| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: what might be needed, to remedy any forgetfulness, to see that all was
done to make it, as far as possible, suitable and elegant; and, in
fact, she arrived in time to prove to her mother and Nanon that
everything still remained to be done. She put into Nanon's head the
notion of passing a warming-pan between the sheets. She herself
covered the old table with a cloth and requested Nanon to change it
every morning; she convinced her mother that it was necessary to light
a good fire, and persuaded Nanon to bring up a great pile of wood into
the corridor without saying anything to her father. She ran to get,
from one of the corner-shelves of the hall, a tray of old lacquer
which was part of the inheritance of the late Monsieur de la
Eugenie Grandet |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from On Revenues by Xenophon: The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians 2
Text in brackets "{}" is my transliteration of Greek text into
English using an Oxford English Dictionary alphabet table. The
diacritical marks have been lost.
WAYS AND MEANS
A Pamphlet On Revenues
I
For myself I hold to the opinion that the qualities of the leading
statesmen in a state, whatever they be, are reproduced in the
character of the constitution itself.[1]
[1] "Like minister, like government." For the same idea more fully
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Awakening & Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin: received instructions from both the men and women; in some
instances from the children. Robert had pursued a system of
lessons almost daily; and he was nearly at the point of
discouragement in realizing the futility of his efforts. A certain
ungovernable dread hung about her when in the water, unless there
was a hand near by that might reach out and reassure her.
But that night she was like the little tottering, stumbling,
clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for
the first time alone, boldly and with over-confidence. She could
have shouted for joy. She did shout for joy, as with a sweeping
stroke or two she lifted her body to the surface of the water.
Awakening & Selected Short Stories |
