| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: defence, but also as to the ending of his life. Others have written on
this theme, and all without exception have touched upon[3] the lofty
style of the philosopher,[4] which may be taken as a proof that the
language used by Socrates was really of that type. But none of these
writers has brought out clearly the fact that Socrates had come to
regard death as for himself preferable to life; and consequently there
is just a suspicion of foolhardiness in the arrogancy of his
address.[5] We have, however, from the lips of one of his intimate
acquaintances, Hermogenes,[6] the son of Hipponicus, an account of him
which shows the high demeanour in question to have been altogether in
keeping with the master's rational purpose.[7] Hermogenes says that,
The Apology |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Long Odds by H. Rider Haggard: have given me a lot of trouble for the last dozen years, and will, I
suppose to my dying day."
"Tell us the yarn, Quatermain," said Good. "You have often promised to
tell me, and you never have."
"You had better not ask me to," he answered, "for it is a longish one."
"All right," I said, "the evening is young, and there is some more
port."
Thus adjured, he filled his pipe from a jar of coarse-cut Boer tobacco
that was always standing on the mantelpiece, and still walking up and
down the room, began--
"It was, I think, in the March of '69 that I was up in Sikukuni's
Long Odds |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: why, my heart bounds at the thought. . . . Were they nicely
dressed?"
"Yes," said Eugene. "But, M. Goriot, how is it that your
daughters have such fine houses, while you live in such a den as
this?"
"Dear me, why should I want anything better?" he replied, with
seeming carelessness. "I can't quite explain to you how it is; I
am not used to stringing words together properly, but it all lies
there----" he said, tapping his heart. "My real life is in my two
girls, you see; and so long as they are happy, and smartly
dressed, and have soft carpets under their feet, what does it
Father Goriot |
