| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The First Men In The Moon by H. G. Wells: I failed altogether to see what purpose I had served. I got no light on
that point, but at any rate it was clearer to me than it had ever been in
my life before that I was not serving my own purpose, that all my life I
had in truth never served the purposes of my private life. Whose purposes,
what purposes, was I serving? ... I ceased to speculate on why we had come
to the moon, and took a wider sweep. Why had I come to the earth? Why had
I a private life at all? ... I lost myself at last in bottomless
speculations. ...
My thoughts became vague and cloudy, no longer leading in definite
directions. I had not felt heavy or weary - I cannot imagine one doing so
upon the moon - but I suppose I was greatly fatigued. At any rate I slept.
The First Men In The Moon |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: But, not to interrupt you further (I continued), after sowing,
naturally we hope to come to reaping. If, therefore, you have anything
to say on that head also, pray proceed to teach me.
Isch. Yes, by all means, unless indeed you prove on this head also to
know as much yourself already as your teacher. To begin then: You know
that corn needs cutting?
Soc. To be sure, I know that much at any rate.
Isch. Well, then, the next point: in the act of cutting corn how will
you choose to stand? facing the way the wind blows,[1] or against the
wind?
[1] Lit. "(on the side) where the wind blows or right opposite."
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Louis Lambert by Honore de Balzac: displayed none of the prodigies we looked for in him.
After three months at school, Louis was looked upon as a quite
ordinary scholar. I alone was allowed really to know that sublime--why
should I not say divine?--soul, for what is nearer to God than genius
in the heart of a child? The similarity of our tastes and ideas made
us friends and chums; our intimacy was so brotherly that our school-
fellows joined our two names; one was never spoken without the other,
and to call either they always shouted "Poet-and-Pythagoras!" Some
other names had been known coupled in a like manner. Thus for two
years I was the school friend of poor Louis Lambert; and during that
time my life was so identified with his, that I am enabled now to
Louis Lambert |
