| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Collected Articles by Frederick Douglass: was presented in book form as a January, 1993 Project Gutenberg Etext
to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day last year. We hope people
will continue to contribute works such as this to commemorate this
and other holidays.
Douglass, Frederick. "My Escape from Slavery."
The Century Illustrated Magazine 23, n.s. 1 (Nov. 1881): 125-131.
MY ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY
In the first narrative of my experience in slavery, written nearly
forty years ago, and in various writings since, I have given
the public what I considered very good reasons for withholding
the manner of my escape. In substance these reasons were, first,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: chatter of the various groups whom he thought to be discussing him,
could only manage to stammer out the words: "Madame--madame--is--very
good."
"What do you manufacture?" said the mistress of the house, laughing.
"Say laces and offer her some guipure," whispered Bixiou in Gazonal's
ear.
"La-ces," said Gazonal, perceiving that he would have to pay for his
supper. "It will give me the greatest pleasure to offer you a dress--a
scarf--a mantilla of my make."
"Ah, three things! Well, you are nicer than you look to be," returned
Carabine.
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burroughs: clouded, "Oda Yorimoto, the chief of the tribe, is with her."
The mucker sprang to his feet with an oath, and would
have bolted for the village had not Theriere laid a detaining
hand upon his shoulder.
"It is too late, my friend," he said sadly, "to make haste
now. We may, if we are cautious, be able to save her life, and
later, possibly, avenge her wrong. Let us act coolly, and after
some manner of plan, so that we may work together, and not
throw our lives away uselessly. The chance is that neither of
us will come out of that village alive, but we must minimize
that chance to the utmost if we are to serve Miss Harding."
The Mucker |
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 Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: fortunately without doing vital injury.
"You aimed too well, monsieur," said the baron, "to be avenging only a
paltry quarrel."
And he fainted. Monsieur de Ronquerolles, who believed him to be a
dead man, smiled sardonically as he heard those words.
After a fortnight, during which time the dowager and the vidame gave
him those cares of old age the secret of which is in the hands of long
experience only, the baron began to return to life. But one morning
his grandmother dealt him a crushing blow, by revealing anxieties to
which, in her last days, she was now subjected. She showed him a
letter signed F, in which the history of her grandson's secret
Ferragus |
