| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: a-wandering -- wandering 'way down south of east, and
it's my opinion we are in Africa. Look at this map.
You see how the shoulder of Africa sticks out to the
west. Think how fast we've traveled; if we had gone
straight east we would be long past England by this
time. You watch for noon, all of you, and we'll stand
up, and when we can't cast a shadow we'll find that
this Grinnage clock is coming mighty close to marking
twelve. Yes, sir, I think we're in Africa; and it's just
bully."
Jim was gazing down with the glass. He shook his
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Common Sense by Thomas Paine: that she shall keep a navy in our harbours for that purpose?
Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavoured
to subdue us, is of all others the most improper to defend us.
Conquest may be effected under the pretence of friendship;
and ourselves after a long and brave resistance, be at last cheated
into slavery. And if her ships are not to be admitted into our harbours,
I would ask, how is she to protect us? A navy three or four thousand miles
off can be of little use, and on sudden emergencies, none at all.
Wherefore, if we must hereafter protect ourselves, why not do it for ourselves?
The English list of ships of war, is long and formidable, but not
a tenth part of them are at any one time fit for service, numbers of them
 Common Sense |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Shadow out of Time by H. P. Lovecraft: heap beneath a gaping, empty shelf seemed to indicate where cases
had been shaken down by earth tremors. On occasional pillars were
great symbols or letters proclaiming classes and subclasses of
volumes.
Once I paused before an open vault where I saw some
of the accustomed metal cases still in position amidst the omnipresent
gritty dust. Reaching up, I dislodged one of the thinner specimens
with some difficulty, and rested it on the floor for inspection.
It was titled in the prevailing curvilinear hieroglyphs, though
something in the arrangement of the characters seemed subtly unusual.
The odd mechanism of the hooked fastener was perfectly well
 Shadow out of Time |