| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells: my duty to go to that ball!' "
"Felt it her duty!"
" 'Very well,' I said, 'then I wash my hands of the whole
business. Your disobedience be upon your own head.' "
"But that is flat rebellion!" said Mr. Stanley, standing on the
hearthrug with his back to the unlit gas-fire. "You ought at
once--you ought at once to have told her that. What duty does a
girl owe to any one before her father? Obedience to him, that is
surely the first law. What CAN she put before that?" His voice
began to rise. "One would think I had said nothing about the
matter. One would think I had agreed to her going. I suppose
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: I felt perplexed: I didn't know whether it were not a proper
opportunity to offer a bit of admonition.
'I don't think it right to wander out of doors,' I observed,
'instead of being in bed: it is not wise, at any rate this moist
season. I daresay you'll catch a bad cold or a fever: you have
something the matter with you now!'
'Nothing but what I can bear,' he replied; 'and with the greatest
pleasure, provided you'll leave me alone: get in, and don't annoy
me.'
I obeyed: and, in passing, I noticed he breathed as fast as a cat.
'Yes!' I reflected to myself, 'we shall have a fit of illness. I
Wuthering Heights |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: Remark meanwhile, that this centralised bureaucracy was a failure;
that after all the trouble taken to govern these masses, they were
not governed, in the sense of being made better, and not worse. The
truth is, that no centralised bureaucracy, or so-called "paternal
government," yet invented on earth, has been anything but a failure,
or is it like to be anything else: because it is founded on an
error; because it regards and treats men as that which they are not,
as things; and not as that which they are, as persons. If the
bureaucracy were a mere Briareus giant, with a hundred hands,
helping the weak throughout the length and breadth of the empire,
the system might be at least tolerable. But what if the Government
|
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: appeared greedily to drink in the penetrating odor which filled the
atmosphere, and a long sigh escaped from his chest.
The settlers kept behind him, ready to seize him if he made any movement
to escape!
And, indeed, the poor creature was on the point of springing into the
creek which separated him from the forest, and his legs were bent for an
instant as if for a spring, but almost immediately he stepped back, half
sank down, and a large tear fell from his eyes.
"Ah!" exclaimed Cyrus Harding, "you have become a man again, for you can
weep!"
Chapter 16
The Mysterious Island |
