| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: displease Ravenswood--"I think that, were you to retire with my
servant Lockhard--he has travelled, and is quite accustomed to
accidents and contingencies of every kind, and I hope betwixt
you, you may find out some mode of supply at this emergency."
"His honour kens," said Caleb, who, however hopeless of himself
of accomplishing what was desirable, would, like the high-
spirited elephant, rather have died in the effort than brooked
the aid of a brother in commission--"his honour kens weel I need
nae counsellor, when the honour of the house is
concerned."
"I should be unjust if I denied it, Caleb," said his master;
The Bride of Lammermoor |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain: I dropped into casual employments; no misfortunes resulting,
intermittent work gave place to steady and protracted engagements.
Time drifted smoothly and prosperously on, and I supposed--and hoped--
that I was going to follow the river the rest of my days, and die
at the wheel when my mission was ended. But by and by the war came,
commerce was suspended, my occupation was gone.
I had to seek another livelihood. So I became a silver miner
in Nevada; next, a newspaper reporter; next, a gold miner,
in California; next, a reporter in San Francisco; next, a special
correspondent in the Sandwich Islands; next, a roving correspondent
in Europe and the East; next, an instructional torch-bearer on
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Critias by Plato: and built modest houses in which they and their children's children grew
old, and they handed them down to others who were like themselves, always
the same. But in summer-time they left their gardens and gymnasia and
dining halls, and then the southern side of the hill was made use of by
them for the same purpose. Where the Acropolis now is there was a
fountain, which was choked by the earthquake, and has left only the few
small streams which still exist in the vicinity, but in those days the
fountain gave an abundant supply of water for all and of suitable
temperature in summer and in winter. This is how they dwelt, being the
guardians of their own citizens and the leaders of the Hellenes, who were
their willing followers. And they took care to preserve the same number of
|
