| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: the upper part got smashed, and directly we had attended to things
aloft Mr. Franklin had set the carpenter to patch up the damage with
some pieces of plain glass. I don't know where they got them; I
think the people who fitted up new bookcases in the captain's room
had left some spare panes. Chips was there the whole afternoon on
his knees, messing with putty and red-lead. It wasn't a neat job
when it was done, not by any means, but it would serve to keep the
weather out and let the light in. Clear glass. And of course I was
not thinking of it. I just stooped to pick up that rope and found
my head within three inches of that clear glass, and--dash it all!
I found myself out. Not half an hour before I was saying to myself
 Chance |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: splintered the drawers by banging them against the desk, and made
a big heap of all that rubbish in one corner of the room.
He came out quickly, slammed the door after him, turned the key,
and, taking it out, ran to the front rail of the verandah, and,
with a great swing of his arm, sent the key whizzing into the
river. This done he went back slowly to the table, called the
monkey down, unhooked its chain, and induced it to remain quiet
in the breast of his jacket. Then he sat again on the table and
looked fixedly at the door of the room he had just left. He
listened also intently. He heard a dry sound of rustling; sharp
cracks as of dry wood snapping; a whirr like of a bird's wings
 Almayer's Folly |