| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson: a Samoan warriors ambition; he had taken a head, which he was
never destined to show to his applauding camp. Wounded
himself, he had crept here into the bush to die with his
useless trophy by his side. His date would be about fifteen
years ago, in the great battle between Laupepa and Talavou,
which took place on My Land, Sir. To-morrow we shall bury
the bones and fire a salute in honour of unfortunate courage.
Do you think I have an empty life? or that a man jogging to
his club has so much to interest and amuse him? - touch and
try him too, but that goes along with the others: no pain, no
pleasure, is the iron law. So here I stop again, and leave,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: time, entreating, wondering, pleading, ordering, I
suppose. She says she bore it as long as she could.
And then a gust of rage came over him.
"He sat up and called out terribly one word--
some word. Then he got up as though he hadn't
been ill at all, she says. And as in fevered dismay,
indignation, and wonder he tried to get to her
round the table, she simply opened the door and ran
out with the child in her arms. She heard him call
twice after her down the road in a terrible voice--
and fled. . . . Ah! but you should have seen stir-
Amy Foster |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: wild storm. No shot was heard from the Spaniard's upper-deck.
Amyas leaped into the mizzen rigging, and looked through the smoke.
Dead men he could descry through the blinding veil, rolled in
heaps, laid flat; dead men and dying: but no man upon his feet.
The last volley had swept the deck clear; one by one had dropped
below to escape that fiery shower: and alone at the helm, grinding
his teeth with rage, his mustachios curling up to his very eyes,
stood the Spanish captain.
Now was the moment for a counter-stroke. Amyas shouted for the
boarders, and in two minutes more he was over the side, and
clutching at the Spaniard's mizzen rigging.
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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 Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: As the traders proceeded out of the kingdom, the princess resolved
that, whatever should happen to herself, she would not see the child
grow up a slave. She therefore watched carefully for an opportunity
and one night sneaked off from the traders as far as she could get
in the cold and dark, and put the child near a hut, hoping and
praying that it would find safety and a free life, however humble.
She then sneaked back to the traders, and pretended to be cuddling
the baby in her arms.
The caravan traveled two full days before her deception was
detected. When it was, the princess once again played audience to
violent anger. The traders yelled and cursed the girl; then they
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