| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Witch, et. al by Anton Chekhov: another bag, then went out once more and this time brought the
postman's sword on a big belt, of the pattern of that long flat
blade with which Judith is portrayed by the bedside of Holofernes
in cheap woodcuts. Laying the bags along the wall, he went out
into the outer room, sat down there and lighted his pipe.
"Perhaps you'd like some tea after your journey?" Raissa
inquired.
"How can we sit drinking tea?" said the postman, frowning. "We
must make haste and get warm, and then set off, or we shall be
late for the mail train. We'll stay ten minutes and then get on
our way. Only be so good as to show us the way."
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The American by Henry James: It was only a shade more important than the opinion the Bellegardes
entertained of her. The duchess help him--that cold, stout, soft,
artificial woman help him?--she who in the last twenty minutes had
built up between them a wall of polite conversation in which she
evidently flattered herself that he would never find a gate.
Had it come to that--that he was asking favors of conceited people,
and appealing for sympathy where he had no sympathy to give? He rested
his arms on his knees, and sat for some minutes staring into his hat.
As he did so his ears tingled--he had come very near being an ass.
Whether or no the duchess would hear his story, he wouldn't tell it.
Was he to sit there another half hour for the sake of exposing
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Persuasion by Jane Austen: "What should they do without her? They were wretched comforters
for one another." And so much was said in this way, that Anne thought
she could not do better than impart among them the general inclination
to which she was privy, and persuaded them all to go to Lyme at once.
She had little difficulty; it was soon determined that they would go;
go to-morrow, fix themselves at the inn, or get into lodgings,
as it suited, and there remain till dear Louisa could be moved.
They must be taking off some trouble from the good people she was with;
they might at least relieve Mrs Harville from the care of her own children;
and in short, they were so happy in the decision, that Anne was delighted
with what she had done, and felt that she could not spend her
Persuasion |
