| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Duchesse de Langeais by Honore de Balzac: in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. It was neither compact in its
organisation, nor consequent in its action; neither completely
moral, nor frankly dissolute; it did not corrupt, nor was it
corrupted; it would neither wholly abandon the disputed points
which damaged its cause, nor yet adopt the policy that might have
saved it. In short, however effete individuals might be, the
party as a whole was none the less armed with all the great
principles which lie at the roots of national existence. What
was there in the Faubourg that it should perish in its strength?
It was very hard to please in the choice of candidates; the
Faubourg had good taste, it was scornfully fastidious, yet there
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: disturbed her by coming in.
The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise--she leaned slightly
forward with a conscientious expression--then she laughed, an absurd,
charming little laugh, and I laughed too and came forward into the
room.
"I'm p-paralyzed with happiness." She laughed again, as if she said
something very witty, and held my hand for a moment, looking up into my
face, promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted
to see. That was a way she had. She hinted in a murmur that the surname
of the balancing girl was Baker. (I've heard it said that Daisy's
murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism
The Great Gatsby |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: wherewith he ran forward with his division and essayed to choke up the
spring which supplied the city. But the garrison sallied out and
covered the Sicyonian himself with wounds, besides killing two of his
men. Indeed, they plied their swords and missiles with such good
effect that the whole company was forced to beat a retreat. Dercylidas
was not a little annoyed, thinking that now the spirit of the
besiegers would certainly die away; but whilst he was in this mood,
behold! there arrived from the beleaguered fortress emissaries of the
Hellenes, who stated that the action taken by the commandant was not
to their taste; for themselves, they would far rather be joined in
bonds of fellowship with Hellenes than with barbarians. While the
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