| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: general the style of one author is not appropriate to another; as in
society, so in letters, we expect every man to have 'a good coat of his
own,' and not to dress himself out in the rags of another. (a) Archaic
expressions are therefore to be avoided. Equivalents may be occasionally
drawn from Shakspere, who is the common property of us all; but they must
be used sparingly. For, like some other men of genius of the Elizabethan
and Jacobean age, he outdid the capabilities of the language, and many of
the expressions which he introduced have been laid aside and have dropped
out of use. (b) A similar principle should be observed in the employment
of Scripture. Having a greater force and beauty than other language, and a
religious association, it disturbs the even flow of the style. It may be
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: sheep pen to lead the pack to the kill?"
"But if he were to promise "
"We're not talking about the ordinary man--he'd promise anything
and lie to-morrow. But Sheriff Collins won't do it. If you think
you can twist a promise out of him not to take advantage of what
he has found out you're guessing wrong. When you think he's a
quitter, just look at that cork hand of his, and remember how
come he to get it. He'll take his medicine proper, but he'll
never crawl."
"There must be some way," she cried desperately,
"Since you make a point of it, I'll give him his chance."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from An Episode Under the Terror by Honore de Balzac: frequented parts of Paris. The north wind sweeps over the Buttes-
Chaumont and Belleville, and whistles through the houses (the hovels
rather), scattered over an almost uninhabited low-lying waste, where
the fences are heaps of earth and bones. It was a desolate-looking
place, a fitting refuge for despair and misery.
The sight of it appeared to make an impression upon the relentless
pursuer of a poor creature so daring as to walk alone at night through
the silent streets. He stood in thought, and seemed by his attitude to
hesitate. She could see him dimly now, under the street lamp that sent
a faint, flickering light through the fog. Fear gave her eyes. She
saw, or thought she saw, something sinister about the stranger's
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