| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: thoughtful, all-observant eyes, there was, now and then, an
expression, not sinister, but questionable; as if he had some other
interest in the scene than a stranger, a youthful and unconnected
adventurer, might be supposed to have. With great mobility of
outward mood, however, he applied himself to the task of enlivening
the party; and with so much success, that even dark-hued Hepzibah
threw off one tint of melancholy, and made what shift she could
with the remaining portion. Phoebe said to herself,--"How pleasant
he can be!" As for Uncle Venner, as a mark of friendship and
approbation, he readily consented to afford the young man his
countenance in the way of his profession,--not metaphorically,
House of Seven Gables |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: audible during the short pause. The women struggled silently,
when there was a shuffling noise and the shadow of Almayer's
burly form fell on the curtain.
The women ceased struggling and remained motionless. Almayer had
stood up to answer his guest, turning his back to the doorway,
unaware of what was going on on the other side. He spoke in a
tone of regretful irritation.
"You have come to the wrong house, Tuan Maroola, if you want to
trade as you say. I was a trader once, not now, whatever you may
have heard about me in Macassar. And if you want anything, you
will not find it here; I have nothing to give, and want nothing
Almayer's Folly |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Heart of the West by O. Henry: "'Oh,' says I, 'I hate to tell you; but the curiosity that lives on
wind has flew the coop. He just crawled out under the tent. By this
time he has amalgamated himself with half the delicatessen truck in
town.'
"'You mean Ed Collier?' says Mame.
"'I do,' I answers; 'and a pity it is that he has gone back to crime
again. I met him outside the tent, and he exposed his intentions of
devastating the food crop of the world. 'Tis enormously sad when one's
ideal descends from his pedestal to make a seventeen-year locust of
himself.'
"Mame looked me straight in the eye until she had corkscrewed my
Heart of the West |
