Student Question
What open-ended questions arise from chapters 13 and 14 of The Little Prince?
Quick answer:
Chapters 13 and 14 raise open-ended questions about themes of materialism and spirituality. They prompt readers to consider how the businessman symbolizes materialism by focusing solely on possessions, neglecting human connections and health. In contrast, the lamplighter represents spiritual dedication, as he follows a higher calling beyond the physical world. Readers are encouraged to explore why the prince respects the lamplighter and whether his devotion to a spiritual task is meaningful.
When thinking about open-ended reader response questions,
it's important to ask yourself certain questions about the
text. Some important questions are, what themes are
being presented in these chapters; how do these chapters relate to the
book as a whole; what is the author saying in these
chapters as a whole? Being able to answer these questions on your own will
enable you to compose open-ended reader response questions for others to answer
that will open their eyes up to messages behind the reading as well.
If we remember that one of the central themes in the book is
the importance of the non-corporeal world, we can ask
ourselves how the businessman embodies this theme. What does
the businessman symbolize ? We know that he represents the adult world and that the businessman is only "concerned with matters of consequence" and that he does not "amuse...
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[himself] with balderdash" (Ch. 13). If we look closer, we see that what he considers to be "balderdash" is interacting with nature, such as the "giddy goose"; interacting with his fellow man, like the prince; and even taking care himself through exercise. Therefore, we see that the businessman is only concerned with counting what he sees as his ownmaterial possessions rather than doing anything
spiritual, such as caring for anything around him. Hence we
see that the businessman symbolizes materialism and
embodies the theme of the importance of the non-corporeal
world by caring only for the corporeal world rather than anything that is truly
important, such as health and friendship.
We can ask similar questions of Chapter 14: What does the lamplighter
symbolize? How does he embody the central theme? Most
importantly, we can ask ourselves why it is that the prince feels so much
respect and admiration for the lamplighter. Then, we can ask
ourselves whether or not we agree with the little prince. The
prince states that out of all the people he had met, the lamplighter is the
only person he did not think absurd and further says, "Perhaps that is because
he is thinking of something else besides himself" (Ch. 14). If the lamplighter
explains that he is going about his activities because he is fulfilling
"orders," then we must also ask, if the lamplighter is the only one on the
planet, from whom or what is he getting his "orders"? The answer is from
someone or something beyond the corporeal. The lamplighter is
lighting and putting out his lamp because he feels a higher
calling to do so, in essence, a spiritual calling. He
is, therefore, dedicated to his spiritual calling even though he finds it
exhausting. Therefore, we can see that the lamplighter symbolizes the
spiritual realm and embodies the theme by
representing devotion to something beyond the corporeal. While we may not agree
that the lamplighter is performing a necessary task, since we know that the
prince is on his own spiritual quest, we can agree that the lamplighter is the
closest the prince has met to one who understands the importance of things
beyond the corporeal.