| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: "It is a difficult question, my friends, for any young man--
that question I had to grapple with, and which thousands
are weighing at the present moment in these uprising times--
whether to follow uncritically the track he finds himself in,
without considering his aptness for it, or to consider what his
aptness or bent may be, and re-shape his course accordingly.
I tried to do the latter, and I failed. But I don't
admit that my failure proved my view to be a wrong one,
or that my success would have made it a right one;
though that's how we appraise such attempts nowadays--I mean,
not by their essential soundness, but by their accidental outcomes.
Jude the Obscure |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Baby Mine by Margaret Mayo: saw him make a face at her friend for answer. As it was, she
resolved to make one last effort to awaken her unobliging spouse
to a belated sense of duty.
"You see, dear," she said, "you might better get the
washerwoman's baby than to go from house to house for one," and
she glanced again toward the paper.
"Yes," urged Zoie, "and that's just what you'll HAVE to do, if
you don't get this one."
Jimmy's head hung dejectedly. It was apparent that his courage
was slipping from him. Aggie was quick to realise her
opportunity, and before Jimmy could protect himself from her
|
