THE HAPPY PRINCE

The Happy Prince

THE HAPPY PRINCE AND SWALLOW

The story ‘The Happy Prince’ by Oscar Wilde is a story of a prince and a little swallow. The Happy Prince was a beautiful statue on a tall column in the city. The story throws light on the problems of social inequality, the healing power of love and the loss of innocence. The Prince used to be very happy when alive because he was kept ignorant of any sadness and suffering outside his palace walls. He was kept on a high pedestal after his death. His statue was made of gold, ruby and other jewels. His placement atop allows him to witness for the first time the pain and misery experienced by the poor of the city of whom had remained ignorant.

THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE SWALLOW

A swallow bird and the statue of a prince sacrificed their happiness and wealth for the good of others who are needier than them.

The Happy Prince: The happy Prince is a beautiful statue which parts with all its wealth to help the poor and needy.

The Swallow: The Swallow is a migrant bird who sacrifices his life to help the Prince in distributing his valuables among the poor.

THE HAPPY PRINCE

The Happy Prince

SUMMARY:

A statue of a prince is installed at the top of a tall column in the city. He was a real prince at one time. He was glad when alive in light of the fact that he was kept oblivious of any trouble or enduring outside his royal residence walls. His life was one of joy and satisfied wants. Upon his death, a statue was made portraying him which was covered in gold, had wonderful sapphires for eyes and had a ruby attached to the handle of his sword. Because of the worth society puts on gold and gems, he was believed to be very delightful. ‘Useless’, remarked a Town Councillor, ‘but beautiful.’

He is adored by all who see him. Unfortunately for the statue, his situation on a high slope permits him to observe, for the first time, the agony and misery experienced by the poor of the city, of whom he had remained ignorant when alive.

The statue, once happy, now weeps with sadness to see the plight of so many who have so little. A self-serving swallow bird, on its annual winter migration to Egypt, arrived to take overnight shelter beneath this statue and eventually became affected with gratitude by the statue’s kindness and desire to help others.

The swallow became the statue’s messenger and agreed to remove the jewels and the gold from it on the prince’s commands to bring contentment badly needed financial security and compassion to the needy people seen by the prince. These needy people included:

• A seamstress, who had no money to feed her ill child, who was given the ruby.
• a young man who was too poor to buy coal for his fireplace in the winter, who was given a sapphire.
• a poor young girl who was barefoot and without a covering for the head in winter, who was given the other sapphire, and
• Many poor and starving people, who were given parts of the gold leaf covering the prince’s statue.

As the statue’s gold and jewels were taken and distributed among the poor, the prince was no longer able to see the impoverished people around him as his eyes had been removed. He knew that poverty was there, and he was not blind to the sufferings of others as he once was. Even without eyes to see, he knew that poverty existed.

Eventually, as winter came and it started snowing, the swallow lay at the feet of the statue and died from exposure and exhaustion. He could never reach Egypt because he exchanged his dream of a warm climate and comfort with a bigger dream to bring help to those who were needy.

The heart of the sculpture cracked with sadness at the loss of his friend, the swallow. The most beautiful part of the statue, the kind and giving heart could not be seen from the outside.

Upon seeing the statue in such despair, the powerful people in the city – the Town councillors and the Mayor decided that he was no longer useful because he was no longer beautiful. Much like the poor, who were exploited and tossed away by the rich, the statue was taken down. When the statue was melted in a furnace, the broken heart made of lead did not melt. It was thrown away onto a dust-heap where the dead swallow also lay.

God asked for one of his Angels to bring him the two most precious things in the city. The Angel brought the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow. God praised the choice of Angel. God said that the little bird would sing forever in his garden of paradise and the Happy Prince would paise him forever in his city of gold.

