Role of Classics in My Life

When I asked one of my friends about his opinion of classics, he became surprised and said, “Classics? I find them boring!” I do not think so. Instead, classics are among the most invaluable things to me for many reasons.

Classics are valuable because I find beauty in them. It can be the beauty of words and descriptions, such as wonderful expressions in Shakespeare’s works. Beauty can also be found in how a story unfolds. Monumental works like War and Peace bring to us a magnificent picture by telling all the details step by step. Short stories may tell a story in a different way, using lots of hints and leaving suspense to the last moment, such as works by O. Henry and Allen Poe. Characters and their emotions can also be beautiful, such as those in Snow Country. Not only are classics themselves beautiful, but they help me find beauty in life as well. Here is the example of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which tells a marvelous story of a journey under sea. Delicate descriptions of bizarre sea creatures and undersea environment aroused my interest and admiration of nature, which became exceptionally appealing after I read the book. Take The Little Prince as another example. In this story, the little prince once encountered a railway switchman, and looking at trains rushing by, they talked about what travelers were pursuing. They reached a conclusion that only children knew what they were looking for. This is true because adults have traveled too much and have been tired for other stuffs. Only the children are curious about scenes outside the window. However, we will inevitably face this kind of annoyance of adults, so in my opinion, the story tells us to keep myself in a state of inquisitiveness, no matter how much I have learned. In this way, we can find small beauty in daily life.

Not only can classics help me find beauty, but they help me pursue the good virtue of humans. They achieve this role by simply illustrating colorful and attractive stories while at the same time telling important lessons and philosophical concepts. As it turns out, after reading them, I usually get immersed in the story and constantly think over the decisions that the main character makes. Then I may reflect on myself and improve myself. In David Copperfield, Charles Dickens told a story about a boy named David Copperfield who grew up through a tough life. This boy went through all kinds of difficulties including loss of his only parent, being abused by his stepfather, being scolded by his teacher and humiliation at school. When he grew up, he met with new challenges and overcame them one by one. In summary, the book shows how the boy’s optimism and determination helped him through his life. When I completed reading this story, my first reaction was wondering whether I would encounter this kind of hardship later in my life. If so, I should learn from David Copperfield and try my best to overcome them. Similarly, Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea shows strong perseverance and mental strength that I can learn from. There is another great example, The Great Gatsby. In this book, the author showed a chaotic and dim picture of the American society at the beginning of the 19th century. The main purpose of illustrating this kind of picture was to criticize a common desire for money and fame at that time. The author intended to alter this belief and lead everyone to think more about the meaning of wealth and fame, in order to better achieve their dreams and live a more purposeful life. The significance of this classic to me is apparent, because nowadays the same question about whether money and fame are high on our list of priorities still puzzles us. I had a deeper understanding of the question after reading the book, so I can use it to make better arrangements of my future based on this.

Classics, in a sense, improve my understanding of society and our roles in it. Every author has a unique background, and this background is more or less reflected in his literature. Classics may contain an apparent attitude of the writer to the society, or simply describe the overall state of the society at the time. Even classics that are completely imaginary may contain clues and shadows of the real world. To go through the words written by classics writer lets me grasp what the past society looked like and understand it in an easy way. Based on this interpretation, I can figure out our own role in the society now. Take a look at Family by Ba Jin. The writer wrote this story at the beginning of the 20th century of China, when the society was severely torn and new trends of thought emerged continually. An important social event during that time was the May Fourth Movement. The main character in Family, Juehui, was a senior student who cared a lot about the society. Using the knowledge gained from newspapers as a weapon, he bravely fought against pressure from his feudal family, which was exactly what was happening in millions of families in China. Meanwhile, he started a publication with his friends with the ambition of spreading new thoughts and transforming the society. This story let me realize the power of ordinary people in changing the society. Some classics may explore society topics in a more subtle way, such as The Count of Monte Cristo. When some people first read it, it may seem like a revenge story in which the main character, Edmond Dantès, successfully punished people who had framed him, trapping him in prison for 14 years. Some people may simply feel satisfied and happy after reading it, but some others read between the lines and realize the opinion of the writer towards the society. The miserable experience of Edmond, along with other tragedies in the book all pointed to the dark side in French society, in which evil people did anything possible for their own benefits. People at the time could hardly gain access to justice, and the character Edmond reflected a belief that all evil in the society would be defeated by justice, which was the wish of the writer. Ultimately, classics help me learn about the past society and ways to make it better.

Classics are not boring stuffs to me at all. Because they function as helping me find beauty and understanding myself and the society, they remain among the most valuable treasure to m