| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Padre Ignacio by Owen Wister: ourselves an independent nation, a Spanish ship, in the name of Saint
Francis, was unloading the centuries of her own civilization at the
Golden Gate. San Diego had come earlier. Then, slowly, as mission after
mission was built along the soft coast wilderness, new ports were
established--at Santa Barbara, and by Point San Luis for San Luis Obispo,
which lay inland a little way up the gorge where it opened among the
hills. Thus the world reached these missions by water; while on land,
through the mountains, a road led to them, and also to many more that
were too distant behind the hills for ships to serve--a rough road, long
and lonely, punctuated with church towers and gardens. For the Fathers
gradually so stationed their settlements that the traveler might each
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: "What I have to tell Your Majesty is of importance, he exclaimed, and
Monmouth seemed to waver, whilst Grey looked disdainful unbelief of the
importance of any communication Wilding might have to make.
"We have little time, Your Majesty," Ferguson reminded Monmouth.
"Perhaps," put in friendly Wade, "Your Majesty might see Mr. Wilding at
Mr. Newlington's."
"Is it really necessary?" quoth Grey.
This treatment of him inspired Mr. Wilding with malice. The mere
mention of Sunderland's letter would have changed their tone. But he
elected by no such word to urge the importance of his business. It
should be entirely as Monmouth should elect or be constrained by these
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: alongside the forepart of the steamboat, just below my head.
I did not move; it did not occur to me to move: I was sleepy.
`It IS unpleasant,' grunted the uncle. `He has asked the
Administration to be sent there,' said the other, `with the idea
of showing what he could do; and I was instructed accordingly.
Look at the influence that man must have. Is it not frightful?'
They both agreed it was frightful, then made several bizarre remarks:
`Make rain and fine weather--one man--the Council--by the nose'--
bits of absurd sentences that got the better of my drowsiness,
so that I had pretty near the whole of my wits about me when the
uncle said, `The climate may do away with this difficulty for you.
Heart of Darkness |
