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Reading that novel shattered my shell of fantasy and brought me into the realm of questions about the human condition.[1] Brave New World was simply the start of my journey. Although I definitely cannot claim that I am well-read in terms of classics, I have begun to realize what a great book truly embodies. There are books, mostly pop fiction, which are read and then forgotten on the bookshelf, forever to remain a title with a dusty spine[2]. And then there are the classics, which generations of readers pass on to their progeny[3]. Perhaps the reason lies in how these books lure fundamental questions about human nature into their pages and express them through prose that blossoms with each re-read.[4] It is a refined art that does not celebrate speed, but patience and contemplation.[5] Work through a couple paragraphs, stop. Think. Then re-read and sigh in admiration of the language. I was fortunate enough to have the time to read three classics that have demonstrated the power of the pen over any sword.
The first classic that I read this year that comes to mind is To Kill a Mockingbird,[6] by Harper Lee. She sets her story in the town of Maycomb in the American state of Alabama during the aftermath of the Great Depression. Told from the perspective Scout Finch, the daughter of Atticus Finch, a respected lawyer in community, the story followed Scout as she recounts the experiences that defined her childhood years. From pulling pranks to witnessing a courtroom trial that ended based on ingrained racism instead of concrete proof, these experiences shaped Scout as she comes to realize that there may be space in
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[1]. 阅读这本小说打碎我幻想的外壳，将我带入质疑人类社会这个范畴。shatter: 打碎，破坏；realm: 领域，范围。
[2]. spine: 书脊。
[3]. progeny: 子孙，后裔。
[4]. 原因可能在于这些经典文学作品引出了关于人性的基本质疑，并渗透于字里行间，使人每次重读这些作品都能对这些问题有更深刻的认识。prose: 散文，这里指“文章”；blossom: 发展。
[5]. refined art: 高雅艺术；contemplation: 沉思。
[6]. To Kill a Mockingbird: 《杀死一只知更鸟》，这个故事探讨了各种不同形式的偏见，也探讨了关于童年和成熟的过程。因为故事由一个孩子（Scout）的角度来讲述，作者可以在讲述事情时不带有明显的个人意见，把它们留给读者去理解和得出结论。
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