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THE LITTLE PRINCEAntoine de Saint-ExupéryCHAPTER ONEReality: The narrator, in his early days, made his own ‘masterpiece’ inspired from the image he saw in a book. Asking the grownups what his art was all about, he was saddened because they have shunned his idle perceptions and imaginations away, tel...

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THE LITTLE PRINCE

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

CHAPTER ONE Reality: The narrator, in his early days, made his own ‘masterpiece’ inspired from the image he saw in a book. Asking the grownups what his art was all about, he was saddened because they have shunned his idle perceptions and imaginations away, telling him to focus on being practical and fixate his attention towards academics. Response: Meta-Ethical Relativism/Moral Nihilism Reflection: Adults nowadays prefer to throw away all of the idealistic perception of children to different concepts presented to them, and would teach them to become pragmatic , leaving them uncreative as they grow up themselves, only having the usual text book propositions and ideas to offer.

CHAPTER TWO Reality: The narrator stated he had grown up to become a pilot, with no one to talk to until the accident he had with his plane six years ago. The plane he was flying crashed in the middle of the Desert of Sahara, far from human habitation. Without any aid, he had to do the repairs himself, with the scarcity of his supplies clawing by his throat. The narrator was then surprised to see he was greeted by a small boy once he wakes up from his slumber, asking him if he could draw a sheep for him, with the narrator and his patience thinning every time the boy seemed to retort at every single one. The narrator decided to just draw a box in the end, explaining that the sheep was inside; unexpected reaction he had received when the boy breaks into a beam, telling him that is exactly what he was asking for. Response: Synthetic A Priori Proposition Reflection: This just shows how children have the ability to see the essential aspects of objects, delving into their details and their deeper meanings rather than settling on surface appearances because their minds are full of creativity and imagination.

CHAPTER THREE Reality: The narrator spent his time with the little boy, curiosity piqued with the mystery that came with the prince. It took him quite some time to learn where the prince was from, with the little slips of words here and there. When they were talking about the narrator and his plane, the boy had exclaimed that he came from the sky too, what planet the narrator came from. The narrator questioned the little prince if he was from another planet but no answer. At the end, while talking about the little prince and his sheep that the narrator suggested would wander around if he does not have a leash on, the prince had said where he lived, everything was small.

There was a hint of sadness present in his voice as he follows with “straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far,” saying it does not matter because the sheep cannot go too far anyways. Response: Reflection: People who has not explored other places and know so little about the world today would be quite narrow-minded and make grownup assumptions at times.

CHAPTER FOUR Reality: The narrator talks about his certainty to where the little prince came from. The narrator spoke of how he was sure the little boy came from an asteroid named B-612. The crux of the problem with the narrator and his repugnance about adults is when he tells the story of the astronomer who discovered the said asteroid. No one would believe his claims at first because of his Turkish getup; only then his words were acknowledged when he changed the way he dressed, one that does not seem outlandish to the people. He further explained how adults would never see the aesthetic of a well made house if you merely describe its adornments, the art placed against its walls. One must say how much is its value before adults could say that it is indeed beautiful. Response: Reflection: Rather, people nowadays tend to just look at the mere surface of an object, and not taking even a chance to look at the depth of it. They must hear the price first, they must see the appearance first – all this before they could even judge what the value or worth of an object or person is.

CHAPTER FIVE Reality: The narrator, with each day passing by, has learned more about the planet where the little prince lived in. The narrator has also heard of the danger of baobabs after the third day when the little prince kept on asking if his sheep could eat little bushes. The narrator was first puzzled when the prince kept on asking if the sheep could eat little bushes, why it holds so much significance to him. The little prince then questioned if the sheep could then eat baobabs when its size is as humongous as a castle, continuing to confuse the narrator even more. The narrator then learned there were both good seeds and bad seeds by the heart of the little prince’s planet. The little prince explained how there was an impending danger with baobabs if not taken quick action as was once a lazy man he encountered who had left little bushes grow, infesting his planet to the point where there is no recover. Response:

Reflection: The problems concerning the present world’s environment threatens the life of us human beings. If it is not addressed early, it could cause us our own downfall. All the blame would fall on us humans because we had the awareness, we also have chance to take action to help our own planet.

CHAPTER SIX Reality: The narrator had gotten more of an understanding about the little prince and his sad little life in his planet when he asked if he could see the sunset on the morning of the fourth day. When the narrator said they had to wait for it, the little prince laughed and said how he thought he was still in his planet because he can see the end of the day whenever he likes by simply moving a few steps. The prince mentions that one day he saw forty-four sunsets and that sunsets can cheer a person up when he or she is sad. The narrator asks if he was sad when he saw the forty-four sunsets, but the little prince answered him with silence. Response: Reflection: People who are sad tend to find the beauty of objects, the happiness they think they feel just by looking at even the smallest of things. The appreciation they have for things are heightened because they lack both joy and jubilance.

