| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: them easy. I told them the story also of the seventeen Spaniards
that were to be expected, for whom I left a letter, and made them
promise to treat them in common with themselves. Here it may be
noted that the captain, who had ink on board, was greatly surprised
that I never hit upon a way of making ink of charcoal and water, or
of something else, as I had done things much more difficult.
I left them my firearms - viz. five muskets, three fowling-pieces,
and three swords. I had above a barrel and a half of powder left;
for after the first year or two I used but little, and wasted none.
I gave them a description of the way I managed the goats, and
directions to milk and fatten them, and to make both butter and
Robinson Crusoe |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Night and Day by Virginia Woolf: for a second she had forgotten the position of the door. Then she made
as if to go, but her father laid his hand upon her shoulder. He
compelled her to sit down.
"These emotions have been very upsetting, naturally," he said. His
manner had regained all its suavity, and he spoke with a soothing
assumption of paternal authority. "You've been placed in a very
difficult position, as I understand from Cassandra. Now let us come to
terms; we will leave these agitating questions in peace for the
present. Meanwhile, let us try to behave like civilized beings. Let us
read Sir Walter Scott. What d'you say to 'The Antiquary,' eh? Or 'The
Bride of Lammermoor'?"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: Vautrin, Christophe; has any one told you anything about him?"
"Yes. I met a gentleman in the street a few days ago; he said to
me, 'There's a gentleman in your place, isn't there? a tall man
that dyes his whiskers?' I told him, 'No, sir; they aren't dyed.
A gay fellow like him hasn't the time to do it.' And when I told
M. Vautrin about it afterwards, he said, 'Quite right, my boy.
That is the way to answer them. There is nothing more unpleasant
than to have your little weaknesses known; it might spoil many a
match.' "
"Well, and for my part," said Sylvie, "a man tried to humbug me
at the market wanting to know if I had seen him put on his shirt.
Father Goriot |
