| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Chronicles of the Canongate by Walter Scott: little adventure to accomplish it. Besides, the Highlands,
though now as peaceable as any part of King George's dominions,
was a sound which still carried terror, while so many survived
who had witnessed the insurrection of 1745; and a vague idea of
fear was impressed on many as they looked from the towers of
Stirling northward to the huge chain of mountains, which rises
like a dusky rampart to conceal in its recesses a people whose
dress, manners, and language differed still very much from those
of their Lowland countrymen. For my part, I come of a race not
greatly subject to apprehensions arising from imagination only.
I had some Highland relatives; know several of their families of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift: impatience to interrupt others, and the uneasiness of being
interrupted ourselves. The two chief ends of conversation are, to
entertain and improve those we are among, or to receive those
benefits ourselves; which whoever will consider, cannot easily run
into either of those two errors; because, when any man speaketh in
company, it is to be supposed he doth it for his hearers' sake, and
not his own; so that common discretion will teach us not to force
their attention, if they are not willing to lend it; nor, on the
other side, to interrupt him who is in possession, because that is
in the grossest manner to give the preference to our own good
sense.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: "A curiosity came to him to learn how they would go to work. He
wondered and wondered, till the whole thing seemed more absurd than
ever.
"He had left the hanging lamp in the cabin burning as usual. It
was part of his plan that everything should be as usual. Suddenly
in the dim glow of the skylight panes a bulky shadow came up the
ladder without a sound, made two steps towards the hammock (it hung
right over the skylight), and stood motionless. The Frenchman!
"The minutes began to slip away. Davidson guessed that the
Frenchman's part (the poor cripple) was to watch his (Davidson's)
slumbers while the others were no doubt in the cabin busy forcing
Within the Tides |