CHAPTER SEVEN Reality: On his fifth day in the desert, the little prince wonders if his new sheep will eat both bushes and flowers. The narrator, who is trying to repair his plane, replies that sheep will eat anything and the little prince asks him what use a flower’s thorns are if they don’t protect the flower. The narrator does not answer, yet the little prince was not deterred as he continued to ask. The narrator was still very much focused on fixing his plane; frustration fills him, and he is also worried because of his lack of supplies. The narrator yells that is too busy with “serious matters” to answer the prince and his questions. Furious, the little prince accuses the narrator of acting like all those grown-ups. The little prince argues that if a truly unique flower exists on a person’s planet, nothing is more important than wondering if a sheep will eat that flower. The little prince then bursts into tears. Suddenly realizing that his new friend’s happiness is the most serious matter of all, the narrator cradles the little prince in his arms and comforts him by assuring the little prince that his flower will be fine, and offers to draw a muzzle for the sheep. Response: Reflection: This relates to people who overwork themselves, forgetting everyone around them, even their loved ones. People like these would claim that they are busy with much more serious

matters, shoving their supposed family away. Some matters suggest that they would need him, but he is busy with his own life to even look back at them.

CHAPTER EIGHT Reality: The prince tells the narrator all about his flower. One day, the prince notices a mysterious new plant sprouting on his planet. Worried that it might be a new type of baobab, he watches it cautiously at first. The sprout soon grows into a rose, a beautiful but vain creature who constantly demands that the little prince take care of her. The little prince loves the rose very much and is happy to satisfy her requests. One day, however, the little prince catches the rose on the verge of making a minor lie. The rose says to the prince, “Where I come from,” even though she grew from a seed on the little prince’s planet and therefore does not “come from” anywhere. The rose’s lie makes the prince doubt the sincerity of her love. He grows so unhappy and lonely that he decides to leave his planet. The prince tells the narrator that he would not have left if he had looked at the rose’s deeds instead of her words. He then realizes that the rose actually loves him, but he knows he is too young and inexperienced to know how to love her. Response: Reflection: People tend to value truth and think they are the most essential in a relationship – there is definitely no wrong in that. Though for this one, I can relate it to people who assume mere words carry everything, when actions weigh just as much, but they are too blinded to see them.

CHAPTER NINE Reality: On the day of the little prince’s departure from his planet, he cleans out all three of his volcanoes and he uproots all the baobab shoots he can find. He waters his rose a final time. As he is about to place the glass globe over the rose’s head, he feels like crying. He says good-bye to the rose. At first, she refuses to reply, but then she apologizes, assures the little prince that she loves him, and says she no longer needs him to set the globe over her. She says she will be fine without him to take care of her. Urging the little prince to leave, the rose turns away so he will not see her cry. Response: Reflection: People tend to become more open about what they truly feel when it is too late – when their loved ones start to let go and leave them. Even if one becomes more truthful with their words, the other might still think otherwise, holding a painful grudge by their hearts, allowing them to continue their plans of letting go.

CHAPTER TEN Reality: The little prince decides to explore other asteroids in order to increase his knowledge. The first one he comes across contains a king, who is delighted to have a subject to rule at last. The little prince yawns before the king, who orders him not to yawn – however, when the little prince says that he cannot help it, the king revises his order, demanding that the little prince yawn. The little prince says he cannot do that either, so the king becomes vexed, trying to come up with a reasonable order for the little prince to obey. This need in the king is so great that he will revise his orders endlessly just so that they definitely will be obeyed. After the little prince sits down, he wonders what the king actually rules over, since there are no subjects on the planet. The king responds that he rules over the entire universe. Impressed, the little prince asks the king to order the sun to set, since he is sad about leaving his own little planet. The king, however, says that it would be unreasonable for him to order the sun to set until conditions are favorable – which will occur at approximately twenty minutes to eight. Bored, the little prince decides to move on to another planet. The king desperately tries to get him to stay, first making the little prince a Minister of Justice. The little prince objects that there is no one on the planet to judge and gets ready to leave. The king says there is an old rat in his planet, which the little prince would condemn to death. The little prince says he has no interest in doing so. At the final moment, as the little prince departs, the king calls out that he has made the little prince his Ambassador. The little prince comments of how queer adults are Response: Reflection: Adults, at times, showcase their irrational desire to be obeyed. They sometimes use their authority as the elderly to show their superiority over others; they ask for their wants and needs to be indulged by other people, have other people do all the work for them. This happens most especially from ones who are younger than them just so they could feel like they are in a sort of a higher stand than other people.

CHAPTER ELEVEN Reality: On the second planet the prince visits, he encounters a very conceited man, who asks the prince to clap his hands and then modestly tips his hat in acknowledgement. The prince tells himself this is better than when he was with the king, and indulges himself with the game at first. After five minutes has passed, the little prince begins to become bored. The little prince asks how the hat can come down, yet the man turned a blind eye to such a question, with his ears functioning to only hear praises. The conceited man asks a question himself too. The man asked whether the little prince really admires him, but the prince does not understand the meaning of the word “admire.” The vain man explains that he wants the prince to say he is the most intelligent, good-looking, and richest man on the planet. The prince point out that such a request is absurd since the vain man is the planet’s sole inhabitant. The little prince says he admires the

man, but then he asks why his admiration means anything to the man. The prince departs, commenting again that grown-ups are very strange. Response: Reflection: The conceited man reveals another common grownup fault – the desire to be admired. Conceited people desires to be admires so much that they ignore the truth that sometimes, admiration is has no value at all.

