| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: stated.
"You forget," she said, "your own worth and nobleness when you
insult so very helpless a being, and one whom fate has thrown so
totally into your power. You know who and what I am, and how
impossible it is that Menteith or you can use language of
affection to me, beyond that of friendship. You know from what
unhappy race I have too probably derived my existence."
"I will not believe it," said Allan, impetuously; "never flowed
crystal drop from a polluted spring."
"Yet the very doubt," pleaded Annot, "should make you forbear to
use this language to me."
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: doctrine of Malthus, applied to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms.
As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly
survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for
existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any
manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying
conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be
naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected
variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form.
This fundamental subject of Natural Selection will be treated at some
length in the fourth chapter; and we shall then see how Natural Selection
almost inevitably causes much Extinction of the less improved forms of life
On the Origin of Species |
