1.

BOOK REVIEW

Read the samples of book review on the novel “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupery, discuss how
each review is presented.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

Pub. 1943

Book Review 1

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Little Prince history

A wonderful book is usually a product of an extraordinary writer. The author of  The Little Prince was truly that kind of
man: adventurous, courageous, hopelessly in love with flying. Having turned his lifelong passion into a full-time job,
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quickly became known as a remarkable French military pilot who delivered mail across
continents. His thrilling and sometimes dangerous trips over the Sahara Desert and the Andes found their display in The
Aviator (1926), Southern Mail (1929), Wind, Sand and Stars (1939).

The latter is centered around a horrible autobiographical event: Saint Exupéry’s hazardous attempt to break the speed
record, which led to the plane crash in the Sahara Desert. Together with his navigator, he got stuck between life and death
with almost no food or water. Their struggle ended thanks to Bedouin coming by and finding them desperately exhausted,
dehydrated and hallucinating after four days in a desert. Probably, that accident inspired the setting of The Little Prince:
the Sahara Desert, plane crash and its pilot left in the middle of nowhere.

Not only the setting but also the ending of the novella alludes to mysterious events from the author’s past: Saint-Exupéry
left our world silently, without any explanation. He literally vanished without a trace. During World War II, he left
occupied France and joined French Air Force, flying reconnaissance missions. In 1940 he traveled to the US and had to
stay there for long 27 months. For this reason, his magnum opus was published far away from his Motherland.

When was The Little Prince written? It happened in 1942 in Long Island, NY, USA. Silvia Hamilton, his friend, was
handed a real treasure: the author’s manuscript and his own watercolor drawings stained with coffee and holed with
cigarette burns. The Little Prince illustrations together with original manuscripts were exhibited in the Morgan Library &
Museum in New York to honor the story’s 70th anniversary.

Triple genre of The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry skillfully combined the features of three different literature genres, so The Little Prince is
considered to be a mix of parable, allegory, and fable. As a parable, it holds significant moral value to the readers,
fulfilling a didactic function. Moral lessons about relationship, responsibility, and commitment aim to teach the audience
rather than merely entertain.

Being an allegory, the story conveys two meanings: a literal one and a figurative one. Basically, a reader is presented with
a story of unexpected travel experiences of a weird boy. However, every event and every dialogue in a book holds deep
symbolism and hidden meaning.

Finally, The Little Prince is also a fable, since the author grants inanimate objects the ability to speak and think. Both
animals and plants reflect human characters, which appears to be captivating for kids, making the process of reading a
pleasure for them. This is why the book is so popular among all age groups: kids perceive it as a story with a thrilling plot,
whereas older readers think deeper and try to recognize the core essence of allegories and symbols, enjoying ‘decoding’
the treasures hidden in verbal images.
The Little Prince characters

The story demonstrates an incredibly deep gap between childhood and mature age, illustrating how differently kids and
adults perceive life. It is best revealed through the dialogues of two main characters who share their adventures. Apart
from them, there are other characters of minor importance, each serving as embodiment of some remarkable feature. So,
minor characters from a relevant background help the main hero to grasp the real state of things, hence contributing to the
general concept of the story. The Little Prince characters analysis emphasizes the purity of children as opposed to weird
and often wrong principles of the adults.

The Narrator

He lands his plane in the desert due to an engine trouble. While repairing it, he encounters a pale boy with curly gold hair
who approaches him with a request to draw a sheep. The Narrator then shows him his own childhood drawing of a boa
eating an elephant. When he was a kid, adults could never guess what he meant by that sketch and insisted on him quitting
drawing. Surprisingly, the curly boy immediately understands the inner meaning. Such an extraordinary acquaintance
initiates friendship between these two heroes. Later on, the Narrator feels a strong bond that ties him with his little friend,
reminding him of a sincere, naive, optimistic world of childhood and its real values.

The Little Prince

The curly boy was given the name “the Little Prince” by the narrator. He comes from a distant Asteroid B-612 and
considers this star to be his home for which he bears full responsibility. The boy takes care of his own little planet
grubbing up harmful baobab roots and cleaning out three tiny volcanoes in order to prevent eruptions. Above all, his mind
and heart belong to a Rose that once appeared on his planet. She is far too arrogant and demanding, so the Prince comes to
the point when he cannot stand her anymore, though he still deeply loves her. He sets off on a long trip investigating five
nearby planets aiming to find answers to eternal life questions. Finally, the boy visits the Earth and makes friends with the
Narrator. The man becomes the one who is honored with the Little Prince’s trust. Therefore, two of them ponder over the
essence of life based on their mutually shared experience. The Little Prince then feels it is high time to come back to his
Rose and protect her again. Even though he prepares to leave the Narrator, he wants to be remembered: every time the
Narrator looks at the starry sky, he is reminded of the Prince and their friendship.

