| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Silas Marner by George Eliot: of their basis, but because she held them with a tenacity
inseparable from her mental action. On all the duties and
proprieties of life, from filial behaviour to the arrangements of
the evening toilette, pretty Nancy Lammeter, by the time she was
three-and-twenty, had her unalterable little code, and had formed
every one of her habits in strict accordance with that code. She
carried these decided judgments within her in the most unobtrusive
way: they rooted themselves in her mind, and grew there as quietly
as grass. Years ago, we know, she insisted on dressing like
Priscilla, because "it was right for sisters to dress alike", and
because "she would do what was right if she wore a gown dyed with
Silas Marner |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Moran of the Lady Letty by Frank Norris: him--grab holt his tail flippers, you fool swabs; grab holt quick--
don't you leggo--got him there, Charlie? If he gets away, you
swine, I'll rip y' open with the gaff--heave now--heave--there--
there--soh, stand clear his nippers. Strike me! he's a whacker.
I thought he was going to get away. Saw me just as I swung the
gaff, an' ducked his nut."
Over the side, bundled without ceremony into the boat, clawing,
thrashing, clattering, and blowing like the exhaust of a donkey-
engine, tumbled the great green turtle, his wet, green shield of
shell three feet from edge to edge, the gaff firmly transfixed in
his body, just under the fore-flipper. From under his shell
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: business with the senate or the People, even if he sit waiting a whole
year. Now this does happen at Athens, and for no other reason save
that, owing to the immense mass of affairs they are unable to work off
all the business on hand, and dismiss the applicants. And how in the
world should they be able, considering in the first place, that they,
the Athenians, have more festivals[3] to celebrate than any other
state throughout the length and breadth of Hellas? [During these
festivals, of course, the transaction of any sort of affairs of state
is still more out of the question.][4] In the next place, only
consider the number of cases they have to decide--what with private
suits and public causes and scrutinies of accounts, etc., more than
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