The Little Prince: A Study for Seventh Grade in Interpretation of Literature

Author(s): Anne W. Dodd

Source: Elementary English, Vol. 46, No. 6 (OCTOBER, 1969), pp. 772-776
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41386575
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 Anne W. Dodd
Elementary Supervisor
School Union 102
Machias, Maine

The Little Prince: A Study for Seventh Grade in

Interpretation of Literature

and study questions to use as he read the

Interpreting literature is one aspect of
literature study that is virtually absent frombook.
many seventh grade English programs. Stu- One major theme of The Little Prince,
dents at this age are not too young to begin humanitarianism versus materialism, is one
to realize that a good literary work hasthat a is especially relevant in our world to-
meaning below the surface of the narrative day. The teacher can easily direct the stu-
itself. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Lit- dents to myriad examples of the little
tle Prince is a short, charming book which prince's ideas of grown-ups in the- home,
lends itself well to an introduction of theme the school, and the community. The time-
and symbolism in prose. Because The Littlelessness of the little prince's essentials in
life (beauty, love and friendship) affords
Prince is deceptively simple, the narrative
can be easily read by seventh grade stu- so many areas for inquiry that the teacher
dents, even many who are reading below need not fear a lack of discussion material.
grade level. Few students fail to fall in loveNo doubt you will notice how well a dis-
with the little prince who says good-bye to cussion of "flower children" ties in with The
his flower, leaves his planet, and journeysLittle Prince ! Perhaps he is unique in that
to places both strange and faraway. The he is an unspoiled flower child.
people he meets in his travels are represen- The little prince and the narrator of the
tative of many human characteristics that story see mankind divided into two groups:
lead man astray and cause him to miss the grown-ups and children. Children recog-
essentials in life: beauty, love and friend-nize the important things in life because
ship. they have not adopted the materialistic out-
The Little Prince is probably more ef- look of grown-ups. Grown-ups always have
fective after the students have done a unit to have things explained to them, but they
never ask questions about essential matters.
on poetry; it is then easier for them to trans-
fer their knowledge of symbolism in poetry
to symbolism in a prose selection. This When you tell them that you have made
analysis of parts of the book worked well a new friend, they never say to you,
with average and above-average seventh "What does his voice sound like? What
does he love best? Does he collect butter-
graders. One could use the book with older
flies?" Instead they demand: "How old is
students and study it in more depth. Each
he? How many brothers has he? How
of my seventh grade students was given a much does he weigh? How much money
list of the important quotations in the book does his father make?" Only from these
772

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 A Study for Seventh Grade in Interpretation for Literature 773

figures do they think they have learned

One apparently cannot completely escape
anything about him.1 becoming a grown-up no matter how hard
he tries. The narrator even apologizes for
Children, on the other hand, are concerned
any mistakes he may have made in writing
not with materialism, but with love, beauty,
down his memories of the little prince:
and friendship. "Only the children know
what they are looking for. . . . They waste My friend never explained anything to
their time over a rag doll and it becomes time. He thought, perhaps, that I was like
very important to them; and if anybody himself. But I, alas, do not know how to
takes it away from them, they cry. . . ." sheep through the walls of boxes. Per-
see
haps I am a little like grown-ups. I have
(p. 73) It is important to help the students
had to grow old. (p. 19)
realize that these categories are not all-
inclusive: children may be materialistic;
The narrator, whose plane has had to
adults may be able to appreciate the beauti-
land for repairs, meets the little prince in
ful and important things in life with thenomiddle of the Sahara Desert, miles
thoughts of money or acquiring status. A
from nowhere. He learns the little prince's
persons attitude, not his age, determines
story bit by bit. He is unable, however, to
whether he is a "child" or a "grown-up".
learn anything by questioning the little
Again and again in the book the differ-
prince because the young man ignores all
ences between "grown-ups" and "children"
are stressed. These differences constitute questions directed to him. In addition, the
little prince himself has the annoying habit
what we call the "generation gap". Grown-
of continually firing questions at everyone
ups are portrayed as having no interests
he meets. The story is revealed to the read-
other than facts and figures, "matters of
er by means of flashbacks for the most part.
consequence". This phrase recurs as a key
Because the little prince was unhappy with
one describing grown-ups and their mate-
his flower, he has joined a flock of migrating
rialistic points-of-view. When the narrator
birds and left his planet. After visiting sev-
of the story, who has become the little
eral other planets, each inhabited by a
prince's friend, in a moment of great frus-
different type of individual, he has reached
tration cries, "Don't you see- I am very
Earth. The little prince makes friends with
busy with matters of consequence!"
the narrator and learns from him and others
(p. 26), the little prince is shocked and
saddened that his friend turned out to be on Earth; eventually, however, he must
leave. He returns to his planet with the
no different than any other grown-up.
help of a snake, who bites him. Although
Children, however, consider friendship,
the narrative is simple, it is filled with sym-
love, and beauty to be the essentials of life;
bols and philosophical material for discus-
they care not for "matters of consequence":sion.

