| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: while within reach of his feet was the entrance to a cavern. He found the cave
to be small with an opening at the back into a split in the rock. Evidently
the place had been entered from the rear by bears, who used the hole for
winter sleeping quarters. By crawling on his hands and knees, Wetzel found
the rear opening. Thus he had established a hiding place where it was almost
impossible to locate him. He provisioned his retreat, which he always entered
by the cliff and left by the rear.
An evidence of Wetzel's strange nature, and of his love for this wild home,
manifested itself when he bound Joe to secrecy. It was unlikely, even if the
young man ever did get safely out of the wilderness, that any stories he might
relate would reveal the hunter's favorite rendezvous. But Wetzel seriously
The Spirit of the Border |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Timaeus by Plato: allows, irrefutable and immovable--nothing less. But when they express
only the copy or likeness and not the eternal things themselves, they need
only be likely and analogous to the real words. As being is to becoming,
so is truth to belief. If then, Socrates, amid the many opinions about the
gods and the generation of the universe, we are not able to give notions
which are altogether and in every respect exact and consistent with one
another, do not be surprised. Enough, if we adduce probabilities as likely
as any others; for we must remember that I who am the speaker, and you who
are the judges, are only mortal men, and we ought to accept the tale which
is probable and enquire no further.
SOCRATES: Excellent, Timaeus; and we will do precisely as you bid us. The
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: In the dining-room they were soon joined by Mary and Kitty,
who had been too busily engaged in their separate apartments
to make their appearance before. One came from her books,
and the other from her toilette. The faces of both, however,
were tolerably calm; and no change was visible in either, except
that the loss of her favourite sister, or the anger which she had
herself incurred in this business, had given more of fretfulness
than usual to the accents of Kitty. As for Mary, she was
mistress enough of herself to whisper to Elizabeth, with a
countenance of grave reflection, soon after they were seated at
table:
Pride and Prejudice |
