| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Republic by Plato: I put the matter in this way. You are aware, I suppose, that all mythology
and poetry is a narration of events, either past, present, or to come?
Certainly, he replied.
And narration may be either simple narration, or imitation, or a union of
the two?
That again, he said, I do not quite understand.
I fear that I must be a ridiculous teacher when I have so much difficulty
in making myself apprehended. Like a bad speaker, therefore, I will not
take the whole of the subject, but will break a piece off in illustration
of my meaning. You know the first lines of the Iliad, in which the poet
says that Chryses prayed Agamemnon to release his daughter, and that
The Republic |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: and after three months her own husband did not know her.
JACK. And after six months nobody knew her.
LADY BRACKNELL. [Glares at JACK for a few moments. Then bends,
with a practised smile, to CECILY.] Kindly turn round, sweet
child. [CECILY turns completely round.] No, the side view is what
I want. [CECILY presents her profile.] Yes, quite as I expected.
There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two
weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of
profile. The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on
the way the chin is worn. They are worn very high, just at
present. Algernon!
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: could do, and right hard work you'd find it, too. If you tried any
other game, you would founder, sure.
I judge it was about a couple of weeks or so after this that I
dropped old Sandy McWilliams a note one day - it was a Tuesday -
and asked him to come over and take his manna and quails with me
next day; and the first thing he did when he stepped in was to
twinkle his eye in a sly way, and say, -
"Well, Cap, what you done with your wings?"
I saw in a minute that there was some sarcasm done up in that rag
somewheres, but I never let on. I only says, -
"Gone to the wash."
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