| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: Jim and me back to be whipped and tortured, and ground down under
the heels of them that you call masters; and your laws _will_ bear
you out in it,--more shame for you and them! But you haven't got us.
We don't own your laws; we don't own your country; we stand
here as free, under God's sky, as you are; and, by the great God
that made us, we'll fight for our liberty till we die."
George stood out in fair sight, on the top of the rock, as
he made his declaration of independence; the glow of dawn gave
a flush to his swarthy cheek, and bitter indignation and despair
gave fire to his dark eye; and, as if appealing from man to the
justice of God, he raised his hand to heaven as he spoke.
Uncle Tom's Cabin |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Gorgias by Plato: Socrates, for you profess to be a votary of the truth, and the truth is
this:--that luxury and intemperance and licence, if they be provided with
means, are virtue and happiness--all the rest is a mere bauble, agreements
contrary to nature, foolish talk of men, nothing worth. (Compare
Republic.)
SOCRATES: There is a noble freedom, Callicles, in your way of approaching
the argument; for what you say is what the rest of the world think, but do
not like to say. And I must beg of you to persevere, that the true rule of
human life may become manifest. Tell me, then:--you say, do you not, that
in the rightly-developed man the passions ought not to be controlled, but
that we should let them grow to the utmost and somehow or other satisfy
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "We have just had meagre reports of some such event."
"All were involved," I replied. "But it amounted to little.
The guards quickly overcame and killed the majority of us."
He seemed satisfied with this reply. "Take them to Shador,"
he ordered, turning to one of his subordinates. We entered
a small boat lying beside the island, and in a few minutes
were disembarking upon Shador. Here we were returned to our
respective cells; I with Xodar, the boy by himself; and behind
locked doors we were again prisoners of the First Born.
CHAPTER XIII
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY
The Gods of Mars |
