Position:Home>Books & Authors> Help! the little prince by Antoine de saint Exupery.?

Hey

I just had a quick look and I saw-

"To forget a friend is sad!. Not every one has had a friend!. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures!. !. !."

That's hyperbole I think!. An overstatement, right!?

Anyway, it's very late and I'm off to bed but I shall read 'The Little Prince' again tomorrow, you have reminded me that it's about time, and I'll keep my eyes open for simile, metaphor and hyperbole!.!.!. I'l l answer the question tomorrow!


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Ok, perhaps that example of hyperbole above isn't so great!. I thought he implied that all grown ups are only interested in figures, but maybe that wasn't the meaning!.

On the first page is an example of hyperbole, he reads the textbook with the picture of the snake and it says “Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it!. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion!.”

And then, on the same first page, he describes his picture of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant as a 'masterpiece' That's hyperbole!.

Then on page two he says "That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter!." Hyperbole again!. There's lots of it!. I'll not bother writing any more except maybe one from the middle or end!.!.!.

The author tells the Little Prince that Boobabs are "trees as big as castles" There's a simile for you (at the beginning of chapter 5)!.

(I suppose the drawing that he makes at the beginning of the snake swallowing an elephant is a simile itself in a way since adults think of it as a 'drawing of an elephant being swallowed by a boa constrictor which looks like a hat' but that isn't written in so many words!. It might be worth an extra point though!.!.!.)

The snake in Chapter 17 - "He twined himself around the little prince’s ankle, like a golden bracelet!." is a simile

Chapter seven, the Little Prince exclaims "Don’t you see– I am very busy with matters of consequence!” - hyperbole

Chapter 21 - The fox uses metaphorical language when he says "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly!. What is essential is invisible to the eye!."

The end of Chapter 25 - "He fell as gently as a tree falls!." When the Little Prince dies!. There's aanother simile (it's hyperbole too!)

I just found this comment on imdb, written by Mike Jackson from Australia, which deals with a wider metaphorical interpretation of the story
"The Little Prince is a profound story that mirrors the life of the great French writer Antoine de Saint Exupery!. After completing a university case-study of the tale, we now know that Exupery depicts himself by using the Pilot as a secret metaphor!. The aeroplane depicts Exupery's need for escaping ( he was very fond of flying, and actually died while flying through dangerous weather conditions ), the plane trip indicates the journey called life, and landing in the desert represents a personal breakdown!. The Prince is a metaphor for Exupery as a misunderstood child, and the flower on the Prince's planet is in fact a metaphor for Exupery's mother!. The snake represents the option of death ( taking the pain of childhood to the grave ) and the fox is a metaphor for life ( by taking a risk from the heart and letting go of childhood anguish )!. But most importantly, the Prince and the Pilot finding the well together is a metaphor for Exupery championing / conquering his own inner child!. As a metaphor, The Little Prince is an intriguing tale, especially the piece of wisdom given by the fox: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly!. What is essential is invisible to the eye!."


Well, I think I did ok!. I bet many people don't read a book in order to answer a question on this stupid site!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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They gave me this book to read as a kid and it really weirded me out!. All kinds of funky stuff in it - baobab trees, lamp lighters, asteroids and the Prince gets taken out by a snake!. I am sure there is all kinds of deep meaning in it but as a nine year old it was like "What in the wide wide world of sports is up with this crap!?"

Not much help I am afraid, Www@QuestionHome@Com

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