| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Domestic Peace by Honore de Balzac: military, not excepting their chief, reveled like parvenus in the
treasure conquered for them by a million men with worsted epaulettes,
whose demands were satisfied by a few yards of red ribbon.
At this time most women affected that lightness of conduct and
facility of morals which distinguished the reign of Louis XV. Whether
it were in imitation of the tone of the fallen monarchy, or because
certain members of the Imperial family had set the example--as certain
malcontents of the Faubourg Saint-Germain chose to say--it is certain
that men and women alike flung themselves into a life of pleasure with
an intrepidity which seemed to forbode the end of the world. But there
was at that time another cause for such license. The infatuation of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Then turning to and fro toward the audience he narrated the
acts upon the value of which my reward was to be determined.
"Know you, O judges and people of Helium," he said, "that
John Carter, one time Prince of Helium, has returned by his
own statement from the Valley Dor and even from the
Temple of Issus itself. That, in the presence of many men
of Helium he has blasphemed against the Sacred Iss, and
against the Valley Dor, and the Lost Sea of Korus, and the
Holy Therns themselves, and even against Issus, Goddess of
Death, and of Life Eternal. And know you further by
witness of thine own eyes that see him here now upon the
The Gods of Mars |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: there are twenty-four; twenty young Achaeans from Zacynthus, and
twelve from Ithaca itself, all of them well born. They have with
them a servant Medon, a bard, and two men who can carve at
table. If we face such numbers as this, you may have bitter
cause to rue your coming, and your revenge. See whether you
cannot think of some one who would be willing to come and help
us."
"Listen to me," replied Ulysses, "and think whether Minerva and
her father Jove may seem sufficient, or whether I am to try and
find some one else as well."
"Those whom you have named," answered Telemachus, "are a couple
The Odyssey |
