| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: oppressed with anxiety, awaited the allocution of the venerable notary
with unspeakable curiosity.
"In these days," continued Maitre Mathias, after a pause, "the
profession of notary has changed from what it was. Political
revolutions now exert an influence over the prospects of families,
which never happened in former times. In those days existences were
clearly defined; so were rank and position--"
"We are not here for a lecture on political ceremony, but to draw up a
marriage contract," said Solonet, interrupting the old man,
impatiently.
"I beg you to allow me to speak in my turn as I see fit," replied the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: she asked.
"Oh, him?" said Masie, patting her side curls.
"He ain't in it any more. Say, Lu, what do you
think that fellow wanted me to do?"
"Go on the stage?" guessed Lulu, breathlessly.
"Nit; he's too cheap a guy for that. He wanted
me to marry him and go down to Coney Island for
a wedding tour!"
DOUGHERTY'S EYE-OPENER
Big Jim Dougherty was a sport. He belonged
to that race of men. In Manhattan it is a distinct
The Voice of the City |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Ion by Plato: actions of men; but like yourself when speaking about Homer, they do not
speak of them by any rules of art: they are simply inspired to utter that
to which the Muse impels them, and that only; and when inspired, one of
them will make dithyrambs, another hymns of praise, another choral strains,
another epic or iambic verses--and he who is good at one is not good at any
other kind of verse: for not by art does the poet sing, but by power
divine. Had he learned by rules of art, he would have known how to speak
not of one theme only, but of all; and therefore God takes away the minds
of poets, and uses them as his ministers, as he also uses diviners and holy
prophets, in order that we who hear them may know them to be speaking not
of themselves who utter these priceless words in a state of
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