| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: younger branch is all the poorer because my great-uncle, the
Vice-Admiral, lost all that he had in the King's service. The
Government during the Revolution refused to admit our claims when
the Compagnie des Indes was liquidated."
"Was not your great-uncle in command of the Vengeur before 1789?"
"Yes."
"Then he would be acquainted with my grandfather, who commanded
the Warwick."
Maxime looked at Mme. de Restaud and shrugged his shoulders, as
who should say, "If he is going to discuss nautical matters with
that fellow, it is all over with us." Anastasie understood the
Father Goriot |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson: On this occasion she was accompanied by Northmour, and they had
been but a short while on the beach, when I saw him take forcible
possession of her hand. She struggled, and uttered a cry that was
almost a scream. I sprang to my feet, unmindful of my strange
position; but, ere I had taken a step, I saw Northmour bareheaded
and bowing very low, as if to apologise; and dropped again at once
into my ambush. A few words were interchanged; and then, with
another bow, he left the beach to return to the pavilion. He
passed not far from me, and I could see him, flushed and lowering,
and cutting savagely with his cane among the grass. It was not
without satisfaction that I recognised my own handiwork in a great
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to
the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves:
And besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people
might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very
unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess,
hath always been with me the strongest objection against any
project, how well soever intended.
But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this
expedient was put into his head by the famous Salmanaazor, a
native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London,
above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that
A Modest Proposal |
