| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: nearest tree. Suddenly the coyotes became silent. Then a low, continuous
growling, a snapping of twigs, and the unmistakable drag of a heavy body
over the ground made my hair stand on end. Gripping my rifle, I listened.
I heard the crunch of teeth on bones, then more sounds of something being
dragged down the hollow. The coyotes began to bark again, but now far back
in the forest.
Some beast had frightened them. What was it? I did not know whether a bear
would eat deer flesh,, but I thought not. Perhaps timber-wolves had
disturbed the coyotes. But would they run from wolves? It came to me
suddenly--a mountain-lion!
I hugged my fire, and sat there, listening with all my ears, imagining
The Young Forester |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tales and Fantasies by Robert Louis Stevenson: take their place. At first, his father's menacing words lay
by in some safe drawer of memory, biding their hour. At
first, John was all thwarted affection and blighted hope;
next bludgeoned vanity raised its head again, with twenty
mortal gashes: and the father was disowned even as he had
disowned the son. What was this regular course of life, that
John should have admired it? what were these clock-work
virtues, from which love was absent? Kindness was the test,
kindness the aim and soul; and judged by such a standard, the
discarded prodigal - now rapidly drowning his sorrows and his
reason in successive drams - was a creature of a lovelier
|