A few examples will serve to point out

To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone
has had a friend. And if I forget him,the I wealth of underlying meanings in this
may become like the grown-ups who are book. The little prince learns the dangers of
no longer interested in anything but fig-bad habits when he is told about good
ures. . . .(pp. 18-19) plants and baobabs, bad plants:

Then this little seed will stretch it-

1 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince (New
York: Harcourt Brace, and World, Inc., 1943), self and begin- timidly at first- to push
pp. 17-18. All other quotations are from this a charming sprig inoffensively upward to-
edition. ward the sun. If it is only a sprout of

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 774 Elementary English

radish if you of
sprig or tame me,
a then
the' we shall need each
rose-bush, one
would other. To me, you will
let
wherever it it be
grow unique in all wish.
might
the world.
But when it is a bad To you, I shall
plant, one be unique
must in all des
troy it as soon as the world ... (p. 66). the very in
possible,
stant that one
recognizes it.
Now there were some terrible seeds on One only understands the things one tames.
the planet that was the home of the little . . . Men have no more time to understand
prince; and these were the seeds of the anything. They buy things all ready made
baobab. The soil of that planet was in- at the shops. But there is no shop any-
fested with them. A baobab is something where where one can buy friendship, and
you will never, never be able to get rid so men have no friends anymore. If you
of if you attend to it too late. It spreads want a friend, tame me. ... (p. 67).
over the entire planet. It bores clear
through with its roots. And if the planet
is too small, and the baobabs are too Later the fox tells the little prince his
secret: "It is only with the heart that one
many, they split it in pieces. . . . (p. 21)*
can see rightly; what is essential is invisi-
From each individual the little prince meets to the eye." (p. 70) The little prince is
ble
able to understand the secret because of his
in his travels, he gains further knowledge
previous experiences. The fox continues:
about life. He was very naïve when he left
"It is the time you have wasted for your
his planet and very disappointed because
he discovered that his flower (who can berose that makes your rose so important. . . .
Men have forgotten this truth, but you must
thought of by the students as his girl
friend) had faults. He now finds that men not forget it. You become responsible, for-
ever, for what you have tamed. You are
are less perfect than his rose. The king, the
conceited man, the tippler, and others heresponsible for your rose. . . ." (p. 71)
meets serve to emphasize this point because Philosophical problems, such as the
meanings of life and death, are also ex-
they are caricatures of negative human
plored in The Little Prince. Life and death
characteristics. The lamplighter, however,
can have significances quite different from
represents a positive truth: mans happiness
is not in freedom, but in the acceptance those
of one usually associates with them;
a duty. their importance is relative. One way in
The key to the book lies in what the fox which this fact is pointed out is the method
reveals to the little prince. When the little by which the little prince returns to his
prince first encounters the fox, he is com- planet. The snake bites him; the little
pletely dejected because he has found a prince falls gently on the sand. The narra-
garden full of roses. He had thought his tor, however, does not consider the little
rose was "unique in all the world" (p. 62) prince dead as we probably would. When
The fox asks the little prince to "tame" him. he cannot find the little prince's body at
The little prince wants to know what tame daybreak, he assumes he has returned to
means; the fox replies: his planet. " . . . at night I love to listen to
the stars. It is like five hundred million

