| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Personal Record by Joseph Conrad: all unknown to myself I had earned, in my father's mind, the
right to some latitude in my relations with his writing-table.
It was only a month before--or perhaps it was only a week
before--that I had read to him aloud from beginning to end, and
to his perfect satisfaction, as he lay on his bed, not being very
well at the time, the proofs of his translation of Victor Hugo's
"Toilers of the Sea." Such was my title to consideration, I
believe, and also my first introduction to the sea in literature.
If I do not remember where, how, and when I learned to read, I am
not likely to forget the process of being trained in the art of
reading aloud. My poor father, an admirable reader himself, was
A Personal Record |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: No one dared contradict this, and a dismal silence ensued.
The Gump flew steadily on.
Suddenly Tip uttered an exclamation of surprise. "We must have reached the
South Country," he cried, "for below us everything is red!"
Immediately they all leaned over the backs of the sofas to look -- all
except Jack, who was too careful
236
of his pumpkin head to risk its slipping off his neck. Sure enough; the red
houses and fences and trees indicated they were within the domain of Glinda
the Good; and presently, as they glided rapidly on, the Tin Woodman
recognized the roads and buildings they passed, and altered slightly the
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: said good-bye calmly. I had my part to play. My short stay with them had
made me somehow different. But my coolness was deceitful. Dick helped me on
the train and wrung my hand again.
"Good-bye, Ken. It's been great to have you out. . . . Next year you'll be
back in the forests!"
He had to hurry to get off. The train started as I looked out of my window.
There stood the powerful hunter, his white head bare, and he was waving his
hat. Jim leaned against a railing with his sleepy, careless smile. I caught
a gleam of the blue gun swinging at his hip. Dick's eyes shone warm and
blue; he was shouting something. Then they all passed back out of sight. So
my gaze wandered to the indistinct black line of Penetier, to the purple
The Young Forester |
