| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: at the end of the dialogue is merely intended to show that we must not put
words in the place of things or realities, which is a thesis strongly
insisted on by Plato in many other passages)...These are some of the first
thoughts which arise in the mind of the reader of the Cratylus. And the
consideration of them may form a convenient introduction to the general
subject of the dialogue.
We must not expect all the parts of a dialogue of Plato to tend equally to
some clearly-defined end. His idea of literary art is not the absolute
proportion of the whole, such as we appear to find in a Greek temple or
statue; nor should his works be tried by any such standard. They have
often the beauty of poetry, but they have also the freedom of conversation.
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: it? - a gardeuse d'oies. And what a thing to drag out against a
woman. One might just as soon reproach any of them for coming
unclothed into the world. They all do, you know. And then they
become - what you will discover when you have lived longer,
Monsieur George - for the most part futile creatures, without any
sense of truth and beauty, drudges of all sorts, or else dolls to
dress. In a word - ordinary."
The implication of scorn in her tranquil manner was immense. It
seemed to condemn all those that were not born in the Blunt
connection. It was the perfect pride of Republican aristocracy,
which has no gradations and knows no limit, and, as if created by
The Arrow of Gold |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Poems by Bronte Sisters: Something whose absence leaves a void--
A cheerless want in every heart;
Each feels the bliss of all destroyed,
And mourns the change--but each apart.
The fire is burning in the grate
As redly as it used to burn;
But still the hearth is desolate,
Till mirth, and love, and PEACE return.
'Twas PEACE that flowed from heart to heart,
With looks and smiles that spoke of heaven,
And gave us language to impart
|
