| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: The captain, Ned Land, and I were then on the poop, eagerly peering
through the profound darkness.
"Ned Land," asked the commander, "you have often heard the roaring of whales?"
"Often, sir; but never such whales the sight of which brought me
in two thousand dollars. If I can only approach within four harpoons'
length of it!"
"But to approach it," said the commander, "I ought to put a whaler
at your disposal?"
"Certainly, sir."
"That will be trifling with the lives of my men."
"And mine too," simply said the harpooner.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: and I believe it was so, amounting to no less, if I remember right,
than five thousand pounds.
In the introduction to these proposals, I stated their publication,
not as an act of mine, but of some publick-spirited gentlemen,
avoiding as much as I could, according to my usual rule, the presenting
myself to the publick as the author of any scheme for their benefit.
The subscribers, to carry the project into immediate execution,
chose out of their number twenty-four trustees, and appointed
Mr. Francis, then attorney-general, and myself to draw up constitutions
for the government of the academy; which being done and signed,
a house was hired, masters engag'd, and the schools opened, I think,
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: Then aloud:
"And he has taken his ancient name of Vallon?"
"To which he adds that of Bracieux, an estate which has been
a barony, by my troth."
"So that Porthos will be a baron."
"I don't doubt it. The `Baroness Porthos' will sound
particularly charming."
And the two friends began to laugh.
"So," D'Artagnan resumed, "you will not become a partisan of
Mazarin's?"
"Nor you of the Prince de Conde?"
Twenty Years After |
