5. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in Lyons
on June 29, 1900. He flew for the first time
at the age of twelve, at the Ambérieu
airfield, and it was then that he became
determined to be a pilot. He kept that
ambition even after moving to a school in
Switzerland and while spending summer
vacations at the family's château at SaintMaurice-de-Rémens, in eastern France. (The
house at Saint-Maurice appears again and
again in Saint-Exupéry's writing.)
6. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• Later, in Paris, he failed the entrance exams
for the French naval academy
and, instead, enrolled at the prestigious art
school l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1921 SaintExupéry began serving in the military, and
was stationed in Strasbourg. There he
learned to be a pilot, and his career path
was forever settled.
•
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry started
writing the little prince, being an
aviator he had a lot of experiences, and
one of it was when he crash landed at
Sahara Desert in 1935 and started
having hallucinations seeing a desert
fox, which resulted of it being a
character in the novel.
8. SETTINGS
The book is not set in a particular period or in one specific place. In the first chapter the
narrator writes about his childhood experiences with drawings and about his low opinion
of adults. In the second chapter the narrator starts narrating a particular series of
incidents. He writes of the time when his plane crashed in the desert of Sahara six years
ago. Most of the narrative after the second chapter is set in the desert. The other places
that function as settings include the asteroid where the Little Prince has his home and
the planets that the Little Prince visits, including asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, and
330. The last planet that he visits is the Earth, where he meets the narrator in the Sahara
Desert. The story is really about the narrator’s friendship with the Little Prince and about
the Prince’s own quest, which takes him to seven planets apart from his own.
9.
10. The narrator
The narrator is really the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The reader hears his
voice throughout the book as he relates the story of the Little Prince and of his
own friendship with him. The narrator says plainly that he is a romantic who
does not like adults, whom he finds too practical; instead, he prefers
children, whom he finds natural and delightful. The narrator writes this story of
his encounter with the Little Prince in order to deal with the sorrow of losing his
precious friend.
The fox
The Little Prince meets the fox in the desert. The fox is a wise creature, which
teaches the Prince about the essence of life. After they become friends, the fox
asks the Little Prince to ‘tame him, which is what the latter does.
11. And of course…. The Little Prince
The Little Prince
The novel is named after the Little Prince,
who is a mystical and loveable person.
He is the sole inhabitant of a small planet,
which the narrator refers to as B-612. The Prince
leaves his planet to visit other places and
finally lands on Earth. In the Sahara Desert,
he meets the narrator and befriends him. The narrator
tells of his encounter with the Prince and also
relates the adventures of the Prince on the other
asteroids that the latter has visited.
12. The Turkish Astronomer
The narrator mentions the Turkish astronomer in the fourth chapter. The
narrator believes that the planet from which the Little Prince has come is
the asteroid known as B-612. A Turkish astronomer first sees this asteroid
through the telescope in 1909.
13.
14. The King
The king is the sole inhabitant of asteroid 325, which the
Little Prince visits after leaving his own planet. The king insists
upon his authority being respected and does not tolerate
disobedience; however, since he is a very good man, he
makes his orders reasonable. Just before the Prince leaves the
king’s planet, the latter makes the former an ambassador.
15. The Conceited Man
He is the inhabitant of asteroid 326.
Totally conceited, he insists that
everyone else admire him. He does not
listen to anything but praise and expects
the Little Prince to praise and admire
him.
16. The Tippler
The tippler lives on asteroid 327. When the Prince asks him what he
is doing, the tippler replies that he is drinking to forget that he is
ashamed of drinking.
17. The Businessman
The businessman sits and counts stars on
asteroid 328. He thinks that he owns the
stars, making him rich. The Little Prince
explains to the businessman that he is of no
use at all to the stars that he owns.
18. The Lamplighter
The lamplighter lives on asteroid 329
and does the job of lighting and then
putting out the lamplight. The
lamplighter thinks that his is a terrible
profession, because once every minute
he has to light the lamp, for his planet
makes a complete turn every sixty
seconds. The Prince feels that the
lamplighter is the only one who could
have been his friend.
