| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: replied Captain Nemo. "Did your study in the Museum afford you
such perfect quiet?"
"No, sir; and I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours.
You must have six or seven thousand volumes here."
"Twelve thousand, M. Aronnax. These are the only ties which bind
me to the earth. But I had done with the world on the day
when my Nautilus plunged for the first time beneath the waters.
That day I bought my last volumes, my last pamphlets, my last papers,
and from that time I wish to think that men no longer think or write.
These books, Professor, are at your service besides, and you can make use
of them freely."
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Damaged Goods by Upton Sinclair: love with each other!)
"Don't let's talk about that," objected George. "You were
saying--?"
"You were not there. The nurse was out at mass, I think--"
"Or at the wine merchant's! Go on, go on."
"Well, I was in the little room, and mother dear thought she was
all alone with Gervaise. I was listening; she was talking to the
baby--all sorts of nonsense, pretty little words--stupid, if you
like, but tender. I wanted to laugh, and at the same time I
wanted to weep."
"Perhaps she called her 'my dear little Savior'?"
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: whole of Persia's wealth,[26] in exchange for your own son.
[26] Lit. "of the Great King." Cf. "Cyrop." VIII. iii. 26.
Most true (he answered), I plead guilty; here and now I am
convicted[27] of being the wealthiest man in all the world!
[27] "Caught flagrante delicto. I do admit I do out-Croesus Croesus."
And you, Hermogenes, on what do you plume yourself most highly? (asked
Niceratus).
On the virtue and the power of my friends (he answered), and that
being what they are, they care for me.
At this remark they turned their eyes upon the speaker, and several
spoke together, asking: Will you make them known to us?
The Symposium |
