| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Betty Zane by Zane Grey: him into the room. Once in the light Silas saw that the lad was so weak he
could hardly stand. He was covered with blood. It dripped from a bandage wound
tightly about his arm; it oozed through a hole in his hunting shirt, and it
flowed from a wound over his temple. The shadow of death was already stealing
over the pallid face, but from the grey eyes shone an indomitable spirit, a
spirit which nothing but death could quench.
"Quick!" the lad panted. "Send men to the south wall. The redskins are
breakin' in where the water from the spring runs under the fence."
"Where are Metzar and the other men?"
"Dead! Killed last night. I've been there alone all night. I kept on shootin'.
Then I gets plugged here under the chin. Knowin' it's all up with me I
Betty Zane |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard: mustachios, shaped into an upward curve, and coming to a point
for all the world like a pair of buffalo-horns.
'Madame bids me for to say that dinnar is sarved. Messieurs,
my compliments;' then suddenly perceiving Umslopogaas, who was
loitering along after us and playing with his battleaxe, he threw
up his hands in astonishment. 'Ah, mais quel homme!' he ejaculated
in French, 'quel sauvage affreux! Take but note of his huge
choppare and the great pit in his head.'
'Ay,' said Mr Mackenzie; 'what are you talking about, Alphonse?'
'Talking about!' replied the little Frenchman, his eyes still
fixed upon Umslopogaas, whose general appearance seemed to fascinate
Allan Quatermain |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Apology by Plato: State approves, would have appeared to him both uncertain and unimportant
in comparison of the duty of self-examination, and of those principles of
truth and right which he deemed to be the foundation of religion. (Compare
Phaedr.; Euthyph.; Republic.)
The second question, whether Plato meant to represent Socrates as braving
or irritating his judges, must also be answered in the negative. His
irony, his superiority, his audacity, 'regarding not the person of man,'
necessarily flow out of the loftiness of his situation. He is not acting a
part upon a great occasion, but he is what he has been all his life long,
'a king of men.' He would rather not appear insolent, if he could avoid it
(ouch os authadizomenos touto lego). Neither is he desirous of hastening
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