| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: I went on with my part of the work, and in another half hour
had found the name and address of Mrs. Westenra's solicitor and
had written to him. All the poor lady's papers were in order.
Explicit directions regarding the place of burial were given.
I had hardly sealed the letter, when, to my surprise,
Van Helsing walked into the room, saying,
"Can I help you friend John? I am free, and if I may,
my service is to you."
"Have you got what you looked for?" I asked.
To which he replied, "I did not look for any specific thing.
I only hoped to find, and find I have, all that there was,
 Dracula |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: caused him by accident to tumble over a heap of stones gathered
together to raise the statue of St. Christopher. At first the old man
had struck fire in falling, but was, amid the cries of his dear
nephews and by the light of the torches they came to seek at her house
found standing up as straight as a skittle and as gay as a weaving
whirl, exclaiming that the good wine of the penitentiary had given him
the courage to sustain this shock and that his bones were exceedingly
hard and had sustained rude assaults. The good nephews believing him
dead, were much astonished, and perceived that the day that was to
dispatch their uncle was a long way off, seeing that at the business
stones were of no use. So that they did not falsely call him their
 Droll Stories, V. 1 |