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]. 閱讀這本小說打碎我幻想的外殼，將我帶入質疑人類社會這個范疇。shatter: 打碎，破壞；realm: 領域，范圍。

[2]. spine: 書脊。

[3]. progeny: 子孫，后裔。

[4]. 原因可能在于這些經典文學作品引出了關于人性的基本質疑，并滲透于字里行間，使人每次重讀這些作品都能對這些問題有更深刻的認識。prose: 散文，這里指“文章”；blossom: 發展。

[5]. refined art: 高雅藝術；contemplation: 沉思。

[6]. To Kill a Mockingbird: 《殺死一只知更鳥》，這個故事探討了各種不同形式的偏見，也探討了關于童年和成熟的過程。因為故事由一個孩子（Scout）的角度來講述，作者可以在講述事情時不帶有明顯的個人意見，把它們留給讀者去理解和得出結論。