The Fox

He is the one who teaches the Little Prince the most valuable lesson: essential things can only be seen by heart, not eyes.
That explains everything to the main hero, including his relationship with his Rose. The Fox asks the Prince to tame him
as ‘taming’ means surrounding someone with love, kindness, and appreciation.

The Rose

Being the Little Prince’s property and totally depending on him, she behaves as if she is a master, and the Prince should
please her. The Rose claims to be absolutely unique and the most beautiful ever, so everyone must adore her peculiarity.
In fact, she is intolerable, capricious, and naughty, which makes her owner exhausted. The Rose represents the woman
who is hard to love but whose vulnerability and grace irresistibly attracts others.

The King on Asteroid B-325

Having a rat as his only subordinate, the King assures the Little Prince in his almightiness and power. He believes that
even the sun obeys his orders when rising and setting down. The King treats the Little Prince as his new subordinate
which seems fairly ridiculous for the latter who sees nothing in such a man but the mindless desire to rule in the adults’
world.
The Conceited on Asteroid B-326

Being the only inhabitant on his small planet, he expects everyone to acknowledge his grandeur in beauty and intellect.
Since there is no one to do that, he permanently praises himself. Consequently, the Little Prince realizes how
presumptuous and self-centered the adults can be.

The Drunkard on Asteroid B 327

The man keeps drinking in order to forget the shame he feels about being a drunkard. He does not have any aims in life
and lives each day in the likewise manner. The Little Prince finds out that he cannot help the desperate man, and leaves
with the persuasion of how discouraged and depressed people may become if they lack any inner strength and wish for
changes.

The Businessman on Asteroid B-328

Spending busy days and nights counting stars, he considers to be the owner of them. The man does not have any time to
think whether dedicating his life to such a business makes sense. The Little Prince tries to persuade him that owning
something means doing some favor to others, just as he does to his Rose. However, the man cannot comprehend such
ideas, and the Prince leaves, disappointed at adults’ obsession and wrong standards.

The Street Lamp Lighter on Asteroid B-329

As the sunset comes, he lights the lamps on his planet. Day by day, he is doing the same job. With the pace of time, the
asteroid’s turning speed is increasing, leaving the Lamp Lighter loaded with work. The Little Prince respects the efforts of
this man, though adult’s life seems to be hopelessly busy and monotonous.

The Geographer on Asteroid B 330

His job is collecting important information about the world geography revealed by explorers. He does not bother to
discover things on his own, but would rather wait for someone else’s news. The Little Prince is convinced that one should
put efforts in order to get knowledge and wisdom, not merely sit and expect others to explain everything. As advised by
the Geographer, the Prince decides to visit the Earth where he tells his adventures to the narrator. The diversity of
characters in The Little Prince depicts the real world with various people, beliefs, ideas. The reader looks at the world
through the eyes of the Little Prince and tries to comprehend together with him the way things should exist.

Themes in The Little Prince

The story depicts bright characters who assist in the reader’s decision-making process towards rediscovering life
principles and values. Taking lessons from each episode enables the reader to distinguish important themes of the book,
which are definitely worth attention. The key theme is the total contradiction between children’s and grown-ups’
perspectives of life. Sincerity, curiosity, passion, kindness inherent to kids are opposed to obsession, arrogance, apathy of
the adults. The author manifests this theme with the help of other subsidiary ones:

 Necessity of enriching one’s knowledge vs. staying ignorant;

 Personal growth through new experiences;
 Acquiring wisdom through learning lessons from other people’s mistakes;
 Pursuit of true values in life;
 Meaningless waste of time;
 Dangers of self-concentration;
 Relationship equals responsibility;
 Love, friendship, and commitment;
 Realization of world’s narrow-mindedness and its impact on a person.
  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry raises core questions that need to be answered by everyone. Moreover, not only does he
puzzle the audience with them but also prompts on the right decisions.

