The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from O Pioneers! by Willa Cather: dren wouldn't. I have great hopes of Milly."
Emil shivered. "I don't know. Seems to me
it gets worse as it goes on. The worst of the
Swedes is that they're never willing to find out
how much they don't know. It was like that at
the University. Always so pleased with them-
selves! There's no getting behind that con-
ceited Swedish grin. The Bohemians and Ger-
mans were so different."
O Pioneers! |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: and heaven knows how it talked! You can see, my friend, how the men
with whom I was accused of folly were to me the dagger with which to
stab my enemies. Thinking only of my vengeance, I did not see or feel
the wounds I was inflicting on myself. Innocent as a child, I was
thought a wicked woman, the worst of women, and I knew nothing of it!
The world is very foolish, very blind, very ignorant; it can penetrate
no secrets but those which amuse it and serve its malice: noble
things, great things, it puts its hand before its eyes to avoid
seeing. But, as I look back, it seems to me that I had an attitude and
aspect of indignant innocence, with movements of pride, which a great
painter would have recognized. I must have enlivened many a ball with
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