| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane: him the police were always actuated by malignant impulses and the
rest of the world was composed, for the most part, of despicable
creatures who were all trying to take advantage of him and with
whom, in defense, he was obliged to quarrel on all possible
occasions. He himself occupied a down-trodden position that
had a private but distinct element of grandeur in its isolation.
The most complete cases of aggravated idiocy were, to his mind,
rampant upon the front platforms of all the street cars. At first
his tongue strove with these beings, but he eventually was superior.
He became immured like an African cow. In him grew a majestic contempt
for those strings of street cars that followed him like intent bugs.
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Book of Remarkable Criminals by H. B. Irving: contact in his later years. After he had left New Zealand and
returned to Australia, he was walking in a street in Melbourne
with a friend when they passed a lady dressed in black, carrying
a baby in her arms. The baby looked at the two men and laughed.
Butler frowned and walked rapidly away. His companion chaffed
him, and asked whether it was the widow or the baby that he was
afraid of. Butler was silent, but after a time asked his
companion to come into some gardens and sit down on one of the
seats, as he had something serious to say to him. For a while
Butler sat silent. Then he asked the other if he had ever been
in Dunedin. "Yes," was the reply. "Look here," said Butler,
A Book of Remarkable Criminals |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: that thou art the stoutest and the best-skilled in arms, and most
easy of carriage of any man in all this place."
Myles laughed. "An thou make sport of me," said he, "I'll rap thy
head with this dagger hilt. Thou art a silly fellow, Francis, to
talk so. But tell me, hast thou heard who rides with my Lord?"
"Yea, I heard Wilkes say anon that it was Sir James Lee."
"I am right glad of that," said Myles; "for then he will show me
what to do and how to bear myself. It frights me to think what
would hap should I make some mistake in my awkwardness. Methinks
Lord George would never have me with him more should I do amiss
this day."
Men of Iron |
