| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs: God fattened upon the sweat of such poor honest
devils as we, and a young shoat who, by his looks, must
have pieces of gold in his belt.
"Say your prayers, my pigeons," he continued, with
a vile oath, "for The Black Wolf leaves no evidence
behind him to tie his neck with a halter later, and dead
men talk the least."
"If it be The Black Wolf," whispered Father Claude
to the boy, "no worse fate could befall us for he preys
ever upon the clergy, and when drunk as he now is,
he murders his victims. I will throw myself before them
 The Outlaw of Torn |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Statesman by Plato: YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes.
STRANGER: And there was one kind of authority over lifeless things and
another other living animals; and so we proceeded in the division step by
step up to this point, not losing the idea of science, but unable as yet to
determine the nature of the particular science?
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
STRANGER: Hence we are led to observe that the distinguishing principle of
the State cannot be the few or many, the voluntary or involuntary, poverty
or riches; but some notion of science must enter into it, if we are to be
consistent with what has preceded.
YOUNG SOCRATES: And we must be consistent.
 Statesman |