19. The Geographer
The geographer lives on a planet that is ten times
larger than the lamplighter’s planet. He explains
that he is a scholar who knows the location of all
the seas, rivers, towns, mountains, and deserts. He
is the one who advises the Prince to visit the planet
Earth, as it has a good reputation.
20. The Snake
The first living thing that the Prince encounters on the
planet Earth is a snake. The snake tells him that it gets a
little lonely among men. The Prince thinks that the snake
is very weak, but the snake tells him that he can kill a
person. The snake also says that he can solve all kinds of
riddles.
21. The Desert Flower
The Prince meets a flower in the desert. It tells him that there are only six
or seven men in existence and that one never knows where to find them.
According to the flower, the wind blows the men away.
22. Garden of Roses
The Prince meets a garden of roses on the planet Earth. He is
overcome with sadness on seeing them because there are
five thousand of them in a single garden. His flower has told
him that it was the only one of its kind in the universe. He
cries when he realizes that his flower has lied to him.
23. Railway Switchman
The Prince meets the railway switchman on Earth. The switchman
tells the Prince that he sorts out travelers and sends off the trains that
carry them. The switchman also says that no one is ever satisfied with
his position. During his conversation with the switchman, the Prince
tells him that only the children know what they are looking for.
24. Merchant
The Prince asks the
merchant why he sells pills
that quench thirst. The
merchant answers that he
sells them because they save
a lot of time. The Prince feels
that he would rather use
that time to walk at leisure
toward a spring of fresh
water.
25. Other than the first and last chapters, which serve as an introduction and
epilogue, the plot of The Little Prince is unified mainly by character and
theme. The novel begins with an introduction to the main idea of the
book. The narrator explains the drawings of boa constrictors that he
made as a young boy. None of the adults who viewed the pictures were
able to see the meaning of the drawings. As a result, at an early age, the
narrator discovered that most people do not look beneath the surface to
see the real message, beauty, or importance of a thing. This becomes the
central theme of the entire book.
The plot of the book really begins in the second chapter when the narrator
meets the Little Prince. The airplane of the narrator crashes in the desert. As
he works on repairing it, the Prince approaches him, seemingly out of
nowhere, and asks him to draw a picture of sheep. He also asks the narrator
to draw a picture of a muzzle for the sheep. The Little Prince goes on to
explain that he is worried that the sheep on his planet will eat his special
flower, which he judges to be unique and beautiful.
26. From the second chapter onward, the book focuses on the Little Prince
and his search for answers about life. Although the story is told
chronologically, it is repeatedly interrupted by flashbacks as the Prince
tells of his adventures after leaving his star. He visits five planets, and on
each he learns something new about life. He shares these visits and
lessons with the narrator. Even though much of the rising action of the
novel jumps back and forth between past and present, the plot of the
story is easy to follow, for the focus is always upon the Little Prince.
Once he lands on Earth, the Prince meets two important creatures: the snake
and fox. The snake assures him that whenever the Little Prince is ready to
return to his star, he can be of assistance. At the end of the novel, the Prince
seeks out the help of the snake, drawing the end of the novel to the beginning
into a tight unity. After meeting the snake, the Prince encounters the fox, who
teaches him a most important lesson. Just when the Prince has realized that
his special flower is really a common one, and therefore not of great
value, the fox explains that a person must look beyond the surface to see the
real value of a thing. If one looks with one’s heart, not just with one’s eyes, a
person can see the hidden beauty of an object. He convinces the Prince that
his flower is, indeed, very valuable, because it has been loved and tamed by
the Little Prince.
27. By the time the Little Prince meets the narrator, he has learned the important lessons about life; but it
is in telling the narrator about them that the lessons take on a real meaning for the Little Prince. After
reviewing all that he has learned, the Prince accepts that he must return to his star in order to take
care of his special rose; his acceptance of responsibility is the climax as the plot.
At the end of the book, the Little Prince goes to find the snake, which can bite him and return him to
his planet. Before he makes the journey home, the Little Prince lets the narrator know he is departing.
