| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: "Why, your bow is quite spoiled," said the old poet.
"That were sad indeed," said the boy, and he took the bow in his hand -and
examined it on every side. "Oh, it is dry again, and is not hurt at all; the
string is quite tight. I will try it directly." And he bent his bow, took aim,
and shot an arrow at the old poet, right into his heart. "You see now that my
bow was not spoiled," said he laughing; and away he ran.
The naughty boy, to shoot the old poet in that way; he who had taken him into
his warm room, who had treated him so kindly, and who had given him warm wine
and the very best apples!
The poor poet lay on the earth and wept, for the arrow had really flown into
his heart.
Fairy Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce: and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the trust of a knife;
he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of
his watch.
He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. "If
I could free my hands," he thought, "I might throw off the
noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade
the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take
to the woods and get away home. My home, thank God, is as
yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still
beyond the invader's farthest advance."
As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words,
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum: lives in the Em'rald City, you know, and so does the
Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and Tik-Tok and the Shaggy
Man -- and all the rest of 'em that we've heard so much
about -- not to mention Ozma, who must be the sweetest
and loveliest girl in all the world!"
"Take your time, Trot," advised Button-Bright. "You
don't have to say it all in one breath, you know. And you
haven't mentioned half of the curious people in the
Em'rald City."
"That 'ere Em'rald City," said Cap'n Bill impressively,
"happens to be on the other side o' those mountains, that
The Scarecrow of Oz |
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 Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: voice, though the big brown eyes met his quite seriously.
They took the train that night for El Paso, Bucky in the lower
berth and his friend in the upper of section six of one of the
Limited's Pullman cars. The ranger was awake and up with the day.
For a couple of hours he sat in the smoking section and discussed
politics with a Chicago drummer. He knew that Frank was very
tired, and he let him sleep till the diner was taken on at
Lordsburg. Then he excused himself to the traveling man.
"I reckon I better go and wake up my pardner. I see the
chuck-wagon is toddling along behind us."
Bucky drew aside the curtains and shook the boy gently by the
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