OSCAR WILDE

WORD MEANINGS:

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Column – pillar

Gilded – thinly covered

Sapphires – transparent blue precious stones

Hilt – handle

Alighted – flew down to

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Putting....under....wing – preparing to sleep

Determined – decided

Pity – sympathy

Drenched – made completely wet

Courtiers – prince’s companions

Ugliness – unpleasantness

Misery – unhappiness

Cannot choose but weep – have no choice except to cry

Solid gold – fully made of gold

Polite – full of respect

Personal remarks – comments about a person

Worn – old and wrinkled

Coarse – rough

Pricked – punctured/damaged

Seamstress – female tailor

Pedestal – platform

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Messenger – one who takes messages

Cathedral – the main church

Marble angels – marble statues of God’s messengers

Sculptured – made

State ball – a government dance programme

Tossing feverishly – unsteady with fever

Mast – a tall pole of the ship

Thimble – cap worn on a finger for protection

Delicious slumber – peaceful sleep

Day broke – morning came

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Prospect – possibility

Steeple – top of a church

Commissions – work

Garret – small room on the roof

Withered violets – dried up blue-purple flowers

Crisp – hard

Pomegranate – fruit

Director – a person who gives directions in a play etc.

Grate – metal frame of fireplace

Playwright – a person who writes dramas.

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Flutter – flap wings quickly

Appreciated – liked/recognised

Harbour – place where ships are kept in a port

Vessel – ship

Square – an open area in a town

Matchgirl – girl selling matchsticks

Spoiled – not usable

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Pluck out – remove

Swooped – flew down fast

Slipped – dropped carefully

Strange lands – various places

Marvellous – wonderful

Suffering – hardship

Misery – hardships

Listlessly – as if without life

Fine – thin layer of

Leaf by/ after leaf – part by/after part

Starve – to remain hungry

Dull and grey – not attractive

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Bread – food

Scarlet – bright red

Skated – moved on skates

Crumbs – fragments of bread flapping

Murmur – whisper

The brother of – something like

Fell down dead – died

Curious crack sounded – the strange cracking sound came from

Leaden heart – heart made of lead

Snapped – broken

Dreadfully hard – extremely bad

Mayor – head of the municipal council

Councillors – members of the municipal council

Frost – white powdery layer of ice

Shabby – worn out and dirty

Actually – in reality

Proclamation – government order

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Town clerk – municipal council secretary

Foundry – furnace where metal is melted

Garden of paradise – heaven

City of gold – the heavenly city

1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the happy prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?

Or

Why was the prince called the ‘Happy Prince’ by the courtiers?

Answer: The courtiers called the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ since he was constantly when he was alive. He did not know what sadness was because he lived in a palace where distress was not permitted to enter.

However, when he died and was made into a statue installed on a tall column sitting above the city, he could see the distress and poverty in many homes. Thus, he was not happy and tears flowed down his eyes on observing the condition of his city, as he could see all the misery and ugliness of the city around him.

2.  Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house?

Answer: The Happy Prince sent a ruby for the seamstress as she was very poor and couldn't take care of her kid who was experiencing a fever. The swallow, on being convinced by the prince, went to the seamstress’ house. But, the seamstress had fallen asleep, so the swallow kept the ruby on the table where the lady worked. He at that point flew around the bed, fanning, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. This caused the boy to feel cool and relaxed and he went to sleep.

3.  What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?

Answer: When the swallow flies over the city he sees the glaring difference of wealth and neediness. He sees rich men enjoying life, unaware of the plight of the poor nearby. The swallow sees the worst states of life of the poor when they were denied even a sound sleep by police patrolling the road.

4. Who was the first person whom the Happy Prince helped?

Answer: A seamstress, who had no money to feed her ill child, was the first person whom the happy Prince helped.

5. What was the first gift from the Happy Prince? Whom did he send it?

Answer: The first gift from the Happy Prince was a ruby attached to the handle of his sword. He sent it for the seamstress as she was extremely poor and could feed her child who was suffering from fever. 

6.  For whom does the Prince send the sapphires and why?

Answer: The first gift from the Happy Prince was a ruby attached to the handle of his sword. He sent it for the seamstress as she was extremely poor and could feed her child who was suffering fromThe Prince sent the sapphires for two people: the young writer across the city and the poor girl selling matches, who had lost al the matches she had.

The young man was trying to finish a play for the director of the theatre. However, he became too cold to write anymore, there was no coal in his fireplace and hunger had made him faint. The sapphire was sent to the young dramatist so that he could sell it to the jeweller, buy firewood and finish his play.

