| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: his duty? Assuredly he has done it better than many in the ranks
above him.
If you take this view of society, in which you are about to seek a
place in keeping with your intellect and your faculties, you must
set before you as a generating principle and mainspring, this
maxim: never permit yourself to act against either your own
conscience or the public conscience. Though my entreaty may seem
to you superfluous, yet I entreat, yes, your Henriette implores
you to ponder the meaning of that rule. It seems simple but, dear,
it means that integrity, loyalty, honor, and courtesy are the
safest and surest instruments for your success. In this selfish
The Lily of the Valley |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: "Thet's fer you to say," replied Bill, with his exasperating calmness.
"Must we hang up here to be shot at? Leslie's takin' a long chance on thet
kid's life if he comes slingin' lead round this cabin."
Herky-Jerky spat tobacco-juice across the room and grunted. Then, with his
beady little eyes as keen and cold as flint, he said: "Buell, Leslie knows
you daren't harm the kid; an' as fer bullets, he'll take good care where he
stings 'em. This deal of ours begins to look like a wild-goose stunt. It
never was safe, an' now it's worse."
Here was even Herky-Jerky harping on Buell's situation. To me it did not
appear much more serious than before. But evidently they thought Buell
seemed on the verge of losing control of himself. He glared at Herky, and
The Young Forester |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: great wooden swords, the weapon that was to have killed him before,
if I had not prevented it. The Spaniard, who was as bold and brave
as could be imagined, though weak, had fought the Indian a good
while, and had cut two great wounds on his head; but the savage
being a stout, lusty fellow, closing in with him, had thrown him
down, being faint, and was wringing my sword out of his hand; when
the Spaniard, though undermost, wisely quitting the sword, drew the
pistol from his girdle, shot the savage through the body, and
killed him upon the spot, before I, who was running to help him,
could come near him.
Friday, being now left to his liberty, pursued the flying wretches,
Robinson Crusoe |
