| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: she and Antonia worked in the fields all day and did the chores at night.
While the two women were running the place alone, one of the new horses got
colic and gave them a terrible fright.
Antonia had gone down to the barn one night to see that all was
well before she went to bed, and she noticed that one of the roans
was swollen about the middle and stood with its head hanging.
She mounted another horse, without waiting to saddle him,
and hammered on our door just as we were going to bed.
Grandfather answered her knock. He did not send one of his men,
but rode back with her himself, taking a syringe and an old piece
of carpet he kept for hot applications when our horses were sick.
My Antonia |
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 The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: you are my father, no one, neither God nor nature, has given you
the right to insult and humiliate us so horribly, to vent your
ill-humour on the weak. You have worn my mother out and made a
slave of her, my sister is hopelessly crushed, while I . . ."
"It's not your business to teach me," said his father.
"Yes, it is my business! You can quarrel with me as much as you
like, but leave my mother in peace! I will not allow you to
torment my mother!" the student went on, with flashing eyes. "You
are spoilt because no one has yet dared to oppose you. They
tremble and are mute towards you, but now that is over! Coarse,
ill-bred man! You are coarse . . . do you understand? You are
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