| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Dust by Mr. And Mrs. Haldeman-Julius: letters flowing to and from both Washington and the State
Agricultural College.
Now and then it crossed his mind that with the farm developing
into such an institution it would be more than desirable to pass
it on to one of his own blood, and secretly he was pleased when
Rose told him a baby was coming. A child, a son, might bring with
him a little of what was missing in his marriage with her. She
irritated him more and more, not by what she did but by what she
was. Her whole temperament, in so much as he permitted himself to
be aware of it, her whole nature, jarred on his.
"When is it due?"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: Churchman, the best of old fellows, the soul of honor--
had been chief officer in the P. & O. service in the good
old days when mail-boats were square-rigged at least on
two masts, and used to come down the China Sea before
a fair monsoon with stun'-sails set alow and aloft. We
all began life in the merchant service. Between the five
of us there was the strong bond of the sea, and also the
fellowship of the craft, which no amount of enthusiasm
for yachting, cruising, and so on can give, since one is
only the amusement of life and the other is life itself.
Marlow (at least I think that is how he spelt his name)
Youth |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Dreams & Dust by Don Marquis: a dream!
And even you forgot
Yourself, one moment, and dreamed, too--
Struck, while your mood was hot!
Struck three or four good blows . . . and then
Turned back to easier things:
The cheap applause, the blatant mob,
The praise of underlings!
Praise . . . praise . . . was ever man so filled,
So avid still, of praise?
So hungry for the crowd's acclaim,
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