| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence: had once been Spiral overseer at Jordan's, and because her husband,
Baxter Dawes, was smith for the factory, making the irons for
cripple instruments, and so on. Through her Miriam felt she got
into direct contact with Jordan's, and could estimate better
Paul's position. But Mrs. Dawes was separated from her husband,
and had taken up Women's Rights. She was supposed to be clever.
It interested Paul.
Baxter Dawes he knew and disliked. The smith was a man
of thirty-one or thirty-two. He came occasionally through Paul's
corner--a big, well-set man, also striking to look at, and handsome.
There was a peculiar similarity between himself and his wife.
Sons and Lovers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: ning. Immediately it occurred to him--as he said after-
wards--that the ship had struck something, and he ran
out into the cabin. There, he saw, the cabin-table had
vanished somewhere. The deck being blown up, it had
fallen down into the lazarette of course. Where we had
our breakfast that morning he saw only a great hole in
the floor. This appeared to him so awfully mysterious,
and impressed him so immensely, that what he saw and
heard after he got on deck were mere trifles in com-
parison. And, mark, he noticed directly the wheel de-
serted and his bark off her course--and his only
Youth |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Hamlet by William Shakespeare: As it behoues my Daughter, and your Honour.
What is betweene you, giue me vp the truth?
Ophe. He hath my Lord of late, made many tenders
Of his affection to me
Polon. Affection, puh. You speake like a greene Girle,
Vnsifted in such perillous Circumstance.
Doe you beleeue his tenders, as you call them?
Ophe. I do not know, my Lord, what I should thinke
Polon. Marry Ile teach you; thinke your selfe a Baby,
That you haue tane his tenders for true pay,
Which are not starling. Tender your selfe more dearly;
Hamlet |
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 Pool in the Desert by Sara Jeanette Duncan: 'Well,' I said, 'you had better get off now, as you didn't then, and
look at your animal's near fore. The swelling's as big as a bun
already.'
Again he made me no answer, but looked intently and questioningly at
Dora.
'Get off, Mr. Armour,' she said, sharply, 'and lead your horse home.
It is not fit to be ridden. Goodbye.'
I have no doubt he did it, but neither of us were inclined to look
back to see. We pushed on under the deodars, and I was indulgent to
a trot. At the end of it Dora remarked that Mr. Armour naturally
could not be expected to know anything about riding, it was very
|
