| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: would have been to a house-breaker. Only, as the house-breaker
would have simplified matters by removing his chaussures,
it had seemed to Clifford that the shortest cut to comfortable
relations with people--relations which should make him cease to
think that when they spoke to him they meant something improving--
was to renounce all ambition toward a nefarious development.
And, in fact, Clifford's ambition took the most commendable form.
He thought of himself in the future as the well-known and much-liked
Mr. Wentworth, of Boston, who should, in the natural course
of prosperity, have married his pretty cousin, Lizzie Acton;
should live in a wide-fronted house, in view of the Common;
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: Link Stevens's heart leaped like Madeline's. The huge car with a
roar and a jerk seemed to answer Madeline's call, a cry no less
poignant because it was silent.
Faster, faster, faster! The roar became a whining hum. Then for
Madeline sound ceased to be anything--she could not hear. The
wind was now heavy, imponderable, no longer a swift, plastic
thing, but solid, like an on-rushing wall. It bore down upon
Madeline with such resistless weight that she could not move.
The green of desert plants along the road merged in two shapeless
fences, sliding at her from the distance. Objects ahead began to
blur the white road, to grow streaky, like rays of light, the sky
The Light of Western Stars |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis: "Elmira, I give in," says Hank. "His name is
Dunne."
"No," says she, tender-like, "you was right,
Hank. His name is Company." So they pretty
near got into another row over that. But they
finally made it up between em I didn't have no
last name, and they'd jest call me Danny. Which
they both done faithful ever after, as agreed.
Old Hank, he was a blacksmith, and he used to
lamm me considerable, him and his wife not having
any kids of their own to lick. He lammed me when
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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 Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: her old horror of that man revived, and deepened into a degree of
aversion and abhorrence which no language can describe; with a
thousand old recollections and regrets, and causes of distress,
anxiety, and fear, besetting her on all sides; poor Dolly Varden--
sweet, blooming, buxom Dolly--began to hang her head, and fade, and
droop, like a beautiful flower. The colour fled from her cheeks,
her courage forsook her, her gentle heart failed. Unmindful of all
her provoking caprices, forgetful of all her conquests and
inconstancy, with all her winning little vanities quite gone, she
nestled all the livelong day in Emma Haredale's bosom; and,
sometimes calling on her dear old grey-haired father, sometimes on
Barnaby Rudge |