Analysis of the writing style of the author

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry developed his authentic writing style that can be surely recognized. The story is told from the
first-person viewpoint: the narrator is an aviator who got lost in the desert. He lets the reader know only those things that
he knows himself. The man recalls some of his childhood memories, then he gets acquainted with the Little Prince and
describes their dialogues. Since the Prince appears to be an experienced traveler and adventure-lover, he cannot leave his
adult friend without telling him valuable things he has recently learned. Therefore, the narrator listens more than he
actually talks, focusing on the extraordinary collocutor.

The author’s tone of writing may be described as ‘mysterious and secret’. The Little Prince unexpectedly appears in the
middle of the Sahara desert talking about interstellar travels; animals speak with riddles; asteroids lead their own lives
with a single man on each of them; the Little Prince miraculously disappears and no one knows where and how to find
him. In addition, the entire story is centered around finding answers to life mysteries that cannot be completely
comprehended.

Together with the writing itself, the original book contains Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s illustrations that complete the
narration. Such a skillful technique makes the author’s writing style really unique.

The Little Prince literary devices

The masterly style demands a dexterous usage of literary devices. The Little Prince offers a variety of them:

 Symbol;
 Allegory (literal and figurative, inner meaning: through the demonstration of the Prince’s travels the author shows
the process of searching for life answers);
 Climax (the Fox shares his main secret with the Little Prince, which results in the boy’s decision to return to his
Rose);
 Foreshadowing (the Prince asked the pilot what planet he belongs to, hinting that the story has something to do
with planets, and the boy is not a usual one; the snake told the Prince that if he wanted to come back to his planet,
he would need to get bitten by her);
 Imagery (engaging description of extraterrestrial worlds);
 Paradox (in the Prince’s opinion, adults should grow wiser with years, but they seem to be getting ignorant, so
one has to explain every single detail to them);
 Personification (the Rose is pictured as a beautiful lady constantly dressing up and enjoying herself).

The Little Prince symbolism

Each character of the story is deeply symbolic. Moreover, even inanimate objects convey allegorical meanings. For
instance, stars: the aviator navigates thanks to them, but when he meets the Little Prince, the stars acquire new meanings.
When the Narrator looks up at the stars, he now knows they hold his dear friend and is reminded of eternal life mysteries
and worlds not yet discovered. Therefore, stars stand for life secrets and hidden treasures.

 The desert symbol represents hostile place without means for life, just as the narrator’s state of mind at that time.
The Little Prince’s optimism was like finding the well in the desert for the pilot - it guaranteed survival.
 The water symbol in The Little Prince describes the spiritual food necessary for one’s life. Like water nourishes
a thirsty traveler’s body, spiritual fulfillment feeds our souls. The human spirit is what feels thirst the most, not
 our body. Moreover, people should not take things like a gulp of cool water for granted, but appreciate life in its
details.
 Baobab trees in The Little Prince is another bright symbol in the story. Baobab seeds sprout and soon become
fatal to the planet if they are not uprooted in time. The same happens with any harmful habit that leads to
inevitable outcome if not given up before it’s too late.
 Planet symbolism lies in reminding us we are the only ones responsible for the well-being of our own little
planets (aka lives). Each of us has a choice: whether to follow the Little Prince’s example and make the planet
protected from dangerous ‘roots’, spread care, kindness, and love, or turn our life into a cramped space centered
around egotistical desires, obsessive tasks, routine, spending time meaninglessly, like asteroid inhabitants.
 The narrator told the story of his parents discouraging him after he had drawn the picture of a  snake eating
elephant. Adults saw merely a hat while the child’s imagination pictured something much greater. People
perceive things differently but if you have a dream, protect it from the discouragement by all means.
 The symbolism of fox manifests itself through a famous saying about responsibility and essence of things. The
Fox is like a life teacher who once appears and impacts on the way one sees the world. In fact, the Fox did not say
anything sophisticated. On the contrary, his wisdom lies in the simplicity: the only thing needed is to stop rushing
and listen to what the heart speaks.
 The Prince symbol meaning is revealed in two dimensions: as a pure-hearted child with optimistic ideas who
lives in his own positive bright world, and as an open-minded person who strives to lead meaningful life devoting
himself to people around.

Thus, symbolism of The Little Prince is one of the book’s crucial features. Each reader may find more symbols or reveal
new tints in the already mentioned ones. Symbols give us an opportunity to think critically, and this is exactly what
attracts open-minded audience.

