| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from McTeague by Frank Norris: "He acted that way once before," explained McTeague, his
hands still in the air. "He ate some loco-weed back in the
hills before I started."
For a moment Marcus hesitated. While he was catching the
mule McTeague might get away. But where to, in heaven's
name? A rat could not hide on the surface of that
glistening alkali, and besides, all McTeague's store of
provisions and his priceless supply of water were on the
mule. Marcus ran after the mule, revolver in hand, shouting
and cursing. But the mule would not be caught. He
acted as if possessed, squealing, lashing out, and galloping
McTeague |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Soul of the Far East by Percival Lowell: introducing a fresh thought; only that with them, the practice being
the rule and not the exception, no correspondingly abrupt effect is
produced by it. Ousted thus from the post of honor, the subject is
not even permitted the second place. Indeed, it usually fails to
put in an appearance anywhere. You may search through sentence
after sentence without meeting with the slightest suggestion of such
a thing. When so unusual an anomaly as a motive cause is directly
adduced, it owes its mention, not to the fact of being the subject,
but because for other reasons it happens to be the important word of
the thought. The truth is, the Japanese conception of events is
only very vaguely subjective. An action is looked upon more as
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: before I could get her ready for sea.
As I was young then--not thirty yet--I took
myself and my troubles very seriously. The old
mate, who had acted as chief mourner at the cap-
tain's funeral, was not particularly pleased at my
coming. But the fact is the fellow was not legally
qualified for command, and the Consul was bound,
if at all possible, to put a properly certificated man
on board. As to the second mate, all I can say his
name was Tottersen, or something like that. His
practice was to wear on his head, in that tropical
Falk |
