| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: intrigued to become king, a title for which the tetrarch was as eager
as he. But if this news were true, no more was to be feared from
Agrippa's scheming.
"The dungeons of Tiberias are hard to open, and sometimes life itself
is uncertain within their depths," said Herodias, with grim
significance.
Antipas understood her; and, although she was Agrippa's sister, her
atrocious insinuation seemed entirely justifiable to the tetrarch.
Murder and outrage were to be expected in the management of political
intrigues; they were a part of the fatal inheritance of royal houses;
and in the family of Herodias nothing was more common.
Herodias |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lin McLean by Owen Wister: took an intimate, superior pride in feeling how much more mature I was
than he, after all.
There's nothing like a sense of merit for making one feel aggrieved, and
on our return to the cabin Mr. McLean pointed with disgust to some
firewood.
"Look at those sorrowful toothpicks," said he: "Tommy's work."
So Lin, the excellent hearted, had angrily busied himself, and chopped a
pile of real logs that would last a week. He had also cleaned the stove,
and nailed up the bed, the pillow-end of which was on the floor. It
appeared the master of the house had been sleeping in it the reverse way
on account of the slant. Thus had Lin cooked and dined alone, supped
|
