| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: With a reluctant backward glance the well-disciplined child held to her
nurse's hand and was pulled out the door, just as Tom came back,
preceding four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice.
Gatsby took up his drink.
"They certainly look cool," he said, with visible tension.
We drank in long, greedy swallows.
"I read somewhere that the sun's getting hotter every year," said Tom
genially. "It seems that pretty soon the earth's going to fall into the
sun--or wait a minute--it's just the opposite--the sun's getting colder
every year.
"Come outside," he suggested to Gatsby, "I'd like you to have a look at
The Great Gatsby |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The War in the Air by H. G. Wells: broken nose, and below it, and comparatively small, was a stiff
framework bearing a man and an engine with a screw that whizzed
round in front and a sort of canvas rudder behind. The framework
had an air of dragging the reluctant gas-cylinder after it like a
brisk little terrier towing a shy gas-distended elephant into
society. The combined monster certainly travelled and steered.
It went overhead perhaps a thousand feet up (Bert heard the
engine), sailed away southward, vanished over the hills,
reappeared a little blue outline far off in the east, going now
very fast before a gentle south-west gale, returned above the
Crystal Palace towers, circled round them, chose a position for
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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 Letters from England by Elizabeth Davis Bancroft: thousand points; for how differently have I been trained from these
women of high rank, and men, too, with whom I am now thrown." Upon
all topics we are accustomed to think, perhaps, with more latitude,
religion, politics, morals, everything. I like the English
extremely, even more than I expected, and yet happy am I to think
that our own best portions of society can bear a comparison with
theirs. When I see you I can explain to you the differences, but I
think we need not be ashamed of ourselves.
LETTER: To I.P.D.
LONDON, January 2, 1847
My dear Uncle: . . . I refer you to my letters to my boys, for all
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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 Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: attached to her left wrist. When we see the key we know we are
beholding the Princess."
"That is strange," said Dorothy, in astonishment. "Do you mean to say
that so many different princesses are one and the same person?"
"Not exactly," answered the Wheeler. "There is, of course, but one
princess; but she appears to us in many forms, which are all more or
less beautiful."
"She must be a witch," exclaimed the girl.
"I do not think so," declared the Wheeler. "But there is some mystery
connected with her, nevertheless. She is a very vain creature, and
lives mostly in a room surrounded by mirrors, so that she can admire
Ozma of Oz |
