Socratic seminar The Little Prince—period 3
1. In chapter VI the little prince tells the narrator that he once viewed the sunset 44 times in one day,
later saying, “you know, when you’re feeling very sad, sunsets are wonderful…” The sunset
symbolizes the escape from reality that the little prince and the narrator want and need. Almost
everyone has an escape from reality technique that they use when feeling down—listening to
music, jogging, reading or watching sunsets. Yet sometimes we might be so down that these
escapes do not work as with the little prince. What must we do when these escape mechanisms do
not work for us anymore?
2. De Saint-Exupery structures chapter IV to portray the mindset and questions of a child, and
always follows with the questions adults are willing to listen to. ”They never ask questions about
what really matters.” What is the purpose of comparing children to adults? Do you think adults
become no longer interested in anything as they grow older because they stop asking questions
about what truly matters? What does really matter? Have you personally stopped asking those
questions?
3. In chapter V the narrator learns more about the little prince and where he comes from. The little
prince describes to him how small his planet is and how easily his planet can be overpowered by
baobab trees “as tall as churches…” If the little prince does not get rid of the roots of the baobabs
when they are small, then his planet will be conquered by them. Why does the narrator seem to
feel the need to warn others of the baobabs? What do the baobabs symbolize in order to make the
narrator be “inspired by a sense of urgency?”
4. In his travels the little prince comes across a vain man. The characterization of this man’s deep
need to be appreciated and loved symbolizes humans’ flaw of obsession with appearance. How
does the Great Idea of beauty fit in with today’s society? The little prince claims that “vain men
hear nothing but praise.” What about human nature makes it so hard for us to take constructive
criticism? What does it take for us to open up and actually listen to others?
5. “When you look up at the sky at night, since I’ll be living on one of them, since I’ll be laughing on
one of them, for you it will be as if all the stars are laughing.” One of the book’s major themes was
finding true meaning in the world. Do you find meaning in connections made, as the little prince
does? How does having a strong bond impact the way you look at things, just as the stars became a
symbol of the little prince?
6. Chapter XX is a parable about the contradictory and cyclical nature of some people’s actions. In the
book the drunkard explains “[I’m] drinking…to forget that I’m ashamed…of drinking…” Where in
our society can we find these illogical guilty cycles and what do they teach us about human
nature?
7. In chapter XXIV the narrator says of the little prince, “he’s never hungry or thirsty. A little sunlight
is enough for him.” Considering the idea that the little prince represents the inner child, what does
this characterization tell us about what our inner child needs to stay alive? How do we personally
give our inner child “sunlight?”
8. De Saint-Exupery uses the train to create a symbol of man’s inability to appreciate what they have.
After the little prince asks the railway switchman about all the trains he explains that “no one is
ever satisfied where he is.” How does constantly going new places on a train and seeking new
things show how little people appreciate what they already have? Why do people struggle to
choose the things they have over the things they could have?
9. “There’s nothing to understand,” said the lamplighter. “orders are orders.” While the little prince
was trying to find meaning in life, one of the main themes in the book he came across the
lamplighter, who was a symbol of duty. Can meaning be found by performing a duty given to you
by others? Have you ever had a situation in which duty conflicted with having a meaningful life?
10. The start of chapter XXIV is full of desperation and frustration because they were out of water to
drink. Even though de Saint-Exupery started with a tone of the two walking for hours dreaming of
the well they might never find, the little prince was able to show the narrator how “the desert is
beautiful” and switches the tone into appreciation for the well. This story allowed a fable with the
meaning that the more you want something, the more you appreciate it when you have it. Do you
have something you appreciate? How does the desire for an item become so grand that one can
find beauty in it? Is this “beauty” a real form of outward appearance or a form of love?
11. The little prince meets a salesclerk in chapter XXIII who is selling thirst quenching pills. The clerk
says that these pills can save a person 53 minutes a week. The little prince says in response, “if I
had 53 minutes to spend as I liked, I’d walk very slowly towards a water fountain.” What is the
author trying to symbolize with the use of the thirst quenching pills? What symbolic message is
delivered when the prince mentions walking towards a well?
12. Throughout the allegory that is The Little Prince, de Saint-Exupery uses the little prince’s flower
and other flowers as symbols. Given that a unique flower amongst others symbolizes our gift
(what we are particularly good at) why does the little prince weep after remembering that, “his
flower had told him she was the only one of her kind,” and noticing that, “…[there] were five
thousand of them, all just alike, in just one garden!”? Furthermore, why do we, as humans, so
desperately seek to be unique or to find something of ourselves to express that is unparalleled?
