| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: quality--so far from being a matter of surprise, this, as can be
shown, is the keystone of the preservation of the democracy. It is
these poor people, this common folk, this riff-raff,[13] whose
prosperity, combined with the growth of their numbers, enhances the
democracy. Whereas, a shifting of fortune to the advantage of the
wealthy and the better classes implies the establishment on the part
of the commonalty of a strong power in opposition to itself. In fact,
all the world over, the cream of society is in opposition to the
democracy. Naturally, since the smallest amount of intemperance and
injustice, together with the highest scrupulousness in the pursuit of
excellence, is to be found in the ranks of the better class, while
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rinehart: I left him babbling apologies and went to bed, but I had an
uncomfortable feeling that Bella had been a witness to our
conversation, for the door into Aunt Selina's room closed softly
as I passed.
I knew beforehand that I was not going to sleep. The instant I
turned out the light the nightmare events of the evening ranged
themselves in a procession, or a series of tableaus, one after
the other; Flannigan on the roof, with the bracelet on his palm,
looking accusingly at me; Mr. Harbison and the scene on the roof,
with my flippancy; and the result of that flippancy--the man on
the stairs, the arms that held me, the terrible kisses that had
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: including the women of each household. Without the
co-operation of sisters and sweethearts the dresses
were likely to be a failure; but on the other hand,
this class of assistance was not without its drawbacks.
The girls could never be brought to respect tradition
in designing and decorating the armour; they insisted on
attaching loops and bows of silk and velvet in any situation
pleasing to their taste. Gorget, gusset, basinet, cuirass,
gauntlet, sleeve, all alike in the view of these feminine
eyes were practicable spaces whereon to sew scraps of
fluttering colour.
Return of the Native |
