| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: his competitor. Upon the question as to the choice, Caesar, it
is related, said that Cassius had the fairer pretensions, but
that he could not pass by Brutus. Nor would he afterwards
listen to some who spoke against Brutus, when the conspiracy
against him was already afoot, but laying his hand on his body,
said to the informers, "Brutus will wait for this skin of mine,"
intimating that he was worthy to bear rule on account of his
virtue, but would not be base and ungrateful to gain it. Those
who desired a change, and looked on him as the only, or at least
the most proper, person to effect it, did not venture to speak
with him; but in the night time laid papers about his chair of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: and she gave a little passionate sigh. "Poor old ambition!" she exclaimed.
Then she flung herself down upon a sofa which stood near against the wall,
and covered her face with her hands.
Her brother went on with his drawing, rapidly and skillfully;
after some moments he sat down beside her and showed her his sketch.
"Now, don't you think that 's pretty good for an obscure Bohemian?"
he asked. "I have knocked off another fifty francs."
Eugenia glanced at the little picture as he laid it on her lap.
"Yes, it is very clever," she said. And in a moment she added,
"Do you suppose our cousins do that?"
"Do what?"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: old heart so; and finally told him to go on, and ruin
himself and bring her gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave, for it was no use for her to try any more. This
was worse than a thousand whippings, and Tom's
heart was sorer now than his body. He cried, he
pleaded for forgiveness, promised to reform over and
over again, and then received his dismissal, feeling that
he had won but an imperfect forgiveness and established
but a feeble confidence.
He left the presence too miserable to even feel re-
vengeful toward Sid; and so the latter's prompt retreat
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
