| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: the petty charter which has been more than once alluded to in this
Comedie Humaine as the ladies' Code, laugh at the statutes framed by
men. They say everything, they do not shrink from any blunder or
hesitate at any folly, for they all accept the fact that they are
irresponsible beings, answerable for nothing on earth but their good
repute and their children. They say the most preposterous things with
a laugh, and are ready on every occasion to repeat the speech made in
the early days of her married life by pretty Madame de Bauvan to her
husband, whom she came to fetch away from the Palais: "Make haste and
pass sentence, and come away."
"Madame," said the public prosecutor, "Monsieur Lucien de Rubempre is
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm: thinking it was a mouse, sprang upon it, and bit and scratched it, so
that the boar jumped up and grunted, and ran away, roaring out, 'Look
up in the tree, there sits the one who is to blame.' So they looked
up, and espied the wolf sitting amongst the branches; and they called
him a cowardly rascal, and would not suffer him to come down till he
was heartily ashamed of himself, and had promised to be good friends
again with old Sultan.
THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN
In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish
of beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth,
and that it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of
Grimm's Fairy Tales |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum: know."
After supper they discovered three tiny bedrooms
adjoining the big living room of the house, and in each
room was a comfortable white bed with downy pillows. You
may be sure that the tired mortals were not long in
bidding the Scarecrow good night and creeping into their
beds, where they slept soundly until morning.
For the first time since they set eyes on the terrible
whirlpool, Trot and Cap'n Bill were free from anxiety and
care. Button-Bright never worried about anything. The
Scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the
The Scarecrow of Oz |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Awakening & Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin: stared up disapprovingly over his eye-glasses as Mr. Pontellier
entered, wondering who had the temerity to disturb him at that hour
of the morning.
"Ah, Pontellier! Not sick, I hope. Come and have a seat.
What news do you bring this morning?" He was quite portly, with a
profusion of gray hair, and small blue eyes which age had robbed
of much of their brightness but none of their penetration.
"Oh! I'm never sick, Doctor. You know that I come of tough
fiber--of that old Creole race of Pontelliers that dry up and
finally blow away. I came to consult--no, not precisely to
consult--to talk to you about Edna. I don't know what ails her."
Awakening & Selected Short Stories |