On observing the sapphire, the youngster felt acknowledged and believed that he could complete his play. The happy Prince then saw a poor little girl selling matches, who was standing in the square just below him. She had let her matches fall in the drain as a result of which they were totally spoiled.

The Prince realized that her father would beat her if she did not bring home some money.. So he decided to send one sapphire to the girl. When the swallow slipped the jewel into the palm of the little girl’s. She ran home happy and laughing. fever. 

7.  Why did the swallow not leave the Prince and go to Egypt?

Or

Why did the swallow decide not to leave the Prince?

Or

Why did the swallow decide to stay with the Happy Prince?

Answer: As the Prince had parted with the two sapphires of his eyes, he had become blind. Therefore, the swallow chose to remain forever with the Prince and not to migrate to Egypt.

This shows the swallow was so influenced by the Prince's benevolence that he chose to remain back with the Prince, especially as he was presently visually impaired, rather than flying to Egypt to be with his friends. What this suggests is that kind-hearted people always attract friends who will always remain with them.

8. What did the mayor and the councillors do with the statute of Happy Prince and the dead bird?

Answer: Upon seeing the statue of Happy Prince in despair, the powerful people in the city – the Town councillors and the Mayor decided that he was no longer useful because he was no longer beautiful. Much like the poor, who were exploited and tossed away by the rich, the statue was taken down. When the statue was melted in a furnace, the broken heart made of lead did not melt. It was thrown away onto a dust-heap where the dead swallow also lay.

The Happy Prince

9. What were the two precious things brought to God by the angels?

Or

What are the precious things mentioned in the story and why are they precious?

Or

What were the two precious things in the story of ‘The Happy Prince’? Why were they so precious?

Or

In the story ‘The Happy Prince’ what are the two most precious things? What makes them so precious?

Answer: The precious things mentioned in the story are the heart of the Prince made of lead and the dead swallow bird. They are precious in light of the fact that both the Prince and the swallow were exceptionally kind, generous and benevolent.  The Prince could not bear to see the ugliness, misery and enduring in his city and gave away all his valuable stones and gold to make his people happy.

Similarly, the swallow sacrificed his migration to Egypt and acted as the Prince’s messenger, carrying the precious stones and gold to the needy, spreading happiness all around. When the Prince was blind, he still loved him so much that he never left him, despite the fact that it continued getting colder and colder with winter drawing nearer. Finally, when he could no longer bear the cold, he died at the feet of the statue and the statue cherished him so much that its lead heart broke into two. That is why, when God asked one of the angels to bring him the two precious things in the garden, the angel took the lead heart and the dead bird and God said that in his garden of Paradise, the little bird would sing forever and in the city of gold the Happy Prince would praise god.

10. Why does the little swallow say ‘It is curious, but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold’?

Answer: Whenever we help others, we get a feeling of satisfaction. Here the swallow feels good i. e. warm, despite the cold, because he has helped others in their time of need. He has done these acts selfless service with devotion. Thus he does not feel the cold; instead, he feels good. 

11. Give a brief description of the statue of the Happy Prince?

Or

Describe the statue of the Happy Prince as described in the beginning of the story.

Answer: In the beginning of the story, the statue of the Happy Prince was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes, he had two bright sapphires and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt. The statue was mounted on a tall column from where it could oversee the city.

THE HAPPY PRINCE

12. What filled the Happy Prince’s eyes with tears?

Answer: When he was alive, the Happy Prince never had any tears in his eyes because he lived in a palace far from where he could see the misery of the people. After death, his courtiers set his statue on a high column from where he could see all the ugliness and the misery of his city. This made the Happy Prince’s eyes fill with tears.

13. What did the Prince request the swallow to do with one of the sapphires from his eye?

Answer: The Prince requested the swallow to give the sapphire to the young man in the garret who had gotten too cold to even consider writing further and fainted because of hunger. By selling the sapphire to the jeweller, he could buy firewood to warm himself up and complete his play.