13. Throughout the book, adults are criticized for their ways. Whether it be by the little prince or
other adults the adults are always in the wrong. The railway switchman agrees that, “only the
children know what they’re looking for” and he is envious. Is it the complexity of the “real world”
which children are sheltered from that causes adults to live life aimlessly, not knowing what
they’re searching for? Does the simplicity of a child’s mind allow them to clearly see what they
want in life? How would thinking like a child help adults?
14. In chapter XVIII the little prince meets a flower with three petals who tells him about her
impressions of the humans on earth, “you never know where to find them. The wind blows them
away. They have no roots, which hampers them a good deal.” How do we not have “roots” and
what is that doing to our society?
Socratic seminar The Little Prince—period 4
1. In chapter XIV the little prince meets a lamplighter whose job is to light and unlight a lamp every
minute without ever sleeping. When the little prince asks the lamplighter why he does this absurd
action, the lamplighter replies, “orders.” When the little prince tries to understand why he’s
following these orders the lamplighter responds, “orders are order.” What might the lamplighter
symbolize in terms of people on earth? What is the author trying to argue regarding why we do
things?
2. In chapter XXIII the little prince meets a salesclerk trying to sell pills that can quench thirst.
However the prince seems to not value the time he saves from the pill, stating, “If I had fifty three
minutes to spend as I liked, I’d walk very slowly toward a water fountain. If the fountain
symbolizes happiness, does this mean the time that we put into achieving happiness is crucial to
adding value to it? If you had an extra hour, what would you do?
3. From the beginning of chapter XVI the narrator begins listing numbers of drunkards, vain men,
kings and geographers, professions and traits the prince has just witnessed as “very strange.” De
Saint-Exupery, however, develops almost a satiric tone, throwing out numbers of these types of
people, only to conclude, “in other words, about two billion grownups.” Why does he underscore
the ridiculousness of adult lives so greatly in this book? Do you view adults the same way? Do you
think that all adults behave more or less like the adult characters in the book? What are some
things adults do that refute Exupery’s judgment.
4. In chapter II the narrator meets the little prince for the first time and is asked to draw him a sheep.
The author is reluctant to draw the sheep at first and says, “my career as a painter was
discouraged at the age of six by grownups and I had never learned to draw anything except boa
constrictors, outside and inside.” Is it common for grownups to undermine someone or
something’s potential because it seems like it won’t be successful in the long run? What is de St.Exupery trying to convey about what changes in the transition from our childhood years to
adulthood?
5. On the last two pages of the novel an empty landscape is drawn alongside the narrator’s last
words. He says, “if you pass by here, I beg you not to hurry past. Wait a little, just under the star!
Then if a child comes to you, if he laughs, if he has golden hair, if he doesn’t answer your questions,
you’ll know who he is.” How is the tone of this excerpt different from that of the rest of the book
and what does this show about the narrator’s ability to embrace the mystery of life rather than
trying to understand it Why do we, as humans, constantly try to understand every aspect of our
lives and should we live like this?
6. In chapter XXI the little prince meets a fox whose main wish is to be tamed so he can be different
from all of the other foxes. After being tamed the fox tells the prince that he will weep but it is
okay because he felt happiness and now he will always remember the prince. Seeing how the fox
acted made me wonder: how much pain will we endure for a little bit of happiness and the
memory of friendship?
7. In chapter XXV the narrator and the little prince finally discover the drinking well in the desert.
The well in the desert is a symbol of the silver lining in every tough situation. Drinking the cold
sweet water, the narrator realizes what he was looking for and how little he needs for happiness.
What people think is a necessity is not always what they are looking for. What is it, then, what you
are looking for and how do you know if you have found it?
8. In chapter VIII, the author uses imagery to thoroughly describe the little prince’s flower. He goes
on to describe how the flower is vain and acts like a diva. This attitude annoyed the little prince.
But the prince later realizes his appreciation for his flower, and the fact that it perfumed his
planet. “I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words.” In our lives many
people take things for granted. How can we learn about appreciation? Can we always gain good
things from negative people?
9. In chapter XV, the little prince meets a geographer on the sixth planet with whom he engages in
conversation. The author uses tone to express his opinion about people with meaningless
professions. The author argues in this scene that it is more important to experience life rather
than observe life through others and merely record it as the geographer does. Is it better to have
knowledge and safety or is it better to have firsthand experience?
