| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from To-morrow by Joseph Conrad: either hard work, or an all-fired racket, or more
space than there is in the whole of England. I
have been in this place, though, once before, and for
more than a week. The old man was advertising
for me then, and a chum I had with me had a no-
tion of getting a couple quid out of him by writ-
ing a lot of silly nonsense in a letter. That lark did
not come off, though. We had to clear out--and
none too soon. But this time I've a chum waiting
for me in London, and besides . . ."
Bessie Carvil was breathing quickly.
To-morrow |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lay Morals by Robert Louis Stevenson: outliving, discarding and renewing. Food and sleep, by an
unknown alchemy, restore his spirits and the freshness of his
countenance. Hair grows on him like grass; his eyes, his
brain, his sinews, thirst for action; he joys to see and
touch and hear, to partake the sun and wind, to sit down and
intently ponder on his astonishing attributes and situation,
to rise up and run, to perform the strange and revolting
round of physical functions. The sight of a flower, the note
of a bird, will often move him deeply; yet he looks
unconcerned on the impassable distances and portentous
bonfires of the universe. He comprehends, he designs, he
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in
calf, or sow when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or
kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a
miscarriage.
Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the
addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of
barrel'd beef: the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement
in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the
great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are
no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat
yearly child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure
A Modest Proposal |