CHAPTER TWELVE Reality: On the next planet, the little prince encounters a tippler, who sits before a collection of empty and full bottles. He tells the little prince that he is drinking to forget that he is ashamed of drinking, and the little prince travels on, puzzled. Grownups are certainly very, very odd. Response: Reflection: This shows how adults’ exercises faulty, circular logic that serves only to conceal the truth. Grownups deceive themselves rather than create true connections with others.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Reality: On the fourth planet, the little prince encounters a businessman who hardly notices the his arrival. The little prince finds the man adding sums and inquires as to what the businessman is counting. After the little prince repeats his question several times, the businessman realizes that he will not be left alone unless he answers. The businessman explains that he's counting the objects in the sky "that set lazy men to idle dreaming." The little prince understands that the businessman is counting the stars and asks what one does with five hundred millions of stars. The businessman replies that he does nothing with them – he simply owns them. If he owns the stars, he will become rich, and will therefore be able to buy more stars. The little prince asks how he can own the stars if he cannot take them with him. The businessman says that he can put them in his bank, and that is enough. The little prince then mentions that he owns three volcanoes and a flower on his own planet, and that he is of use to them, but that the businessman is of no use to the stars. He continues on his journey, leaving the businessman speechless. Response: Reflection: This shows what matters the most is the relationship acquired over objects rather than what you can gain from them. Owning things with no real connection to only allows people to own more things they have no connection to. This serves no meaning at all.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Reality: The fifth planet the prince visits is extremely small, just big enough for a street lamp and its lamplighter. The prince considers the lamplighter to be as absurd as the others he has met, yet he finds that the lamplighter performs a beautiful task. The lamplighter, who is under orders to extinguish his lamp during the day and light it at night, frantically puts the lamp out and then turns it back on. The lamplighter explains that his orders used to make sense, but his planet now turns so fast that a new day occurs every minute. The prince admires the lamplighter’s sense of duty and notes that of all the people he has met, the lamplighter is the only one whom he could befriend. He advises the lamplighter to walk along with the sunset in order to avoid having to extinguish and rekindle the light continually. The lamplighter says what he really wants is sleep. Unfortunately, the planet is too small for two people, so the prince departs, saddened to leave the lamplighter. The prince does not admit it – but he also regrets leaving a planet that has 1,440 sunsets every twenty-four hours. Response: Reflection: In this one, it shows how appreciation is bound to people who have more ties and relationship with others. People who does not only focus on themselves and have their own responsibilities and duties to keep are the ones whom are worthy of praise.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Reality: On the sixth planet he visits, the little prince meets a man who writes books. The man explains that he is a geographer, a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, mountains, cities, and deserts. When the prince asks the geographer about his planet, the geographer says he knows nothing about his own planet because it is not his job to explore it. A geographer collects information from an explorer and then investigates the explorer’s character. If the explorer has a good character, the geographer investigates the explorer’s discoveries. The geographer asks about the little prince’s planet. The little prince tells him about his three volcanoes and his flower. The geographer says that he doesn’t record flowers because they are “ephemeral,” which he defines as “in danger of a speedy disappearance.” The little prince is shocked to learn that his rose is in such danger, and he begins to regret having left her. He asks the geographer where he should go next, and the geographer tells him that Earth has a good reputation. Thinking of his rose, the little prince departs for Earth. Response: Reflection: Two things are being showcased in this – one being the geographer with his job looking quite promising, only to reveal he is just as shallow as the other people the little prince has met because he waits for the explorer’s knowledge and experience, to just write it all down. This is parallel to the fact that people only want to lay back and others feel the experience for them, not getting the whole thought or feeling they wish to acquire. The second one being adults do tend to give more importance and weight to things that lasts very long, shunning away

inconsequential things because would disappear quickly, hence the term, ephemeral. Some things that do not last long have quintessential value in them, which is what other people usually forget.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Reality: The seventh planet the little prince comes across is the Earth. The narrator then introduces Earth to the little prince. The narrator mentions how Earth is no ordinary planet, describing the almost two billion grown-ups the earth contains: hundreds of kings, thousands of geographers, hundreds of thousands of businessmen, and millions of drunkards and vain men. The narrator also mentions that before the advent of electricity, Earth held 462,511 lamplighters who would perform a kind of global dance each day, unconsciously coordinating their movements as the sun swept across the turning planet. Only the lamplighters at the North and South Poles were not part of this choreography, since they had to work only twice a year. Response: Reflection: The Earth is said to be basically made up of men who had their faults in them, much like to what the little prince has encountered so far.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Reality: In the beginning, the narrator revises his words from earlier, saying that grownups would in fact take up only a small amount of room on Earth if they were all crowded together into one public square miles long. The grownups would protest to this fact, as they believe they are just as important as the baobabs. When the little prince lands on Earth, he sees no people and worries that he is on the wrong planet. He meets a snake that tells him that he is on Earth, in Afri...