| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: On the contrary, at the end of half a year it had seemed to her
that she had known no other life. Her young mind having been
unskilfully permitted to glance at better things, and then thrown
back again into the hopeless quagmire of barbarism, full of
strong and uncontrolled passions, had lost the power to
discriminate. It seemed to Nina that there was no change and no
difference. Whether they traded in brick godowns or on the muddy
river bank; whether they reached after much or little; whether
they made love under the shadows of the great trees or in the
shadow of the cathedral on the Singapore promenade; whether they
plotted for their own ends under the protection of laws and
Almayer's Folly |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: to save victims, not to slay them. Here, comrades, hold this fool
who would stain his soul with murder.'
Now the Spaniards clutched de Garcia by the arms, and he cursed and
raved at them, for as I have said, his rage was that of a beast
rather than of a man. But I stood bewildered, not knowing whither
to fly. Fortunate it was for me indeed that one was by who though
she understood no Spanish, yet had a quicker wit. For while I
stood thus, Otomie clasped my hand, and whispering, 'Fly, fly
swiftly!' led me away from the stone of sacrifice.
'Whither shall we go?' I said at length. 'Were it not better to
trust to the mercy of the Spaniards?'
Montezuma's Daughter |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: abreast of that gate where Diggs of the Bird-in-Hand had met them at
sunset, Bertie was only aware that a number of things had happened at
once, and that he had stopped the horse after about twenty yards of
battle. Pride filled him, but emptied away in the same instant, for a
voice on the road behind him spoke inquiringly through the darkness.
"Did any one fall out?" said the voice. "Who fell out?"
"Billy!" shrieked Bertie, cold all over. "Billy, are you hurt "
"Did Billy fall out?" said the voice, with plaintive cadence. "Poor
Billy!"
"He can't be," muttered Bertie. "Are you?" he loudly repeated.
There was no answer: but steps came along the road as Bertie checked and
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