The Little Prince quotes

“The eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.” - Antoine de Saint Exupery

The Fox appeared in the story for a short while only but no other character expressed the core essence of the story as
eloquently as he did. His advice to the Little Prince is quoted worldwide, “Here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is
only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Little Prince fox quotes cannot
leave the reader indifferent, as they deal with the deepest spheres of human life. What the fox once said was later on
repeated by the Little Prince and the narrator proving his true point of view:

 “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
 “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
 “You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.”
 “The eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.”
 “Only the children know what they are looking for.”
 “One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets oneself be tamed.”
 “No one is ever satisfied where he is.”

Books like The Little Prince deserve eternal acknowledgment and attention. As long as people refer to them, they make a
pause in their busy lives in order to think about the most important things like love, responsibility, and life goals.

https://writology.com/blog/book-review-the-little-prince-by-antoine-de-saint-exupery.html

BOOK REVIEW 2
Synopsis: A man crashes his plane into the Saharan desert, where he meets a strange little prince, who came across the
stars on a long journey. The little prince tells his story, in this poignant allegorical tale.

Review
I loved this story, even though it was quite more adult and sad than I had expected. It is does warrant some kind of
knowledge about Antoine de Saint-Exupery, or you will be wondering what the story means. In the beginning, it reminded
me of the weirdness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Pilgrim’s Progress. But as the story continues, it turns into
something darker, something much more real. There are so many complex philosophical ideas examined in such simple
ways. Do we obsess over the love of something which can never love us in return, like a rose? Do we live in our own little
world, where we assume everyone loves us? This book is a strange experience to read, not the light fairytale I was
expecting, but it is still worth reading.

It’s interesting to learn some of the history behind this book. Antoine himself crashed into the Sahara during WWII, and
for days wandered, hallucinating. It is from this experience that he later was inspired to write this novella. It is even
sadder to think that, just one year following the publication of this story, Antoine took another flight. His plane vanished
and he was never heard from again. Apparently, in 1998 his identity bracelet was found. We will never know how he died,
but he was only forty-four years old.
I was reading up on some of the symbolism of this story, and I sure didn’t guess some of the ideas people have
interpreted. For example, the prince is really Jesus (free of sin), though I don’t think you can be sure of that just by
reading the book. However, it is clear that the prince is supposed to present a clear foil to the evil in the world. He does
not know how to fear the bite of a snake, or the danger of a fox. He does not need to drink or eat to survive, and seems
purely good.

The book takes a strange view of adulthood, as if adults truly do not see the goodness and creativity in the world around
them. It reminds me of a quote from C.S. Lewis: “…some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
This book, in many senses, is a fairy tale for adults who have seen more of the world then children, but still wish to find
that innocent beauty in nature and humanity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and my only regret is that I do not know French, and thus I could only read the English
translation. There is something missing, I think, when you translate something.
https://madamewriterblog.com/2019/08/14/book-review-the-little-prince-by-antoine-de-saint-exupery/

BOOK REVIEW 3
I'm somewhat surprised at myself for not writing a review of this, one of my all-time favorite books, before now. If I had
to venture a guess as to why this is so, I'd have to say that it's probably because this beautiful little fable means too much
to me personally; I've been afraid to write about it for fear of not doing it justice. Now I'll give it my best shot, and ask
anyone who should happen to read this review, if you find my essay wanting in some way, please still give the book a
read and judge for yourself as to the quality of the story.
Most bookstores carry this French novella in their children's section. I can understand why this is the case: the book is less
than one hundred pages, the sentences are simple and flow with an easy, poetic grace, and interspersed with the clear text
are more than forty watercolor pen-and-ink pictures drawn with a childlike gravity that is yet meticulously detailed - as
fine a masquerade of children's literature as was ever created. But make no mistake - it is a masquerade; for, while a
proper reading of this book requires a child's faith, acceptance, and willingness to make a complete suspension of
disbelief, this story, difficult to define, comes closer to philosophy than to anything else.
Translated by Katherine Woods, the author is Antoine de Saint Exupéry, a French pilot and author of a number of books
on the subject of aviation, many of which are considered classics of French and World literature in their own right. The
Little Prince, however, stands in a class by itself, and expresses the world-weary and cynical author's yearning for a freer
and more sincere and introspective world. Exupéry tells his story in a semi-autobiographical fashion, beginning the tale
with an anecdote describing how, as a child, he was urged by sensible adults to put down his paints and colored pencils
that he might concentrate on "matters of consequence" - thereby, declares Exupéry, checking "what might have been a
magnificent career as a painter."
The book then skips ahead many years later. Exupéry, himself now a "sensible" adult who has resolutely put away
childish things, has crashed his plane in the harshly beautiful but harshly unforgiving Sahara desert, is desperately
working against time to fix his engine before his water supply runs out when he hears a child's voice address him thus: "If
you please - draw me a sheep!" The astounded pilot turns to encounter the owner of the voice, a small boy with yellow
curls, prince of distant asteroid.
Says the author, "I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales... 'Once upon a time there was a
little prince who lived on a planet that was scarcely bigger than himself, and who had need of a sheep...' To those who
understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story."
Understanding life is what this story is about, for both the author and his subject. The Little Prince lived happily alone on
his small planet until the wind planted for him a new seed, from which sprang the loveliest flower he had ever seen. He
lavished his love and attention upon the flower, which in turn tormented him with her vanity and her pride, ultimately
driving him to abandon his home and venture forth into the galaxy in search of the secret of what is really important in
life. He learns this secret, finally, from a creature of the Earth - a fox. With his new level of understanding, the Little
Prince is at last ready to return home, but not before he passes on his new knowledge to the author - knowledge of the
healing power of love which makes all things unique, and how the pain of saying goodbye is worth it if it changes how we
look at the world.
I'd like to close with a quote from the book's own jacket copy: "There are a few stories which in some way, in some
degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one."
http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/books/prince.htm

