| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: a workman in the employ of a vermicelli maker. He was a skilful,
thrifty workman, sufficiently enterprising to buy his master's
business when the latter fell a chance victim to the disturbances
of 1789. Goriot established himself in the Rue de la Jussienne,
close to the Corn Exchange. His plain good sense led him to
accept the position of President of the Section, so as to secure
for his business the protection of those in power at that
dangerous epoch. This prudent step had led to success; the
foundations of his fortune were laid in the time of the Scarcity
(real or artificial), when the price of grain of all kinds rose
enormously in Paris. People used to fight for bread at the
Father Goriot |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde: too good. I consider it was a great honour her coming to me last
night. It gave quite an atmosphere of respectability to the party.
MRS. ALLONBY. Ah, that must have been what you thought was thunder
in the air.
LADY HUNSTANTON. My dear, how can you say that? There is no
resemblance between the two things at all. But really, Gerald,
what do you mean by not being suitable?
GERALD. Lord Illingworth's views of life and mine are too
different.
LADY HUNSTANTON. But, my dear Gerald, at your age you shouldn't
have any views of life. They are quite out of place. You must be
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Court Life in China by Isaac Taylor Headland: those whom she had formerly met, she requested her guests to
enter the banquet hall and enjoy the feast with the princesses,
saying that the customs of her country forbade their being seated
or partaking of food if she were present. After the banquet,
however, the Empress Dowager always appeared and conversed
cordially with her guests.
"Her failure to appear at table may have been influenced by the
following incident: One of the leading lady guests, anxious, no
doubt, to obtain a unique curio, requested the Empress Dowager to
present her with the bowl from which Her Majesty was eating--a
bowl which was different from those used by her guests, as the
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