KidLit Forum

I think that one of the most important themes in this Ft is the relation between the poor and the rich. The problem of poverty is very beautiful illustrated by the writer. On one side we have the image of the son of the tailor who is suffering from fever. He is thirsty and he asks for oranges but his mother does not have the money to buy some. Her povery is very impressive. More over ,on the other hand, we can observe the hypocrisy of the rich. The tailor can’ t look after her son during such a bad condition because she is embroidering some flowers for the queen maids of honor, in other words she is exploited by the rich. Even if she works very hard she can’t buy oranges. Victorian poverty is illustrated also by the young writer (almost faints of hunger), beggars, and children with white starving faces. Hypocrisy is very well illustrated by one of the town councilors when he tries to show his artistic taste. Even if he doesn’t have artistic views, he struggles to make a ‘’wonderful’’ simile when he says that the statue of Happy Prince is as beautiful as a weathercock. Also the town councilors are full of hipocrisy. They are all ignorants and agree with the Mayor. They keep repeating his words only to show loiality.

Yes, Anca, I agree with you.
That councilor is full o hipocrisy since he compares the statue to a weathercock.According to the Dictionary of Contemporary English( Longman, page 1868), a weathercock is "a weather vane in the shape of a male chicken", an instrument for showing the direction of the wind and the second meaning I've found is: "a person who is very changeable or fickle". Or, the fickle one here is the swallow who acts like a male in the beginning of the story and began to behave like a female after meeting the Prince...Then, a weathercock moves, turns in the direction of the wind.And again, the one who's moving here is the bird. In conclusion, this comparison is not suitable for expressing the impressiveness of the Happy Prince just because the statue is only personified when the swallow came into the town and began to talk to the Prince.

And although things didn't change, at least the Prince with the help of the Swallow, managed to make a few people happy, and got them out from the poverty they were in. This way I think the Prince realised how important is to help others, and how much he could have helped others if he had been a living prince, not as ignorant at people's need when he had the crown...and because now he "saved some",his "sins" are forgiven and he may "die in peace"...

At the beginning I saw the Prince in a feminine way, having tears in his eyes, that the Swallow could see them, and feel them, but then I realized how courageous he was, renouncing at himself as a statue, and as a symbol of the city, for his citizens.
I can say that I found many poetical expressions like"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow" and "So I lived, so I died", this FT has a certain musicality, that I liked very much.

I think that above all the little Swallow plays an important role in this story. Even if he is just the "Unhappy" Prince's messenger he proves to be good-hearted. He interrupts his trip to Egypt in order to help people in need although he is aware that time is running and winter gets closer day by day. We could describe the swallow as a little bird with a big heart. He is the proof that you don't need to be big to show acts of kindness to those in need. The Happy Prince's kindness couldn't have materialized if it hadn't been for the swallow. Moreover let's don't forget that God always rewards good deeds as he did with the swallow and his companion.

I think that this story teaches us how to treat the people around us. Even if they are poor, ugly or little like the swallow we should appreciate them by what they do not by appearance. And also this story shows us that if we help people we will be rewarded.We should give away the things we do not necessarily need like The Prince did, because it is better this way.

"He looks just like an angel," said the Charity Children , remark that is strenghten during the plotline through many good deeds due to his messenger, the Swallow which flies and brings valuable jewels to those who are very poor . In the first case , ''a little boy is lying ill, his mother has nothing to give him but river water, so he is crying", then "a young man in a garret who is leaning over a desk covered with papers and in a tumbler by his side ... trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold to write any more" because there is no fire in the grate and moreover he is so hungry that he is about to faint, after it a little match-girl,who has let her matches fall in the gutter, and they are all spoiled, is afraid of her father's violent reaction and that is why and she is crying[also he has no shoes or stockings, and her little head is bare] and finally two little boys who ''were lying in one another's arms to try and keep themselves warm''.
Another significant aspect is the fact that there is depicted a huge discrepancy between poor and rich, especially on their way of living.The rich take advantage of their high-life whereas the poor people are sitting at the gates and the starving children are looking out listlessly at the black streets.But due to this Happy Prince, the poor probably will never give up hope that one day their needs will be accomplished. In conclusion, I consider that the real happiness of this prince does not relate to material aspects/ world , but to making other people happy.