It is an act too often neglected. ... It little bells. . . ." (p. 89) These bells are the
means to establish ties. ... To me, you are narrator's memory of the little prince's
still nothing more than a little boy who is laugh. One of the twinkling stars in the sky
just like a hundred thousand other little is the little prince's planet; the narrator
boys. And I have no need of you. And knows the little prince is once again with
you, on your part, have no need of me. his flower. Death here is not final as far as
To you, I am nothing more than a fox
like a hundred thousand other foxes. But the narrator is concerned. Life for the little

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 A Study for Seventh Grade in Interpretation for Literature 775

prince has been given a meaning 8.by the

What does the businessman represent?
fox's secret. Because of the fox the little What kind of values does he have?
prince comes to understand why his rose 9. Why does the little prince admire the
is so valuable. If life can have more mean- lamplighter? How is the lamplighter
ing, death, too, has another meaning here. different from the others the little
Although it causes the little prince's body prince has met?
to disappear, the union of hearts has sur-10. Why does the geographer appear ab-
vived. Taking the time to tame someone in surd to the little prince?
life makes this survival possible. Perhaps 11. What does the little prince say about
there is a hint here of a life after death, for Earth? Does he admire the people
the little prince does return to his planet there? Why or why not?
and his rose; would that not be heaven for12. Why is the little prince unhappy about
him? the mountain he climbs?
There is so much that can be discussed
13. Why is the little prince upset when
in The Litt1 e Prince that I have onlyhe finds the garden full of roses?
scratched the surface here. The combina-
14. What is the secret of the fox? How
tion in the book of fantasy, satire, philoso- is the fox like the little prince's flower?
phy, poetry, science, imagination, and 15. Does the little prince admire the rail-
childish gaiety can capture the hearts and way switchman? Why or why not?
minds of "grown-ups" as well as "children"
16. What is the absurdity of the merchant
in only ninety-two short pages. The Little selling the pills to quench thirst?
Prince serves as an excellent introduction
17. What disturbs the little prince about
to interpreting literature for seventh grad- his experiences away from home?
ers; when studied in greater depth, it will
18. Do you believe that there really was
certainly challenge older students also. a well in the middle of the desert?
Why or why not?
Study Questions for The Little Prince 19. What other meaning does the well in
the desert have regarding life? (Is this
1. What is the author's idea of grown-ups? idea in any of the poems we read?)
Do they know what is important in 20. What importance does the snake have?
life? How can you tell? 21. What do you think the theme of the
2. Does the little prince teach the author book is?
anything? Do you think anybody
22. Which characters support the theme
stranded in the desert could have be- positively? Which characters support
come friends with the little prince? the theme negatively? Make a list for
Why or why not? each.

3. What could the baobabs represent? 23. Is the theme of the book valid? Why
4. Why do you think the little prince is or why not? Is the kind of life the
fond of sunsets? little prince advocates possible in our
5. What does the king represent? What society?
kind of person is like the king? 24. Can you think of another book or story
6. What do we learn from the prince's in which the same theme appears?
visit with the conceited man? What about a poem with the same
7. What does the tippler represent? What theme?
does he teach the little prince about25. Which characters did you like best?
life?
Why?

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 776 Elementary English

26. Is The Little story was? What

Prince does the ending
more impor
as a story to entertain signify? us or as a stor
from which we 33. Would
can you change
learn the endingsomething
if you
Why? were writing the story? How?
27. Give some examples from your every- 34. What do you think happened on the
day life to support the picture of little prince's planet after he returned
grown-ups painted by the little prince with the sheep? Does the narrator^need
and the author. to worry? Why or why not?
28. Can you add any types of people to 35. What is the most memorable incident
the story that the little prince didn't in the book for you? Why?
meet? What values would they illus- 36. What is the setting of the story?
trate? 37. Who are the main characters and how
29. Do you think the little prince's idea does the author develop them? (How
of Earth was an accurate one? do they act? How do they look? How
30. What didn't the little prince mention do they talk? What do other characters
or know about the people on Earth say about them? )
that might have changed his idea of 38. Describe the development of the plot.
them? 39. What is the climax? What is the mood?
31., Can The Little Prince be best enjoyed What is the point of view?
by young children or older ones? Why?40. Describe the author's style as well as
32. What do you think the ending of the you can. Give examples from the book.

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