| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: well imagine without my repeating; although indeed I could not
very perfectly understand them. I then gave up my silver and
copper money, my purse, with nine large pieces of gold, and some
smaller ones; my knife and razor, my comb and silver snuff-box,
my handkerchief and journal-book. My scimitar, pistols, and
pouch, were conveyed in carriages to his majesty's stores; but
the rest of my goods were returned me.
I had as I before observed, one private pocket, which escaped
their search, wherein there was a pair of spectacles (which I
sometimes use for the weakness of mine eyes,) a pocket
perspective, and some other little conveniences; which, being of
Gulliver's Travels |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: they were ruined for life. It was nearly as bad as the latter, they
found in the end, for the plumber charged them seventy-five cents
an hour, and seventy-five cents for another man who had stood and
watched him, and included all the time the two had been going and
coming, and also a charge for all sorts of material and extras.
And then again, when they went to pay their January's installment on
the house, the agent terrified them by asking them if they had had the
insurance attended to yet. In answer to their inquiry he showed them
a clause in the deed which provided that they were to keep the house
insured for one thousand dollars, as soon as the present policy ran out,
which would happen in a few days. Poor Elzbieta, upon whom again fell
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Louis Lambert by Honore de Balzac: brought up in his mother's faith. At his father's death young Salomon
purchased what was known at that time as a /savonnette a vilain/
(literally /a cake of soap for a serf/), a small estate called
Villenoix, which he contrived to get registered with a baronial title,
and took its name. He died unmarried, but he left a natural daughter,
to whom he bequeathed the greater part of his fortune, including the
lands of Villenoix. He appointed one of his uncles, Monsieur Joseph
Salomon, to be the girl's guardian. The old Jew was so devoted to his
ward that he seemed willing to make great sacrifices for the sake of
marrying her well. But Mademoiselle de Villenoix's birth, and the
cherished prejudice against Jews that prevails in the provinces, would
Louis Lambert |
