UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Class A06/4 - Group 6

Thái Lê Thanh Thủy

Trần Như Phượng

Phùng Bảo Liên

Vũ Thị Bích Hà

Bùi Nguyễn Thanh Trúc

Trần Kiến Huy

Bùi Lê Huỳnh

Thesis statement

Through the action of the swallow and the prince

in “THE HAPPY PRINCE”, the author says you can

get happy when helping the poor, sharing the

difficulties with them.

Outlines

1 The happiness of the swallow is shown through helping and sharing

difficulties with the poor.

1.1 The recognizing about happiness of swallow is changing. After bringing

happiness to the poor, he feels warmly and happily

1.1.1 The happiness is shown through the event that the swallow bring the

ruby to the seamstress.

1.1.2 The happiness is increasing after the swallow takes the rare

sapphires to the young man in a garret.

1.2 The happiness of helping the poor makes the swallow decided to not fly to

Egypt because he thinks that helping the poor happier than flying to the

Egypt.

1.2.1 The happiness is strongly shown through the action that the bird

have to take the other eye of the prince to the match-girl.

1.2.2 The most happiness is shown that the swallow are volunteer to be

eyes of the picture, stayed with him and done what he commands.

2 The happiness is shown (through) by the action that the prince sacrifice

himself to help and to share the difficulty with the poor.

2.1 The happiness is shown that the prince is hurt that he can not help and

share the difficulty with the poor is decreased.

2.1.1 The happiness is shown through the action that the prince begs to the

swallow to bring the ruby to the seamstress.

2.1.2 The happiness is shown through the action that the prince require the

swallow stay with him one night longer to bring the sapphires to the young

man in a garret.

2.2 The happiness is something coming to the Prince when the poor feels

happy. It means that the prince will be happy whenever the poor feels

happy.

2.2.1 The happiness is shown through the action that the prince coming

out the swallow to pluck out the other eye and give it to the match girl. Helping

and sharing the difficulty with the poor is happier than seeing.

2.2.2 The happiness is shown through the action that the prince command

the swallow to take the gold off, leaf by leaf, and give it to “his poor”.

Trần Kiến Huy

The happiness of the swallow is shown through helping and sharing

difficulties with the poor. Firstly, the recognizing about happiness of swallow is

changing and increasing step by step. At the first of story, the happy prince and the

swallow meet together in a special situation. The swallow wants to find

somewhere to sleep, and he finds a statue on the tall column. When he is going to

sleep, some drop of water fell on his head and wing. He is very surprised because

it doesn’t rain at that time. Finally he recognizes that is tear drop down from happy

prince statue. Then the swallow naturally asks why the prince has quite drenched

him. After that, the prince explains why he cries. He is so sad when seeing the

difficulty of the seamstress day by day but he can’t do anything for her. Meeting

the swallow is the chance for the Happy Prince to solve that issue. So the Prince

offers the swallow to bring the ruby to the seamstress and her boy. However, the

swallow doesn’t accept as he is in his migration to Egypt, so he answers the Happy

Prince that “I don’t think I like the boy”. But the prince adjures the swallow so

long such as “Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you not stay with me for one

night, and be my messenger ?”. It shows that the Happy Prince is too sad because

he can’t do anything to the poor and the swallow is the only hope so he is unable

to be lost this chance. So the little swallow reluctant to accept to stay one night to

be his messenger. The swallow says that “It is very cold here but I will stay with

you for one night, and be your messenger.” Then the swallow picks out the great

ruby from the prince’s sword and fly away with it in his beak over the cathedral

tower where the white marble angels were sculptured, the palace and hearing the

sound of dancing…At last he comes to the seamstress’s house and looks in. “The

boy is tossing feverishly on his bed, and his mother has fallen asleep, she was so

tired. In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman’s

thimble”. After helping the seamstress, the swallow flies back to the prince and

talks what he has done. Although it is very cold, he feels quite warm and curious.

