| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Troll Garden and Selected Stories by Willa Cather: brushed his brother aside, and swung her out among the dancers.
"Remember how we used to waltz on rollers at the old skating rink
in town? I suppose people don't do that any more. We used to keep
it up for hours. You know, we never did moon around as other boys
and girls did. It was dead serious with us from the beginning.
When we were most in love with each other, we used to fight. You
were always pinching people; your fingers were like little nippers.
A regular snapping turtle, you were. Lord, how you'd like
Stockholm! Sit out in the streets in front of cafes and talk all
night in summer. just like a reception--officers and ladies and
funny English people. Jolliest people in the world, the Swedes,
The Troll Garden and Selected Stories |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed by Edna Ferber: his great palm, and a smile dimpled his plump cheeks.
"Going to blossom into a regular little writer, h'm?
Well, they say it's a paying game when you get the hang
of it. And I guess you've got it. But if ever you feel
that you want a real thrill--a touch of the old
satisfying newspaper feeling--a sniff of wet ink--the
music of some editorial cussing--why come up here and I'll
give you the hottest assignment on my list, if I have to
take it away from Deming's very notebook."
When I had thanked him I crossed the hall and tried
the door of the sporting editor's room. Von Gerhard was
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Take his hands down from before his eyes and return his spear
to him," she explained.
I did as she bade, and the man seemed very pleased. I then
asked what I should have done had I not wished to accept
his friendship. They told me that had I walked away, the moment
that I was out of sight of the warrior we would have become
deadly enemies again. "But I could so easily have killed him
as he stood there defenseless!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," replied the warrior, "but no man with good sense blinds
his eyes before one whom he does not trust."
It was rather a decent compliment, and it taught me just how
The People That Time Forgot |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: young folks took the idea that their grandfathers had been
taught their letters by a Centaur, half man and half horse.
Little children, not quite understanding what is said to them,
often get such absurd notions into their heads, you know.
Be that as it may, it has always been told for a fact (and
always will be told, as long as the world lasts), that Chiron,
with the head of a schoolmaster, had the body and legs of a
horse. Just imagine the grave old gentleman clattering and
stamping into the schoolroom on his four hoofs, perhaps
treading on some little fellow's toes, flourishing his switch
tail instead of a rod, and, now and then, trotting out of doors
Tanglewood Tales |