 14. Why was the seamstress distressed?

Answer: The seamstress was distressed because she had to complete a dress that belonged to the queen, but her son was sick. She was very exhausted due to lack of food and as she had no money to buy food.

THE HAPPY PRINCE

15. How did the happy Prince help the seamstress?

Answer: The Happy Prince requested the swallow to remove the ruby from the handle of his sword and give it to the poor seamstress whose son was lying in bed with a high fever. Thus, she could sell the jewel and buy food for her son. That way, she would be able to complete a dress that belonged to the queen.

The Happy Prince

16. What did the Happy Prince ask the swallow to do for helping the young man in the garret?

Answer: The Happy Prince requested the swallow to pluck out one of his eyes made of sapphire and take it to the young man in the garret so that he could buy firewood to warm himself and complete the play he had been writing. The swallow did as such to help the young man.

17. How did the Prince and the swallow enable the playwright, to finish his work?

Answer: The playwright was feeling cold and hungry however he did not have any money to buy firewood or food. The Prince asked the swallow to take one of his sapphires to the playwright so that he could sell it, purchase what he required and finish his work.

18. What did the swallow see as the third drop of water fell on his wings?

Or

What were the drops of the rain actually? Why did they fall?

Answer: When the third drop of water fell on his wings, the swallow looked upwards and saw that the eyes of the Happy Prince were loaded up with tears, which were running down his golden cheeks. The drops of water were actually the tears of the Happy Prince. He was weeping on observing the hopelessness and suffering of the individuals

19. How did the Happy Prince help the poor children in the city?

Answer: The Happy Prince distributed the gold leaves on his body to the poor people in the city and thus helped their children also. Everybody was happy about getting the leaves of gold which they could sell.

20. What happened when the little swallow was getting ready to sleep?

Answer: When the little swallow was getting ready to sleep, a large drop of water fell on him. Two more drops fell before he looked up and realised that they were actually tears from the eyes of the Prince. The Prince was crying because he was sad over poverty. 

21. 'The swallow and the prince were alike in many ways.' Justify.

Answer: Both the swallow and the prince were very kind and full of sympathy for the poor and suffering people. Both gave everything they had, the swallow his own life and the prince gave all his valuable parts to help the needy people. Thus they were alike in many ways.

22. 'Good deeds always make one happy.' Explain with reference to the lesson 'The Happy Prince.'

Answer: Good deeds give a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind. The prince sacrificed everything, including his eyes (sapphires), the ruby in his sword and the gold leaves covering his body to make others happy. It made him very happy.

23. What is the moral of the story 'The Happy Prince'?

Answer: The story, 'The Happy Prince' gives us the moral that we should help the poor and the needy. The prince, in the story,  set an example by giving away his jewels and gold cover to the poor, while the swallow helped him in his task, also sacrificing his life in the process.

24. Why was 'Happy Prince' not really happy?

Answer: When the 'Happy Prince' was alive, he did not see or know the condition of the poor and thus, was happy. After his death, he was mounted on a tall column so that he could see the ugliness and misery of the city. Therefore, he wept and was not really happy.

The Happy Prince

25. Why does the Happy Prince want to part with all the gold and precious stones he has?

Answer: When the Happy Prince was alive, he had never seen what poverty and sadness is. After his death, his statue was put high on a pedestal from where he could see the city life very well. He would see the poor people and the ones who were deprived of the joy of life. He understood that they would have contended with material prosperity. When the Happy Prince saw the pale faces of hungry children, he realised the pain of homeless people as well as misery and suffering in his city, he was greatly moved and wanted to help the needy. As he could not move being a statue, he tried to improve their living conditions by giving away all the gold and precious stones he had by asking the swallow to carry these to the people who needed them.

26. How did swallow prove to be the Happy Prince's true friend?

Or

How was swallow's life changed after meeting the prince?

Answer: The little swallow was perhaps the most important soul found on the earth. He sacrificed his life for the sake of the virtues. He helped the happy Prince in all the way he could. He was the messenger for the prince and contributed similarly to the prosperity of the poor and deprived people of the city. The Happy Prince, alone, would not be able to do the good deeds. 

