| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: out of Martin. That at any rate he must not do. He had always
for some inexplicable cause treated Martin badly. Nagged her
and blamed her and threatened her. That must stop now. No
shadow of this affair must lie on Martin. . . . And Martin
must never have a suspicion of any of this. . . .
The image of Martin became very vivid in his mind. He thought
of her as he had seen her many times, with the tears close,
fighting with her back to the wall, with all her wit and
vigour gone, because she loved him more steadfastly than he
did her. Whatever happened he must not take it out of Martin.
It was astonishing how real she had become now--as V.V.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Common Sense by Thomas Paine: for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from EVERY PART
of Europe. Hither have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but
from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England,
that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home,
pursues their descendants still.
In this extensive quarter of the globe, we forget the narrow limits
of three hundred and sixty miles (the extent of England)
and carry our friendship on a larger scale; we claim brotherhood
with every European Christian, and triumph in the generosity of the sentiment.
It is pleasant to observe by what regular gradations
we surmount the force of local prejudice, as we enlarge
Common Sense |
