| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: species can be produced at two separate points, why do we not find a single
mammal common to Europe and Australia or South America? The conditions of
life are nearly the same, so that a multitude of European animals and
plants have become naturalised in America and Australia; and some of the
aboriginal plants are identically the same at these distant points of the
northern and southern hemispheres? The answer, as I believe, is, that
mammals have not been able to migrate, whereas some plants, from their
varied means of dispersal, have migrated across the vast and broken
interspace. The great and striking influence which barriers of every kind
have had on distribution, is intelligible only on the view that the great
majority of species have been produced on one side alone, and have not been
On the Origin of Species |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Emma by Jane Austen: servants shall go with you to shew you the way."
"My dear sir, upon no account in the world; my father can direct me."
"But your father is not going so far; he is only going to the Crown,
quite on the other side of the street, and there are a great many houses;
you might be very much at a loss, and it is a very dirty walk,
unless you keep on the footpath; but my coachman can tell you
where you had best cross the street."
Mr. Frank Churchill still declined it, looking as serious as he could,
and his father gave his hearty support by calling out, "My good friend,
this is quite unnecessary; Frank knows a puddle of water when he
sees it, and as to Mrs. Bates's, he may get there from the Crown
Emma |
