Kaushika+S--Little+Prince

Kaushika Suresh English/Period 4 Little Prince Essay - Topic #1


 * Adult** - [//n//.] //a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law. See also//: __elder__, __mature__, __not juvenile__. __The Little Prince__, as written by Antione de Saint-Exupery, is a novella following the protagonist, obviously named the little prince, through the eyes of another main character, the pilot. The pilot describes the little prince's journey to Earth, in which the prince hopped from asteroid to asteroid, meeting various adults - whom the little prince described as //odd//, //strange//, and //extraordinary//. These characters, all of which are grown-ups, each live on a different asteroid, occupying a different trade, and acquiring certain traits - those that prove Saint-Exupery's statement about adults.


 * Pushover** - [//n//.] //a person who is easily persuaded, influenced, or seduced.// The king, who's the first adult the little prince meets on his expedition, is certainly a very peculiar character. With his royal robe and his jeweled crown, he makes it clear that he rules //over everything//. As conversation strikes up between the two characters, the little prince learns that "[the king] tolerated no disobedience." (page 42) In fact, the king yearns to order things so much that he tells //his subjects// (only two - the little prince and an old rat) to do what they want, making it seem that he was the one who instigated the action. For example, when the little prince yawns, the monarch says, "It is contrary to etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king" and, "I forbid you to do so." To this, the prince says that he has had no sleep, so the yawn was necessary. "Ah, then," the king responds. "I order you to yawn. It is years since I have seen anyone yawning. Yawns, to me, are objects of curiosity. Come, now! Yawn again! It is an order." The little prince then states that he can't - to which the king says "Then I-I order you to yawn and sometimes to [not yawn]." (page 41-42) It seems that the ruler's way of thinking comes from a quote he recited to the little prince: "If I ordered a general to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not obey me, that would not be the fault of the general. It would be my fault." (page 42). By ordering his subjects to do something they wanted to do, it prevents the subject from rebelling - therefore showing that the king is in charge. The king is a perfect example of an adult, a CEO or the president of a multi-million dollar company, who is too afraid to go against his employees, so instead of using his better judgement, he does what the employees want. Yes, the adult will still remain in charge and won't be outed, but then the manager is left to deal with the question: Is it he who is really in charge?


 * Fool** - [//n//.] //a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid; a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgement or sense.// //See also: __ imbecile __, __ignoramus__, __simpleton__. // Reigning over a small asteroid, resides the lamplighter - his profession being that he switches the lamp off when the day strikes, and turns it on during the evening. Although the task may seem mundane and simple, it turns arduous when the planet rotates faster, making "a day last only one minute." (page 60). When the little prince first meets the lamplighter, he's puzzled. "Good morning," the little prince starts, "why have you just put out your lamp?" The man responds by saying, "Those are the orders." "What the are orders?" wonders the prince. "The orders that I put out my lamp. Good evening," the lamp lighter says, turning on his lamp. "But why have you just lighted it again?" The little prince seems to have an endless amount of questions. "Those are the orders," the lamplighter states. "I do not understand," the little prince says. "There is nothing to understand. Orders are orders. Good morning," the lamplighter states, putting out his lamp yet again. (page 59) However, the prince soon decides that "he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself." (page 61) The prince describes the lamplighter as selfless - only because he is following orders, albeit impossible orders. However, one might wonder why the lamplighter is so brainles as to execute these orders. The lamplighter, it seems, is just doing his job, without any stray thoughts. He does not stop to think, //is it really necessary for me to turn this lamp on and off every minute?// Instead, he stands all day switching the lamp on, switching the lamp off. The lamplighter is resembling an idiotic person who, although does what they are told, doesn't stop to inquire why exactly they are doing it.


 * Character** - [//n//.] //what one is; what one is thought to be by others//. What one person deems important, the other person regards as trivial. While the lamplighter thought following orders was top priority, the king thought being able to order others was vital. As the little prince goes planet hopping, he finds that each adult finds the most moronic thing to be of utmost importance. This fact helps support Saint-Exupery's view regarding grown-ups. Each character adds to the story in a distinctive, unique way - clearly portrayed in __The Little Prince__.


 * Definitions used from here.

Kaushika--Very nicely done!! I like the different style/format of the definitions--clever! Good use of quotes from the novel...and you did get to the purpose of each man. However, the only thing not exactly clear is the statement St. Exupery IS making about adults--you never actually come out and state it directly. You make some reference in the first paragragh about odd, strange and extraordinary, but don't state his full point. It needs to be done either in the opening or closing paragraph clearly. Otherwise, great job!