The Little Prince
Marina Quintana Quintana 1
Mrs. Loudis
English 4
30 November 2012
The little prince
Everybody has experiences that influence their lives and shape their point of view; Antoine de Saint-Exupery was no different. He turned his experiences into a short story that has been passed down from generation to generation. His story teaches us morals and values that he himself learned throughout his life. If you look carefully, you could match a lot of characters and places in “The Little Prince” to corresponding personal experiences that Antoine de Saint-Exupery had during his lifetime.
According to Paul Webster, Saint-Exupery had a “deep sense of moral responsibility that afforded him few opportunities for rest” (Webster page 3). In this same light; you could say that The Lamplighter represents duty and responsibility even when things seemed hopeless. In the story “The Little Prince”, The Lamplighter was given the task to light the lamp on his planet at every sunset, as his planet’s rotation speed up, the lamplighter’s obligation to light the lamp also speed up and while it seems futile, the lamplighter continues, faithfully, to light the lamp even if it left him exhausted (Robinson, Joy D. Marie. Pg.3). Saint-Exupery was the same way in his unwavering duty and responsibility to his country. Even when France fell under Nazi Germany control in1940, he felt that it was the duty of all Frenchmen, including himself, to help his country in its hour of need. (Saint-Exupery. Pg3) the metaphor of keeping something alight, futile though it may seem, is further echoed in the following sentiment Quintana 2
“As France seemed to disappear totally in the darkness, the spiritual flame is kept alight by those who seem to nourish it with their very substance”(Robinson, Joy D. Marie. Pg.3).
As was pointed out early on in this essay, Antoine de Saint-Exupery used his personal experiences to write the characters’ in his story, The Little Prince. Another of
Mrs. Loudis
English 4
30 November 2012
The little prince
Everybody has experiences that influence their lives and shape their point of view; Antoine de Saint-Exupery was no different. He turned his experiences into a short story that has been passed down from generation to generation. His story teaches us morals and values that he himself learned throughout his life. If you look carefully, you could match a lot of characters and places in “The Little Prince” to corresponding personal experiences that Antoine de Saint-Exupery had during his lifetime.
According to Paul Webster, Saint-Exupery had a “deep sense of moral responsibility that afforded him few opportunities for rest” (Webster page 3). In this same light; you could say that The Lamplighter represents duty and responsibility even when things seemed hopeless. In the story “The Little Prince”, The Lamplighter was given the task to light the lamp on his planet at every sunset, as his planet’s rotation speed up, the lamplighter’s obligation to light the lamp also speed up and while it seems futile, the lamplighter continues, faithfully, to light the lamp even if it left him exhausted (Robinson, Joy D. Marie. Pg.3). Saint-Exupery was the same way in his unwavering duty and responsibility to his country. Even when France fell under Nazi Germany control in1940, he felt that it was the duty of all Frenchmen, including himself, to help his country in its hour of need. (Saint-Exupery. Pg3) the metaphor of keeping something alight, futile though it may seem, is further echoed in the following sentiment Quintana 2
“As France seemed to disappear totally in the darkness, the spiritual flame is kept alight by those who seem to nourish it with their very substance”(Robinson, Joy D. Marie. Pg.3).
As was pointed out early on in this essay, Antoine de Saint-Exupery used his personal experiences to write the characters’ in his story, The Little Prince. Another of