| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The American by Henry James: but a dense cloud of tobacco smoke. Across this, however,
in a corner, he presently descried the figure of M. Nioche,
stirring the contents of a deep glass, with a lady seated
in front of him. The lady's back was turned to Newman,
but M. Nioche very soon perceived and recognized his visitor.
Newman had gone toward him, and the old man rose slowly,
gazing at him with a more blighted expression even than usual.
"If you are drinking hot punch," said Newman, "I suppose you are not dead.
That's all right. Don't move."
M. Nioche stood staring, with a fallen jaw, not daring to put out his hand.
The lady, who sat facing him, turned round in her place and glanced upward
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Euthyphro by Plato: unimpeachable authority) what piety is, and what is impiety. What then is
piety?
Euthyphro, who, in the abundance of his knowledge, is very willing to
undertake all the responsibility, replies: That piety is doing as I do,
prosecuting your father (if he is guilty) on a charge of murder; doing as
the gods do--as Zeus did to Cronos, and Cronos to Uranus.
Socrates has a dislike to these tales of mythology, and he fancies that
this dislike of his may be the reason why he is charged with impiety. 'Are
they really true?' 'Yes, they are;' and Euthyphro will gladly tell
Socrates some more of them. But Socrates would like first of all to have a
more satisfactory answer to the question, 'What is piety?' 'Doing as I do,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: entered by the garden door, and the looks he gave the bird lacked
affection. Loulou, having thrust his head into the butcher-boy's
basket, received a slap, and from that time he always tried to nip his
enemy. Fabu threatened to ring his neck, although he was not cruelly
inclined, notwithstanding his big whiskers and tattooings. On the
contrary, he rather liked the bird, and, out of devilry, tried to
teach him oaths. Felicite, whom his manner alarmed, put Loulou in the
kitchen, took off his chain and let him walk all over the house.
When he went downstairs, he rested his beak on the steps, lifted his
right foot and then his left one; but his mistress feared that such
feats would give him vertigo. He became ill and was unable to eat.
A Simple Soul |