The swallow proved to be the Happy Prince's true friend by carrying out all his commands to help the poor and needy in the city. Rather than migrating to Egypt as he had planned earlier, he decided to remain with the Prince to help him by carrying out his desires. He agreed to remove the gems and gold from the statue of the Happy Prince on his solicitations. by sacrificing his life due to the intense cold, the swallow proved to be the Happy Prince's true friend.

27. Why did the Prince ask the swallow to stay with him for one night more?

Answer: The Happy Prince was actually very happy when he was alive. After his death, his statue was raised on a high platform and he was able to see the entire city life very well. He saw the poor and destitute people everywhere throughout the city and could not bear this sight. He wanted to help these people with the assistance of the swallow. The Prince had a human heart and was lamented to see the suffering of the poor individuals, the ugliness and the misery in the city. Despite the fact that his heart was now made of lead, he still wept. As he was unable to move, he requested the swallow to stay with him for one night more and help destitute individuals in the city by carrying to them all the valuable parts of his statue.

28. God called the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow as precious. Why?

Answer: A precious thing is that comes to help of others, that looks for spiritual attainment and not the worldly things. There is no importance of one's life if it can’t be of any help to the persons in need. There is no self-interest associated with their activities yet there is just satisfaction of doing. The leaden heart of the Prince could feel the distress and needs of others. So, the Prince helped the needy by giving away his jewellery and gold leaf to them. The swallow sacrificed his happiness by not flying to Egypt where his friends waited for him. For the sake of the Prince’s happiness, he stayed on and died in the cold weather, subsequently sacrificing his own life.

29. What idea of the character of the Happy Prince, do you get from the lesson ‘The Happy Prince’?

Or

Write the character sketch of the Happy Prince.

Answer: As the name suggests, he was really a happy prince until he was dead. After his death, he was placed on a tall column from where he could see the suffering of the people. His heart wept for them and he was moved at seeing the individuals. He wanted to help them in all the way he could. In spite of the fact that he could not move from that point, he was just determined to do that and he did it with the assistance of the swallow. When he was alive, the Happy Prince never thought about the distress and misery of the poor people in the city. After death, he wept on seeing the misery of the city. He fulfilled his desire of helping the needy by requesting the swallow to help him. He was very kind and generous. He gave away all his statue’s jewels and his gold leaf covering to the poor and the needy.

30. ‘Good deeds always pay’. Do you agree? How were the Happy Prince and the swallow paid for their good deeds?

Or

Sacrifice is an important aspect of life elaborate this sentence with reference to 'The Happy Prince.'

Answer: Indeed, good deeds are ever rewarding. At the end of the day, good deeds always pay in one’s life. The facts confirm that mortal life is intended to decay and death and good deeds make one immortal. In life, we get the most extreme satisfaction and internal joy by doing some charitable act or by helping others. In the story, ‘The Happy Prince’, both the happy prince and the swallow were rewarded for their great deeds by God. They found a permanent spot in paradise. The swallow will sing forever in the garden of heaven and the happy prince will live in the city of gold. Therefore, the story instructs us to carry on with an important life by helping those who are in need.

31. ‘Goodness can never be destroyed’. Do you agree? Illustrate with reference to the story “The Happy Prince”.

Answer: Goodness is forever. The happy prince had goodness for all. He was moved by the widespread poverty and misery. He gave his eyes, his gold and gems to poor people. At the point when the swallow died at his feet, his heart broke into two. The statue of the happy prince was no longer valuable and delightful. It was pulled down. When the statue was melted in a heater, the leaden heart did not melt because goodness can never be decimated. The prince and the swallow both were rewarded by God by giving them a spot in paradise.

32. The little swallow was as noble as the Happy Prince. Describe how the swallow played an important role in helping the Happy Prince to carry out his noble deeds?

Answer: Indeed, the little swallow was as noble as the Happy Prince. When swallow rested between the feet of the Happy Prince, he had no feeling of helping others. His quality becomes clear when we noticed tears in his eyes on observing the Happy Prince’s heart aching. He fulfilled his duty with full faithfulness and submission. When he began living with the Prince, he turned out to be more sympathetic towards others. He had a deep feeling of service. He helped the seamstress by bringing her a ruby and fanned the sick boy with his wings. He helped the playwright and the match girl as well. He dismissed his plan to go to Egypt when the Happy Prince became blind. Thus, he played an important role in helping the Happy Prince to carry out his noble deeds. At last, he died and fell down at his feet. 

