| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: Grandfather's eyes were not at all like those of an old man;
they were bright blue, and had a fresh, frosty sparkle.
His teeth were white and regular--so sound that he had never
been to a dentist in his life. He had a delicate skin,
easily roughened by sun and wind. When he was a young man
his hair and beard were red; his eyebrows were still coppery.
As we sat at the table, Otto Fuchs and I kept stealing covert glances
at each other. Grandmother had told me while she was getting supper
that he was an Austrian who came to this country a young boy and had led
an adventurous life in the Far West among mining-camps and cow outfits.
His iron constitution was somewhat broken by mountain pneumonia,
My Antonia |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: of love I held my peace when I might have plead ignorance
of the nature of my offense, or at least the gravity of it,
and so have effected, at worst, a half conciliation.
My duty dictated that I must see that she was comfortable,
and so I glanced into her chariot and rearranged her silks
and furs. In doing so I noted with horror that she was
heavily chained by one ankle to the side of the vehicle.
"What does this mean?" I cried, turning to Sola.
"Sarkoja thought it best," she answered, her face betokening
her disapproval of the procedure.
Examining the manacles I saw that they fastened with a
|
