| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: the aspect of others a confused reflection of the crisis.
What had happened naturally caused them all to stare;
there was too little of the explained, throw out whatever we might,
in the suddenness of my colleague's act. The maids and the men
looked blank; the effect of which on my nerves was an aggravation
until I saw the necessity of making it a positive aid.
It was precisely, in short, by just clutching the helm
that I avoided total wreck; and I dare say that, to bear up
at all, I became, that morning, very grand and very dry.
I welcomed the consciousness that I was charged with much to do,
and I caused it to be known as well that, left thus to myself,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: SOCRATES: And if anything appeared to be more valuable than health, he
would be the richest who possessed it?
ERASISTRATUS: He would.
SOCRATES: Suppose that some one came to us at this moment and were to ask,
Well, Socrates and Eryxias and Erasistratus, can you tell me what is of the
greatest value to men? Is it not that of which the possession will best
enable a man to advise how his own and his friend's affairs should be
administered?--What will be our reply?
ERASISTRATUS: I should say, Socrates, that happiness was the most precious
of human possessions.
SOCRATES: Not a bad answer. But do we not deem those men who are most
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: of petalous whiteness.
You saw the filmy, brief skirt of Miss Rosalie Ray
as she made a complete heels-over-head turn in her
wistaria-entwined swing, far out from the stage, high
above the heads of the audience. You saw the cam-
era's inadequate representation of the graceful,
strong kick, with which she, at this exciting moment,
sent flying, high and far, the yellow silk garter that
each evening spun from her agile limb and descended
upon the delighted audience below.
You saw, too, amid the black-clothed, mainly mas-
The Voice of the City |
