| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: Presently, as they sat near a parlor organ in the presence of earnest
family portraits, Bertie made a new poem for Billy,--
"Said Aristotle unto Plato,
'Have another sweet potato? '"
And Billy responded, -
"Said Plato unto Aristotle,
'Thank you, I prefer the bottle.'"
"In here, are you?" said their beaming host at the door. "Now, I think
you'd find my department of the premises cosier, so to speak." He
nudged Bertie. "Do you boys guess it's too early in the season for a
silver-fizz?"
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy: had taken stock of every one there. She nodded pleasantly to Sir
Andrew Ffoulkes, whilst extending a hand to Lord Antony.
"Hello! my Lord Tony, why--what are YOU doing here in
Dover?" she said merrily.
Then, without waiting for a reply, she turned and faced the
Comtesse and Suzanne. Her whole face lighted up with additional
brightness, as she stretched out both arms towards the young girl.
"Why! if that isn't my little Suzanne over there. PARDIEU,
little citizeness, how came you to be in England? And Madame too?"
She went up effusive to them both, with not a single touch of
embarrassment in her manner or in her smile. Lord Tony and Sir Andrew
The Scarlet Pimpernel |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: the undulations on the side of the hill. The noise
of the wind over the heath was shrill, and as if it
whistled for joy at finding a night so congenial as this.
Sometimes the path led her to hollows between thickets of
tall and dripping bracken, dead, though not yet prostrate,
which enclosed her like a pool. When they were more than
usually tall she lifted the baby to the top of her head,
that it might be out of the reach of their drenching fronds.
On higher ground, where the wind was brisk and sustained,
the rain flew in a level flight without sensible descent,
so that it was beyond all power to imagine the remoteness
Return of the Native |
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 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: One morning he gave me a packet of papers and a photograph--
the lot tied together with a shoe-string. `Keep this for me,' he said.
`This noxious fool' (meaning the manager) `is capable of prying
into my boxes when I am not looking.' In the afternoon I saw him.
He was lying on his back with closed eyes, and I withdrew quietly,
but I heard him mutter, `Live rightly, die, die . . .' I listened.
There was nothing more. Was he rehearsing some speech in his sleep,
or was it a fragment of a phrase from some newspaper article?
He had been writing for the papers and meant to do so again,
`for the furthering of my ideas. It's a duty.'
"His was an impenetrable darkness. I looked at him as you peer
Heart of Darkness |