He tells him to look up at the stars and think of them as laughing. The Little Prince knows that when
he looks at the stars, the narrator will also think about him. In truth, the narrator has grown very fond
of the Prince and hates to see him go. When he is bitten by the snake and dies, the narrator is grieved
to have lost a friend; but he feels certain that the Little Prince has returned home to his own little
heaven. The end of the novel, therefore, helps to unify the plot, which has come full circle. The Little
Prince has accepted responsibility and returned to his star to care for the flower, which had originally
driven him away.
In the last chapter, serving as the conclusion and epilogue, the narrator explains how he looked for
the body of the Little Prince on the next morning; however, it was no where to be found. In this brief
falling action, the narrator convinces himself and the reader that the Prince has returned to his star.
The narrator also explains that he has written the story of the Little Prince six years after he met him.
Even though it has been a long time since the Prince’s departure, the narrator’s friendship with the
mystical man from another planet has had a profound affect on him; therefore, he finally decides to
write the novel in memory of and as a tribute to the Little Prince.
28. The innocent child-like personality of the
prince and to a point where he meets diverse
personalities of people concerning the real
adult world. The connection of an innocent
youth minded prince who didn’t know
anything about the realities happening in the
real adult life.
29. Point of View
This novel is narrated by the narrator on a FIRSTPERSON POINT OF VIEW, wherein it is evident how the
narrator himself is part of the story. Mostly used when
there is the presence of “I” and it’s plural form “we”.
Although it is a First person POV, the story itself
revolves around the story of the prince and his travels.
30. TONE · When unfolding his
surreal, emotional encounter with the little
prince, the tone of the narrator is
bittersweet. When describing the adult
world, the tone of the narrator is
straightforward and is contained by regrets.
MOTIFS · Secrecy, the narrator’s
drawings, taming, serious matters
SYMBOLS · The stars, the desert, the
trains, water
FORESHADOWING · When the snake greets
the prince, he alludes to his ability to send the
prince back to the heavens, which he does at
the end of the novel.
31. On how one should be aware with the
peril of narrow-mindedness, the insights
one can learn from exploration and
adventure, and how one would acquire
responsibility from relationships.
32. III. Literature
Literature had been explored and clarified to me after taking up
this course, literature for me are works written and that truly
connect to the readers. It is not made to only entertain
readers, but then it shares a part of a history of a certain time. A
form of art deduced in writing where in the creativity of the writer
is showcased. Reading literary works can mean a lot to
someone, the feelings of the author is truly felt, lessons and moral
teaching can be obtained.
33. The literary classic “The Little Prince” could be clearly
considered as literature. It is because of the fact that not only does
it tell a story, but it somewhat brings you to an adventure and
gives you an opportunity to expand your imagination.
Through the journey of the little prince and the one
narrating it, you can also imagine that you have been part of their
journey and it gives a clear picture in your head. These
imaginations are so visual that you think that you are part of what
is happening. This brings us to what is the definition of literature
for me. When I first heard of literature, I always think of poems,
books, and stories. But it is not all about telling a story. Literature
is all about imagination and through the story, you somewhat
become part of it and everything becomes visual. Literature is a
way not only to express ourselves, unwind, relax, and to learn, but
also to expand your imagination and virtually “travel to places
you have never been”, and as well, it is a mirror of life and reality.
34. WARNING!
NO plagiarism was intended in the
making of this project, and if the same
exact definition is copy pasted, the site
would be properly cited and the
credits would be given to the owner.
Some are rephrased or
paraphrased, but the
sources would be cited and
the credits would be given
to the owner.
36. The little prince, from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince
Antoine de saint-exupéry extended bio. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.harcourtbooks.com/LittlePrince/extendedbio_author.asp
Why did antoine de saint exupéry wrote the book "little prince?. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090809003335AAHRCd3
Little prince study guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Little_Prince_Exupery/The_Little_Prince_Study_
Guide02.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/littleprince/facts.html
Pepe, G. (n.d.). First, second, and third person. Retrieved from
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-thirdperson