| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: monstrous thumb over his shoulder toward a door.
I knew the words half-hitch had something to do with a lasso, and I was
rather taken back by the hotel proprietor's remark. The dining-room was
more attractive than anything I had yet seen about the place: the linen was
clean, and the ham and eggs and coffee that were being served to several
rugged men gave forth a savory odor. But either the waiter was blind or he
could not bear, for he paid not the slightest attention to me. I waited,
while trying to figure out the situation. Something was wrong, and,
whatever it was, I guessed that it must be with me. After about an
hour I got my breakfast. Then I went into the office, intending to be
brisk, businesslike, and careful about asking questions.
The Young Forester |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lin McLean by Owen Wister: motion, loudly shouted, "Sister, the ice is closing in!" and she replied,
chastely, "Then let us pray." It was a superb tableau: the ice split, and
the sun rose and joggled at once to the zenith. The act-drop fell, and
male Denver, wrung to its religious deeps, went out to the rum-shop.
Of course Mr. McLean and his party did not do this. The party had
applauded exceedingly the defeat of the elements, and the leader, with
Towhead, discussed the probable chances of the ship's getting farther
south in the next act. Until lately Billy's doubt of the cow-puncher had
lingered; but during this intermission whatever had been holding out in
him seemed won, and in his eyes, that he turned stealthily upon his
unconscious, quiet neighbor, shone the beginnings of hero-worship.
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy: would probably have been made for her at Talbothays,
if only out of sheer compassion; but comfortable as her
life had been there she could not go back. The
anti-climax would be too intolerable; and her return
might bring reproach upon her idolized husband. She
could not have borne their pity, and their whispered
remarks to one another upon her strange situation;
though she would almost have faced a knowledge of her
circumstances by every individual there, so long as her
story had remained isolated in the mind of each. It
was the interchange of ideas about her that made her
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman |
