| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: prophets as true seers, beholding and applying eternal moral laws, and,
therefore, seeing the future in the present and in the past. They must
be the mere utterers of an irreversible arbitrary fate; and that fate
must, of course, be favourable to their nation. So now arose a school
who picked out from their old prophets every passage which could be made
to predict their future glory, and a science which settled when that
glory was to return. By the arbitrary rules of criticism a prophetic
day was defined to mean a year; a week, seven years. The most simple
and human utterances were found to have recondite meanings relative to
their future triumph over the heathens whom they cursed and hated. If
any of you ever come across the popular Jewish interpretations of The
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Persuasion by Jane Austen: Miss Elliot, surrounded by her cousins, and the principal object
of Colonel Wallis's gallantry, was quite contented.
Anne's mind was in a most favourable state for the entertainment
of the evening; it was just occupation enough: she had feelings for
the tender, spirits for the gay, attention for the scientific,
and patience for the wearisome; and had never liked a concert better,
at least during the first act. Towards the close of it,
in the interval succeeding an Italian song, she explained
the words of the song to Mr Elliot. They had a concert bill between them.
"This," said she, "is nearly the sense, or rather the meaning of the words,
for certainly the sense of an Italian love-song must not be talked of,
Persuasion |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson:
Treasure Island |
