| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: and divans and chairs and behind the draperies and in
the corners and every other possible place a shoe might
be. He tried the door, and found it still bolted; so,
with growing uneasiness, the boy was forced to admit
that the precious shoe was not in the room.
With a throbbing heart he aroused his companion.
"King Rinkitink," said he, "do you know what has
become of my left shoe?"
"Your shoe!" exclaimed the King, giving a wide yawn
and rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.
"Have you lost a shoe?"
Rinkitink In Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: straw.
"At the end of the table, by the side of the door opening into the
smaller room full of straw and hay, sat my old colonel, one of the
most extraordinary men I ever saw among all the mixed collection of
men it has been my lot to meet. He was an Italian. Now, whenever human
nature is truly fine in the lands of the South, it is really sublime.
I do not know whether you have ever observed the extreme fairness of
Italians when they are fair. It is exquisite, especially under an
artificial light. When I read the fantastical portrait of Colonel
Oudet sketched by Charles Nodier, I found my own sensations in every
one of his elegant phrases. Italian, then, as were most of the
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: so unlike in appearance to the rare specimens of traders she had
seen before on that same verandah.
Dain Maroola, dazzled by the unexpected vision, forgot the
confused Almayer, forgot his brig, his escort staring in
open-mouthed admiration, the object of his visit and all things
else, in his overpowering desire to prolong the contemplation of
so much loveliness met so suddenly in such an unlikely place--as
he thought.
"It is my daughter," said Almayer, in an embarrassed manner. "It
is of no consequence. White women have their customs, as you
know Tuan, having travelled much, as you say. However, it is
Almayer's Folly |
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 Chance by Joseph Conrad: I was nettled by her brusque manner of asserting her folly, and I
told her that neither did I as far as that went, in a tone which
almost suggested that she was welcome to break her neck for all I
cared. This was considerably more than I meant, but I don't like
rude girls. I had been introduced to her only the day before--at
the round tea-table--and she had barely acknowledged the
introduction. I had not caught her name but I had noticed her fine,
arched eyebrows which, so the physiognomists say, are a sign of
courage.
I examined her appearance quietly. Her hair was nearly black, her
eyes blue, deeply shaded by long dark eyelashes. She had a little
Chance |
