| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: three feet broad?[5]
[5] Or, "width," "wide." The commentators cf. Plin. "H. N." xvii. 11,
16, 22; Columell. v. 5. 2; ib. iii. 15. 2; Virg. "Georg." ii. 288.
Soc. No, upon my word, not even more than two feet broad.
Isch. Good! now answer me this question: Did you ever see a trench
less than one foot deep?
Soc. No, indeed! nor even less than one foot and a half. Why, the
plants would be no sooner buried than dug out again, if planted so
extremely near the surface.
Isch. Here, then, is one matter, Socrates, which you know as well as
any one.[6] The trench is not to be sunk deeper than two feet and a
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: shots and then raced for some place of supposed safety.
Into the shrouds went some; but the apes of Akut were
more at home there than they.
Screaming with terror the Maoris were dragged from their
lofty perches. The beasts, uncontrolled by Tarzan who had
gone in search of Jane, loosed in the full fury of their savage
natures upon the unhappy wretches who fell into their clutches.
Sheeta, in the meanwhile, had felt his great fangs sink into
but a singular jugular. For a moment he mauled the corpse,
and then he spied Kai Shang darting down the companionway
toward his cabin.
 The Beasts of Tarzan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: had never had to carve a joint before.
`You look a little shy; let me introduce you to that leg of
mutton,' said the Red Queen. `Alice--Mutton; Mutton--Alice.'
The leg of mutton got up in the dish and made a little bow to
Alice; and Alice returned the bow, not knowing whether to be
frightened or amused.
`May I give you a slice?' she said, taking up the knife and
fork, and looking from one Queen to the other.
`Certainly not,' the Red Queen said, very decidedly:
`it isn't etiquette to cut any one you've been introduced to.
Remove the joint!' And the waiters carried it off, and brought
 Through the Looking-Glass |