| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: one day spring to life and regenerate the world. The proles had stayed
human. They had not become hardened inside. They had held on to the
primitive emotions which he himself had to re-learn by conscious effort.
And in thinking this he remembered, without apparent relevance, how a few
weeks ago he had seen a severed hand lying on the pavement and had kicked
it into the gutter as though it had been a cabbage-stalk.
'The proles are human beings,' he said aloud. 'We are not human.'
'Why not?' said Julia, who had woken up again.
He thought for a little while. 'Has it ever occurred to you,' he said,
'that the best thing for us to do would be simply to walk out of here
before it's too late, and never see each other again?'
1984 |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: " 'So be it, but no more,' said I, with the firmness which means that
a man is determined not to concede another point.
"Daddy Gobseck's face relaxed; he looked pleased with me.
" 'I shall pay the money over to your principal myself,' said he, 'so
as to establish a lien on the purchase and caution-money.'
" 'Oh, anything you like in the way of guarantees.'
" 'And besides that, you will give me bills for the amount made
payable to a third party (name left blank), fifteen bills of ten
thousand francs each.'
" 'Well, so long as it is acknowledged in writing that this is a
double----'
Gobseck |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: him surrounded by flower-pots and candles, to have him
smelling of musk. She would like to curl his hair,
and weave garlands in it. Although she is not learned
enough to have ever heard of such things, she intuitively
feels in his presence a sort of backwash of the old pagan
sensuality and lascivious mysticism which enveloped
the priesthood in Greek and Roman days. Ugh! It makes
one sick!"
Dr. Ledsmar rose, as he spoke, and dismissed the topic with
a dry little laugh. "Come, let me show you round a bit,"
he said. "My shoulder is easier walking than sitting."
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
