| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: look into all sorts of things-squarely. But--
"I'm not used to talking about myself or even thinking
directly about myself. What I say, I afterwards find
disconcerting to recall. I want to alter it. I can feel
myself wallowing into a mess of modifications and
qualifications."
"Yes, but--"
"I want a rest anyhow. . . ."
There was nothing for Dr. Martineau to say to that.
The two gentlemen smoked for some time in a slightly
uncomfortable silence. Dr. Martineau cleared his throat twice
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lysis by Plato: them was Lysis. He was standing with the other boys and youths, having a
crown upon his head, like a fair vision, and not less worthy of praise for
his goodness than for his beauty. We left them, and went over to the
opposite side of the room, where, finding a quiet place, we sat down; and
then we began to talk. This attracted Lysis, who was constantly turning
round to look at us--he was evidently wanting to come to us. For a time he
hesitated and had not the courage to come alone; but first of all, his
friend Menexenus, leaving his play, entered the Palaestra from the court,
and when he saw Ctesippus and myself, was going to take a seat by us; and
then Lysis, seeing him, followed, and sat down by his side; and the other
boys joined. I should observe that Hippothales, when he saw the crowd, got
Lysis |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: between my old friend and our new acquaintance was remarkable
enough. For they were exactly dissimilar--one individuality
projecting itself in length and the other in breadth, which is
already a sufficient ground for irreconcilable difference. Marlow
who was lanky, loose, quietly composed in varied shades of brown
robbed of every vestige of gloss, had a narrow, veiled glance, the
neutral bearing and the secret irritability which go together with a
predisposition to congestion of the liver. The other, compact,
broad and sturdy of limb, seemed extremely full of sound organs
functioning vigorously all the time in order to keep up the
brilliance of his colouring, the light curl of his coal-black hair
Chance |
