| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: "She turned away slowly, walked on, following the bank, and passed
into the bushes to the left. Once only her eyes gleamed back at us
in the dusk of the thickets before she disappeared.
"`If she had offered to come aboard I really think I would have tried
to shoot her,' said the man of patches, nervously. `I have been risking
my life every day for the last fortnight to keep her out of the house.
She got in one day and kicked up a row about those miserable rags I
picked up in the storeroom to mend my clothes with. I wasn't decent.
At least it must have been that, for she talked like a fury to Kurtz
for an hour, pointing at me now and then. I don't understand the dialect
of this tribe. Luckily for me, I fancy Kurtz felt too ill that day
Heart of Darkness |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: you to excuse Mr. Jansenius, as he is prostrated by grief, and
is, as I can--as a medical man--assure you, unable to see anyone.
She will speak to you herself as soon as she feels able to do
so--at some time this evening. Meanwhile, of course, any orders
you may give--you must be fatigued by your journey, and I always
recommend people not to fast too long; it produces an acute form
of indigestion--any orders you may wish to give will, of course,
be attended to at once."
"I think," said Trefusis, after a moment's reflection, "I will
order a hansom."
"There is no ill-feeling," said the doctor, who, as a slow man,
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Options by O. Henry: Arabia. Now, a woman asleep you regard as different. No matter how
she looks, you know it's better for all hands for her to be that way.
"Well, I took a drink of Bourbon and one for Ogden, and started in to
be comfortable while he was taking his nap. He had some books on his
table on indigenous subjects, such as Japan and drainage and physical
culture--and some tobacco, which seemed more to the point.
"After I'd smoked a few, and listened to the sartorial breathing of H.
O., I happened to look out the window toward the shearing-pens, where
there was a kind of a road coming up from a kind of a road across a
kind of a creek farther away.
"I saw five men riding up to the house. All of 'em carried guns
Options |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: and one ton holding 200 gallons, it contains 300,000 gallons
of air, which, divided by 480, gives a quotient of 625.
Which means to say, strictly speaking, that the air contained in
the Nautilus would suffice for 625 men for twenty-four hours."
"Six hundred and twenty-five!" repeated Ned.
"But remember that all of us, passengers, sailors, and officers included,
would not form a tenth part of that number."
"Still too many for three men," murmured Conseil.
The Canadian shook his head, passed his hand across his forehead,
and left the room without answering.
"Will you allow me to make one observation, sir?" said Conseil.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
