| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: He went back to his cubicle, sat down, threw the fragment of paper
casually among the other papers on the desk, put on his spectacles and
hitched the speakwrite towards him. 'Five minutes,' he told himself,
'five minutes at the very least!' His heart bumped in his breast with
frightening loudness. Fortunately the piece of work he was engaged on was
mere routine, the rectification of a long list of figures, not needing
close attention.
Whatever was written on the paper, it must have some kind of political
meaning. So far as he could see there were two possibilities. One, much
the more likely, was that the girl was an agent of the Thought Police,
just as he had feared. He did not know why the Thought Police should
1984 |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: earliest convenience, as his flock were all 'adopting Catholic
practices.' I had great confidence in Namu; I fear it only shows
how easily we are deceived. No one could hear him preach and not
be persuaded he was a man of extraordinary parts. All our
islanders easily acquire a kind of eloquence, and can roll out and
illustrate, with a great deal of vigour and fancy, second-hand
sermons; but Namu's sermons are his own, and I cannot deny that I
have found them means of grace. Moreover, he has a keen curiosity
in secular things, does not fear work, is clever at carpentering,
and has made himself so much respected among the neighbouring
pastors that we call him, in a jest which is half serious, the
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: There seemed to be nothing to see; no fences, no creeks or trees,
no hills or fields. If there was a road, I could not make
it out in the faint starlight. There was nothing but land:
not a country at all, but the material out of which countries
are made. No, there was nothing but land--slightly undulating,
I knew, because often our wheels ground against the brake as we
went down into a hollow and lurched up again on the other side.
I had the feeling that the world was left behind, that we had
got over the edge of it, and were outside man's jurisdiction.
I had never before looked up at the sky when there was not a
familiar mountain ridge against it. But this was the complete
My Antonia |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Commission in Lunacy by Honore de Balzac: find help and favor; and to have what has thus been acquired, many a
man of business, lawyer or banker, would gladly pay all it has cost
me."
"I appreciate your devoted conduct, madame," replied Popinot. "It does
you honor, and I blame you for nothing. A judge belongs to all: he
must know and weigh every fact."
Madame d'Espard's tact and practice in estimating men made her
understand that M. Popinot was not to be influenced by any
consideration. She had counted on an ambitious lawyer, she had found a
man of conscience. She at once thought of finding other means for
securing the success of her side.
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