10. In chapter V the narrator and the little prince discuss the baobab trees. De Saint-Exupery uses the
baobabs as a symbol for problems in real life. He implies that we must take care of problems while
they are still small rather than letting them get too big. Is there ever a time when it is better to
push off a problem rather than confronting it when you first become aware of it?
11. In chapter IX the little prince carefully rakes his volcanoes, put his rose under glass and essentially
tidies up his planet before he leaves. What does each symbol represent in terms of kids leaving
their own household when they become old enough? Especially the part about how, when he
uproots the baobab trees, he believes he will “never be coming back.” Is leaving our “planet” an
inescapable path to growing up?
12. The prince learns about “taming” from the fox who explains that what makes something special is
your connection to it. Do you agree that what makes something important is the personal
connection you have with it? In our lives what kind of factors help us decide what is important?
13. After recounting his great adventure, the narrator concludes his story in chapter XXVII by
pondering what happened to the rose and the sheep, eventually stating “It’s all al great mystery”
(83). De Saint-Exupery’s style of rhetorical questioning prompts the reader to hypothesize about
the unknown. Without concrete answers, how DO we know what our lives are all about? Can you
ever be satisfied without knowing the truth about life?
14. When the prince becomes friends with the fox, the fox tells him, “the only things you learn are the
things you tame.” What is the message here about relationships? How do you characterize
friendship and why do you think we need it in our everyday lives?
15. In IV, the narrator tells a fable about the Turkish astronomer who saw the asteroid that the little
prince lived on. No one believed him until he wore European clothes. Give an example of a time
you were treated this way based on your appearance alone. Why do you think people judge other
people based only on their appearance? Why might appearance affect our judgment of someone’s
intellectual ability?
16. In chapter X the little prince meets the king who is characterized as a person who demands power
over all things, even simple things: “Come on, yawn again! It’s an order!” Why is it that people
strive for power over things? Does the urge for power relate to age? To gender?
17. The king that the little prince meets in chapter X knows he must give reasonable commands to his
“subjects” in order for it not to be his fault when a subject cannot accomplish the tasks he gives
(such as turning into a seagull). Is de Saint-Exupery making connections to the politics and
governments of his era? (1940s) In what ways have historic and modern governments become
corrupt and taken advantage of their authority?
Socratic seminar The Little Prince—period 6
1. In chapter XX the little prince was shocked when he encountered a garden of roses. “I thought I
was rich because I had just one flower, and all I own is an ordinary rose.” The rose, a recurring
symbol, represents a special detail the prince holds close to himself and signifies the special
passion found in us all. Why, then, was he saddened by the idea of finding hundreds like his own?
How does this parallel to us, discovering at a young age, that we also are not the only ones with a
certain passion? However, what makes our “rose” different from someone else’s and not just
“ordinary?” How can one person’s passion for music be different and still be held more strongly to
themselves than another person’s passion for music (feel free to substitute your own example of
something you are passion about)?
2. In Chapter XVIII the little prince speaks with a flower in the desert. In their simple dialogue the
flower says, “the wind blows [people] away. They have no roots, which hampers them a good
deal.” I believe that what the flower is saying is that nothing in a person’s life is static, therefore
nothing is 100% reliable. This can easily be seen in the reflection of any person’s life. Do you
believe it is a good thing or a bad thing that change is prevalent in our lives?
3. In chapter XXI we read about the prince’s encounter with the fox and about how they tame each
other. The fox explains to the prince the importance of forming ties with others. How does the
dialogue between the fox and the boy enhance the themes of the story (meaning of life,
relationships)? Pay special attention to the line, “one sees clearly only with the heart. Anything
essential is invisible to the eyes.” In what ways have we been tamed? How does being tamed/loved
add meaning to our lives?
4. “People where you live,” the little prince said in chapter XXV, “grow five thousand roes in one
garden…yet they don’t find what they’re looking for…yet what they’re looking for could be found
in a single rose or a little water…” Is the tone with which the little prince talks about these things, a
reflection on humanity on how we try to look for perfection when it’s right in front of us? The well,
for example, the gift t it gave to both the little prince and the pilot was almost joyous, was a kind of
perfection. How can we perceive the value in the little things in life and what difference might that
make to our happiness and sense of meaning?
