| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Herland by Charlotte Gilman: of these women--the most conspicuous feature of their whole
culture. "It's impossible!" he would insist. "Women cannot
cooperate--it's against nature."
When we urged the obvious facts he would say: "Fiddlesticks!"
or "Hang your facts--I tell you it can't be done!" And we never
succeeded in shutting him up till Jeff dragged in the hymenoptera.
"`Go to the ant, thou sluggard'--and learn something," he
said triumphantly. "Don't they cooperate pretty well? You can't
beat it. This place is just like an enormous anthill--you know an
anthill is nothing but a nursery. And how about bees? Don't they
manage to cooperate and love one another?
Herland |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: Alas! He has perished far from his own country; the fishes of
the sea have eaten him, or he has fallen a prey to the birds and
wild beasts of some continent. Neither his mother, nor I his
father, who were his parents, could throw our arms about him and
wrap him in his shroud, nor could his excellent and richly
dowered wife Penelope bewail her husband as was natural upon his
death bed, and close his eyes according to the offices due to
the departed. But now, tell me truly for I want to know. Who and
whence are you--tell me of your town and parents? Where is the
ship lying that has brought you and your men to Ithaca? Or were
you a passenger on some other man's ship, and those who brought
The Odyssey |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: Land of Oz. They entered it in the Munchkin territory, and the King
of the Munchkins met them at the border and welcomed Ozma with great
respect, being very pleased by her safe return. For Ozma of Oz ruled
the King of the Munchkins, the King of the Winkies, the King of the
Quadlings and the King of the Gillikins just as those kings ruled
their own people; and this supreme ruler of the Land of Oz lived in a
great town of her own, called the Emerald City, which was in the exact
center of the four kingdoms of the Land of Oz.
The Munchkin king entertained them at his palace that night, and in
the morning they set out for the Emerald City, travelling over a road
of yellow brick that led straight to the jewel-studded gates.
Ozma of Oz |
