: faithfully, as an esquire should. But the other servants treated
Nerle with much deference, noting in him an air of breeding that
marked him the unusual servant of an unusual master.
Indeed, most curious were the looks cast on these marvelous men who
had calmly walked into the castle of mighty Terribus and successfully
defied his anger; for in spite of his youthful appearance and smiling
face every attendant at the banquet feared Prince Marvel even more
than they feared their own fierce king.
11. The Cunning of King Terribus
The days that followed were pleasant ones for Prince Marvel and Nerle,
who were treated as honored guests by both the king and his courtiers.
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac: The qualities of a great man are often federative. If among these
colossal spirits one has more talent than wit, his wit is still
superior to that of a man of whom it is simply stated that "he is
witty." Genius always presupposes moral insight. This insight may
be applied to a special subject; but he who can see a flower must
be able to see the sun. The man who on hearing a diplomate he has
saved ask, "How is the Emperor?" could say, "The courtier is
alive; the man will follow!"--that man is not merely a surgeon or
a physician, he is prodigiously witty also. Hence a patient and
diligent student of human nature will admit Desplein's exorbitant
pretensions, and believe--as he himself believed--that he might
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce: staring stonily, motionless. The sentinels, facing the
banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the
bridge. The captain stood with folded arms, silent,
observing the work of his subordinates, but making no sign.
Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be
received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those
most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette
silence and fixity are forms of deference.
The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about
thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might
judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge |
