| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: Will not all that return--"
"That is the point!" exclaimed the Count, with a cunning glance. "In
consideration of this marriage--for Madame Bontems' vanity is not a
little flattered by the notion of grafting the Bontems on to the
genealogical tree of the Granvilles--the aforenamed mother agrees to
settle her fortune absolutely on the girl, reserving only a life-
interest. The priesthood, therefore, are set against the marriage; but
I have had the banns published, everything is ready, and in a week you
will be out of the clutches of the mother and her Abbes. You will have
the prettiest girl in Bayeux, a good little soul who will give you no
trouble, because she has sound principles. She has been mortified, as
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Meno by Plato: defined.
Meno complains that the conversation of Socrates has the effect of a
torpedo's shock upon him. When he talks with other persons he has plenty
to say about virtue; in the presence of Socrates, his thoughts desert him.
Socrates replies that he is only the cause of perplexity in others, because
he is himself perplexed. He proposes to continue the enquiry. But how,
asks Meno, can he enquire either into what he knows or into what he does
not know? This is a sophistical puzzle, which, as Socrates remarks, saves
a great deal of trouble to him who accepts it. But the puzzle has a real
difficulty latent under it, to which Socrates will endeavour to find a
reply. The difficulty is the origin of knowledge:--
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: guests still wearing the Phrygian bonnets and liberty caps of
pink and blue tissue paper.
But the group of men once more adjourned to the harness room.
Fresh boxes of cigars were opened; the seventh bowl of fertiliser
was mixed. Osterman poured the dregs of a glass of it upon his
bald head, declaring that he could feel the hair beginning to
grow.
But suddenly old Broderson rose to his feet.
"Aha," he cackled, "I'M going to have a dance, I am. Think I'm
too old? I'll show you young fellows. I'm a regular old ROOSTER
when I get started."
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