[10-20 18:10:12] 来源：http://www.67xuexi.com 高二英语 阅读：85563次
I have come back to Pickwick Papers on my own since. I like it. And I have discovered a new level of pleasure from it with each reading.
I come back to this question: What is a classic? A classic is a book that gives you wonderful feelings, and enables you to uncover part of the meaning of life. A classic is a book that has stood the test of time, a book that men and women all over the world want to keep all their lives.
Not many books can stand such a test. Considering all the books that have been produced, classics account for only a very small share of the total---less than 0.001 percent. That’s just a few thousand books. Of those, under 100 make up the solid core.
Why should you read the classics? Why should you try to enjoy them?
I suggest three reasons:
1. a classic opens your mind.
2. a classic helps you grow.
3. a classic helps you understand your life, your world, yourself.
The last one is a big one. A classic can give you insights into yourself. Sure, you can get pleasure out of almost any book. But a classic, once you go deep into it, lifts you up high!
When you read classics, don’t just dip your toe into the deep waters of the classics. Plunge in! Join generations of bright human beings before you. You’ll find yourself enlightened by the thoughts and observations of the most gifted writers in history.
Someone has said the classics are the diary of man. Open up the diary. Read about yourself-and understand yourself.
31. Is she guilty? (Adapted from The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain)
By a twist of fate, Tom, a pauper, was mistaken for Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales. Since he looked very much like the prince, his true identity went hidden. So when Edward’s father died, Tom was made the new “king”.
One day, a terrified woman and her little girl were brought before Tom. He ordered the sheriff to state the crime they had committed.
“Your majesty, they must have been practising witchcraft.”
Tom had been taught to hate people who practised witchcraft. Still, to satisfy his curiosity, he asked:
“Where and when was this committed?”
“One midnight, in December---in a ruined church, your majesty.”
“Who was present?”
“Only these two, your majesty.”
“Have they confessed?”
“No, they deny it.”
“Then how was this crime known?”
“Certain witness saw them there, your majesty, and this should be enough to prove that they are guilty. Then came a terrible storm. It is evident that they used their evil power to bring about the storm. About forty people witnessed the storm and had every reason to remember it, for they suffered from it. They should not have made all these people suffer so much.”
“This sounds very serious indeed.” Tom thought about this information for a while, and then he asked: “Did this woman also suffer from the storm?”
Several old heads among the group nodded. They recognized the wisdom of this question.
The sheriff answered, “Indeed she did, your majesty. Her house was swept away and she and her child are now homeless.”
“How did they bring about the storm?” asked Tom.
“By pulling off their stocking, your majesty.”
This astonished Tom and made him more curious than ever. He said, eagerly:
“That is wonderful! Has it always this disastrous effect?”
“Always---at least when the woman desires it and says the right words, either in her mind or with her tongue.”
Tom turned to the woman, and ordered her:
“Exert your power. I wish to see a storm!”
In the group, cheeks went pale suddenly. There was a general, though unexpressed, desire to get out of the place. The woman looked puzzled and astonished.
Tom added excitedly, “Do not fear, you shall not be punished. More than that, you shall go free. Exert your power.”
“Oh, my king, I do not have such power. I have been falsely accused. I should not have been brought here at all.”
“Take courage. No harm will come to you. Make a storm, it does not matter how small a storm. Do this, and your life shall be spared; you and your child will go free.”
The woman bent herself down to the ground, and protested with tears, that she had no power to do the miracle or else she would gladly save her child’s life alone even if she lost her own.
Finally, Tom said:
“I think what the woman says is the truth. If my mother had been in her place and gifted with this power, she would not have hesitated to call her storms and lay the whole land in ruins to save my life. it is true that all mothers are the same. You are free, good woman, you and your child, for I believe you are innocent. Go your way in peace.”
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