| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Illustrious Gaudissart by Honore de Balzac: upon its prey, not the stag doubling before the huntsman and the
hounds, nor the hounds themselves catching scent of the game, can be
compared with him for the rapidity of his dart when he spies a
"commission," for the agility with which he trips up a rival and gets
ahead of him, for the keenness of his scent as he noses a customer and
discovers the sport where he can get off his wares.
How many great qualities must such a man possess! You will find in all
countries many such diplomats of low degree; consummate negotiators
arguing in the interests of calico, jewels, frippery, wines; and often
displaying more true diplomacy than ambassadors themselves, who, for
the most part, know only the forms of it. No one in France can doubt
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: relics whereof your antiquarians find in so many parts of the United
States, still in existence some 900 years ago; and were these old
Norse cousins of ours upon the very edge of it? Be that as it may,
how nearly did these fierce Vikings, some of whom seemed to have
sailed far south along the shore, become aware that just beyond them
lay a land of fruits and spices, gold and gems? The adverse current
of the Gulf Stream, it may be, would have long prevented their
getting past the Bahamas into the Gulf of Mexico; but, sooner or
later, some storm must have carried a Greenland viking to San
Domingo or to Cuba; and then, as has been well said, some
Scandinavian dynasty might have sat upon the throne of Mexico.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: behind me!' I said petulantly.
`I know I am just awful, Jim, I was so scared.' She took my handkerchief from
my pocket and tried to wipe my face with it, but I snatched it away from her.
I suppose I looked as sick as I felt.
`I never know you was so brave, Jim,' she went on comfortingly. `You is
just like big mans; you wait for him lift his head and then you go for him.
Ain't you feel scared a bit? Now we take that snake home and show everybody.
Nobody ain't seen in this kawntree so big snake like you kill.'
She went on in this strain until I began to think that I
had longed for this opportunity, and had hailed it with joy.
Cautiously we went back to the snake; he was still groping
My Antonia |
