| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Before Adam by Jack London: sleeping in the passage of the double-cave. During the
summer, however, I used to stay away from the caves for
weeks, sleeping in a tree-shelter I made near the mouth
of the slough.
I have said that Lop-Ear was not happy. My sister was
the daughter of the Chatterer, and she made Lop-Ear's
life miserable for him. In no other cave was there so
much squabbling and bickering. If Red-Eye was a
Bluebeard, Lop-Ear was hen-pecked; and I imagine that
Red-Eye was too shrewd ever to covet Lop-Ear's wife.
Fortunately for Lop-Ear, she died. An unusual thing
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: if a thousand giants simultaneously had said Phoo!--
and felt a dull concussion which made my ribs ache sud-
denly. No doubt about it--I was in the air, and my
body was describing a short parabola. But short as it
was, I had the time to think several thoughts in, as far
as I can remember, the following order: 'This can't be
the carpenter--What is it?--Some accident--Submarine
volcano?--Coals, gas!--By Jove! we are being blown
up--Everybody's dead--I am falling into the after-
hatch--I see fire in it.'
"The coal-dust suspended in the air of the hold had
Youth |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Albert Savarus by Honore de Balzac: hands of an ambitious man. Each day was a check for Savarus, though
each day the battle was led by him and fought by his lieutenants--a
battle of words, speeches, and proceedings. He dared not go to the
Vicar-General, and the Vicar-General never showed himself. Albert rose
and went to bed in a fever, his brain on fire.
At last the day dawned of the first struggle, practically the show of
hands; the votes are counted, the candidates estimate their chances,
and clever men can prophesy their failure or success. It is a decent
hustings, without the mob, but formidable; agitation, though it is not
allowed any physical display, as it is in England, is not the less
profound. The English fight these battles with their fists, the French
Albert Savarus |