Project Proposal
Project Proposal 2
Position paper

Topic: Violence against Women

Country: The Kingdom of Denmark

Delegates: William Hayward Wilson

Social Science Teacher: Mrs.Rousseau

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Although this doctrine was adopted in 1948, the world has
fallen quite short of this goal. Violence against women pervades all states and it is the duty of the international
community to ensure that all persons are afforded equality and respect. Despite cooperative efforts at combating
gross human rights abuses, such as the adoption of the Declarationon the Elimination of Violence against
Women, the United Nations has not been able to alleviate the injustice women worldwide experience daily.

The Kingdom of Denmark believes that in order to end violence against women, nations must look to
empower women in all aspects of society. This includes promoting equal gender roles in government, civil
society, education and business. However, Denmark also recognizes the need to combat human rights abuses
against women as they occur, and no nation is immune to gender violence.

In 2002, the Danish Government launched an extensive action plan to combat domestic violence against
women. The plan includes measures to help treat abused women, identify and prosecute the perpetrators, and
incorporate professional medical and psychological staff into the rehabilitation process. The action plan
currently reaches out to both governmental and nongovernmental groups on the local level throughout the
nation.

The Danish Centre for Human Rights in Copenhagen, Denmark’s foremost national human rights
institution, also promotes and protects human rights. Based on the Centre’s research, Denmark’s parliament can
promote human rights-based legislation and education/awareness programs throughout the nation. The Centre
also addresses the UN Commission on Human Rights annually regarding human rights developments in
Denmark and internationally. Denmark has no record of committing major human rights violations, most
importantly any targeted at women. In its 2003 Annual Report, Amnesty International also found no human
rights violations against Danish women.

Women are invaluable to Denmark’s society and have achieved significant economic and social gains in
the 20th century. Currently, 75 percent of medical students in Denmark are women.

Denmark is confident that this Commission can bring about an end to violence against women without
compromising the sovereignty of member states. Education remains perhaps the most useful tool in protecting
victims of gender-based violence. Governments, UN agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can
plan a coordinated campaign that educates national populations on the various ways women are violently
targeted. Similarly, harmful traditions, such as honor killings and female genital mutilation, must be stopped by
reforming traditional views of women in society. Children of both sexes need to be taught at an early age to
value the rights of women in order to prevent such violence in their generation.

Another way to stop gender violence would be to reproach member states that consistently violate
treaties such as the Convention on Political Rights of Women (1952), the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979), and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against
Women (1993). Although this Committee cannot impose sanctions, it can pass resolutions verbally condemning
states that commit human rights violations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights can also meet with
representatives of governments that violate the above treaties to discuss possible solutions.

In order to prevent gender violence, nations must work together to build a culture of support, equality
and community. As such, the Kingdom of Denmark looks forward to offering its support, in whatever form
possible, to nations firmly committed to ending violence against women in all its forms.

Source: http://www.crawfordsworld.com/rob/irc/positionpaper.htm