| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: complaint was. But, being too deaf to hear, she caught only one word:
"Pneumonia." She was familiar with it and gently answered:--"Ah! like
Madame," thinking it quite natural that she should follow her
mistress.
The time for the altars in the street drew near.
The first one was always erected at the foot of the hill, the second
in front of the post-office, and the third in the middle of the
street. This position occasioned some rivalry among the women and they
finally decided upon Madame Aubain's yard.
Felicite's fever grew worse. She was sorry that she could not do
anything for the altar. If she could, at least, have contributed
A Simple Soul |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: terrible ancestor.
And the men of his day loved him. They loved him not only as
victorious armies have loved great commanders; they loved him with
a more intimate feeling as one of themselves. In the words of a
contemporary, he had "a most happy way of gaining the affectionate
respect of all who had the felicity to serve under his command."
To be so great and to remain so accessible to the affection of
one's fellow-men is the mark of exceptional humanity. Lord
Nelson's greatness was very human. It had a moral basis; it needed
to feel itself surrounded by the warm devotion of a band of
brothers. He was vain and tender. The love and admiration which
The Mirror of the Sea |