5. Chapter IX depicts the little prince’s departure from his home planet and his sadness in leaving his
comfortable life behind. The flower is very upset that he is leaving, while the little prince does not
seem to understand his emotions. If his flower is a metaphor for adult relationships and
connections that are difficult for children to understand, then how does the little prince represent
a childlike lack of articulation of emotion? Do you think that there are some instances that can’t be
approached with the mindset and simplicity of the little prince? Give a few real world examples.
6. In chapter XIV the little prince is introduced to a man who relentlessly lights and puts out his
lamp, because “orders are order.” How does the author’s characterization of the lamp lighter allow
not only the prince, but the readers to sympathize with the lamp lighter? Why are we prone to feel
sympathy of those who sacrifice themselves for the sake of duty or orders? Does this sympathy
provide incentive to follow orders for those given them?
7. As the little prince travels from planet to planet, he finds a businessman who claims that he owns
the stars and they make him rich. The businessman says that his counting of the stars is of great
consequence; he was peeved when the little prince disturbed him. The prince asks why being rich
is good and businessman tells him that it allows him to buy even more stars. The prince
comments, “It is of some use to my volcanoes and it is of some use to my flower that I own them.
But you are of no use to the stars…,” leaving the businessman speechless. Is de Saint-Exupery
using this short fable to comment on our own obsession with wealth or our greed? Is he trying to
make us see which of our possessions are truly valuable and what makes them valuable?
8. The question the author poses in chapter XIX is, why do people have the desire for some kind of
interaction? Why is it that humans aren’t happy when they are alone? “Let’s be friends. I’m lonely,”
says the fox. This makes you wonder, why do we seek for something outside of ourselves for joy
and comfort? When we are children we don’t need anything other than ourselves to have fun. Do
you think that the older we get the less we want to be alone with our thoughts?
9. During chapter XXIII the little prince meets a salesperson who sells pills that quench thirst. The
prince declares that saving seven minutes a day is ridiculous and he would take the extra time “to
walk very slowly toward a water fountain.” Through this dialogue one sees how grown ups are
always trying to save time. Why do they want to do this? If you had an extra hour each day, how
would you spend it?
10. In chapter I the narrator expresses that he had been “disheartened by the failure of my drawing.”
It is clear that his attitude is negative. Would you be disheartened if someone told you that you
weren’t good at something you love doing? Would you try harder, practice more or be inclined to
give it up?
11. In chapter V the pilot tells readers about the little prince’s experience while visiting a planet
inhabited by a drunkard. The little prince asked the drunkard why he drank and the drunkard
explained to the little prince that it was to forget that he was ashamed of drinking. Through this
short dialogue de Saint-Exupery again criticizes his fellow adults and their mindsets by illustrating
a man whose life went in a circle/never ending cycle. De Saint-Exupery does not show the
drunkard escaping this cycle. Do you think this is because he does not believe it is possible for the
drunkard to escape such a life? If you were in that situation, do you think you would be able to
escape? Explain.
12. In chapter XXIII, when offered pills that quench thirst and save time, the little prince says “If I had
fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked…I’d walk very slowly toward a water fountain.” To me the
thirst represents the quest for knowledge. In my view the thirst pills represent knowledge or
wisdom the salesclerk is willing to give, but the quote by the little prince shows that even if he had
his thirst quenched or found knowledge he would still go to seek more knowledge. What kind of
knowledge might the pills represent and what kind might the walk to the fountain represent?
What kind do you seek? Why?
13. In chapter XXIV the narrator runs out of water and needs to find some quickly. The narrator and
the prince decide to set out and find a well. Through their dialogue they decide that the desert is a
beautiful place because “it hides a well somewhere.” At face value, the desert is not a great place to
be , but if one looks deeper, they can find something that is truly beautiful, such as a well when in
need of water. The same can be applied to our lives today. You can look at someone and they may
not be physically pleasing, but “it is only a shell. What’s important is invisible…” Explain this quote
and relate it to MVHS and our students, classes and teachers.
14. In chapter XXV the narrator finds a well and lets the prince drink. He notices that the journey had
made the water become more valuable. He thinks that the well is “born of our walk beneath the
stars, of the song of the pulley, of the effort of my arms.” The well is a symbol of success for the
narrator. Do you believe success has to be earned through hard work? What do you think about
people that gain success through cheating?
15. In chapter XVI the little prince visits his seventh planet, the earth. He gives statistics about how
many kings, vain men, drunkards, geographers, businessmen and lamplighters live here (two
billion). He conveys that the earth is full of people who are focused on making a meaning for
themselves. Why do you think humans want to find meaning? And why does what matters to some
people not matter to other people?