| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: garage to garage thereabout, inquiring for a yellow car. On the other
hand, no garage man who had seen him ever came forward, and perhaps he
had an easier, surer way of finding out what he wanted to know. By
half-past two he was in West Egg, where he asked someone the way to
Gatsby's house. So by that time he knew Gatsby's name.
At two o'clock Gatsby put on his bathing-suit and left word with the
butler that if any one phoned word was to be brought to him at the
pool. He stopped at the garage for a pneumatic mattress that had amused
his guests during the summer, and the chauffeur helped him pump it up.
Then he gave instructions that the open car wasn't to be taken out
under any circumstances--and this was strange, because the front right
The Great Gatsby |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Confidence by Henry James: is a folded rose-leaf. I was completely mistaken about you at Baden;
I thought all manner of evil of you--or at least I said it."
"Men are dull creatures," said Angela.
"I think they are. So much so that, as I look back upon that time,
there are some things I don't understand even now."
"I don't see why you should look back. People in our position are supposed
to look forward."
"You don't like those Baden days yourself," said Bernard.
"You don't like to think of them."
"What a wonderful discovery!"
Bernard looked at her a moment in the brightening fire-light.
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