| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: daughters--the Comtesse de Restaurama--came to see the old
gentleman, and he would get up and go out, and made himself
worse. Society is about to lose one of its brightest ornaments."
Rastignac sprang to the staircase.
"Hey! Monsieur Eugene!"
"Monsieur Eugene, the mistress is calling you," shouted Sylvie.
"It is this, sir," said the widow. "You and M. Goriot should by
rights have moved out on the 15th of February. That was three
days ago; to-day is the 18th, I ought really to be paid a month
in advance; but if you will engage to pay for both, I shall be
quite satisfied."
Father Goriot |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Animal Farm by George Orwell: honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. In the evenings he would
admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Clover
treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing
them, and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard. "A horse's
lungs do not last for ever," she said to him. But Boxer would not listen.
He had, he said, only one real ambition left--to see the windmill well
under way before he reached the age for retirement.
At the beginning, when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated,
the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve, for cows at
fourteen, for dogs at nine, for sheep at seven, and for hens and geese at
five. Liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon. As yet no animal had
Animal Farm |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: Serizy.
"With all the more reason because he has preached a great deal by
example," said the Baronne de Nucingen.
"On my honor!" said General de Montriveau, "in all the dramas--a word
you are very fond of," he said, looking at Blondet--"in which the
finger of God has been visible, the most frightful I ever knew was
very near being by my act----"
"Well, tell us all about it!" cried Lady Barimore; "I love to
shudder!"
"It is the taste of a virtuous woman," replied de Marsay, looking at
Lord Dudley's lovely daughter.
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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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if
his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry
much less weight with Denver. Both were successful men, and
success does not understand the subtle agony of failure. Granice
cast about for another reason.
"Why, I--the thing haunts me . . . remorse, I suppose you'd call
it. . ."
Denver struck the ashes from his empty pipe.
"Remorse? Bosh!" he said energetically.
Granice's heart sank. "You don't believe in--REMORSE?"
"Not an atom: in the man of action. The mere fact of your
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