33. Give a brief Character-sketch of the swallow.

Answer: The little swallow plays a significant role in this story. He was flying to Egypt. His friends were waiting there for him. But his life changed when he met the Happy Prince. The Prince requested him to remain with him for one day more. He agreed. The Prince requested him to take the ruby to the seamstress and the sapphires of his eyes to the young man and the poor girl. The swallow did so with full loyalty. Presently the Prince was blind. So he chose to remain with the Prince. The swallow had a benevolent heart. He fanned the child of the poor lady and gave him comfort. Then winter came. The swallow lived in the snow and had only crumbs to eat yet, he did not leave the Prince. Finally, he could not bear the cold and one day he died at the feet of the Happy Prince.

34. Describe the sufferings of poor people in the city.

Answer: The poor people in the city were miserable. There was a poor seamstress. She was sad and tired. She didn't have anything to give her child, who was ill,  anything to eat except the river water. In another house, there lived a poor playwright. He had no wood to keep himself warm. There was a little match girl. She had no shoes or stockings. There were homeless children. They were hungry and were shivering with cold.

35. Why did the Happy Prince request the swallow to stay for another day?

Answer: The Happy Prince was on a tall column. From that point, he could see the torments of people. He wanted to support the poor. But he was unable to move. He saw a poor seamstress who did not have anything to giver her ill child to eat. He wanted to help her.  Then the Prince saw a play writer. He was attempting to complete a play. But he was feeling very cold. He had no firewood to keep himself warm. The Prince wanted to help him. So he requested the swallow to remain with him for another day.

36. What made the Happy Prince cry?

Answer: The misery and the sorrows of the poor people in the city made the happy Prince cry.

37. What did the angel consider ‘the two most precious things in the city’?

Answer: The angel considered the lead heart and the dead swallow the two most precious things in the city.

38. What was the last wish of the swallow?

Answer: The swallow realized that his end had come. He flew on to the shoulder of the Happy Prince and told, “Wish to kiss your hand.” The Happy Prince said to him to kiss on the lips. He kissed on his lips and then died.

39. Why did the swallow stop in the city? Where did he put up for the night?

Answer: The swallow stopped at the city to break his excursion to Egypt where his companions had just reached. He landed between the feet of the statue of the Happy Prince for a night’s stay.

40. What happened when the little swallow was getting ready to sleep?

Answer: A big drop of water fell on the swallow when he was preparing to sleep. He thought of it as a curious thing since it was a clear, bright, starlit, and cloudless night with no sign of downpour.

41. How did the swallow become the Prince’s eyes?

Answer: The swallow remained back with the blind Prince. He would fly over the city and see its people. He would report their torments and sufferings to the Prince. This way he became the Prince's eyes.

42. The little Swallow grew colder and colder but kept up his determination. How did the bird show his great strength and courage?

Answer: It was winter and the bird grew colder and colder, however, he did not leave the Happy Prince. He would eat crumbs from a baker’s shop and keep himself warm by fluttering his wings. He showed extraordinary quality and courage by remaining with the Happy Prince disregarding the unpleasant cold and the resulting danger to his life.

43. What did the swallow do when he realised that he was going to die? How did the Prince respond?

Answer: On realising that he was going to die, the swallow accumulated his outstanding strength and flew up to the shoulder of the Happy Prince. He bid farewell to him and sought permission to kiss his hand. The Prince thought that he was going to leave for Egypt. The Prince adored the swallow so much that he invited and requested the swallow to kiss him on his lips.

44. Why was a cracking sound heard when the swallow died?

Or

What happened when the little swallow fell down dead at the feet of the Happy Prince?

Answer: The Happy Prince loved the swallow beyond all doubt. So when the bird kissed the Prince and tumbled down dead at his feet, his leaden heart broke into two with a curious splitting sound.

The Happy Prince