And it is the first time the swallow has that feeling. It shows that the swallow feels

so warm because he can help the seamstress and sharing the difficulty with her. It

shows that before bringing the ruby to the seamstress, the swallow doesn’t know

anything about “Happiness of helping and sharing with the poor” and he becomes

the messengers because of the happy prince’s adjure. However, after doing that, he

has a strange and warm feeling. After bringing happiness to the poor, he feels

warmly and happily. Happiness makes him feel so warm.

Phùng Bảo Liên

The happiness is more increasing through the action which the swallow

takes the rare sapphire to the young man in a garret. After bringing the ruby to the

seamstress, the swallow feels warmly and happy. He still wants to fly to Egypt

because he is in his migration and he is in high spirit at that prospect. The next

day, the swallow is going to say goodbye to the prince. But the Happy Prince begs

the swallow to stay with him more night. The Happy Prince is so sad when seeing

the difficulty of “the young man in a garret”. He wants to share his rare sapphire

on one of his eyes to that man. However, the swallow doesn’t accept that

command because he is in his migration to Egypt and this also makes happy prince

lost his eye. So he answers the Happy Prince that “I’m waited for in Egypt”. But

the prince commands the swallow to stay with him one more night to be his

messenger and take “his eye to the poor”. It fact that touched into small swallow’s

heart a strongly sympathy and it accepts to stay one night to do that mission.

Spending flying through small poor streets, the small swallow is easy to get in his

house through a hole in the roof, and it sees the young man in the poor and cold

garret. He had his head buried in his hands and hunger has made him faint while

there is no fire in the grate. On the table is the play that he is trying to finish for the

Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold to write any more. The small swallow

gently put the rare sapphire down, and also gently flapping his wings to go out.

The young man after that waked up and found the beautiful sapphire lying on the

withered violets. “This is from some great admirer. Now I can finish my play”, he

said. No far away from that, the small swallow view all, and his heart seems also

singing the same melody with the young man’s singing. The small swallow,

himself at that time, feels relatively clear how the happy is when helping that

young man, and he is pleasure as his immediate and valuable action helps the

young man out with a rare sapphire to buy food and firewood and escape from

hunger and coldness. This also shows that the small swallow did change its

thinking which used to be selfish, always think about happiness as personal

satisfaction and inconsiderate like the happy prince. From the first time the

swallow did not intend to help the happy prince to distribute his precious jewels to

the poor and was eager to fly to Egypt. However, until now it is that the Happy

Prince's action makes him moving and sympathetic to the compassionate prince as

well as the need. These helping and sharing actions also create a profound

friendship between the small swallow and the happy prince together make a

difference in the lives of the unfortunately people. The small swallow help the

happy prince do all things he can do to help the poor, which in turn helps him find

the happiness. His worthy actions make him realize what is happiness and he is

willing to share this happiness with the poor even when he must sacrifice all the

valuable possessions.

Bùi Nguyễn Thanh Trúc

The beginning of the paragraph is the image “Swallow in the winter”,

which  reminds me a lot of thinking and meaningful. This is also a prediction

about the fate of little Swallow, perhaps the Swallow will pass away because of

the cold of winter. Why the Swalllow stays that place; because of the beautiful

scenery or another reason? According to tradition, when the winter returns , the

swallow quickly leave the cold north to fly the south, enjoying the warm sunshine.

So the Swallow shows that his happiness is going to Egypt and meeting his friends

at present. ““To-night I go to Egypt” said the Swallow, and he was in high spirits

at the prospect”. When the swallow says goodbye with the Happy Prince, Happy

Prince implore the Swallow for staying and bringing the sapphire of the Happy

prince ‘s eye to hepling the young man finish his play. The swallow mentions

many reasons to refuse Happy Prince as well as convince actually himself to go to

Egypt. “I am waited for in Egypt”, answered the Swallow. “To-morrow my

friends with fly up to the Second Cataract. The river-horse couches there among

the the bulrushes, and on a great granite throne sits the good Memnon...”. The

last the Swallow also stays that place. The tears are appeared again in the story, the

swallow ‘s tears. Firstly, Happy Prince cries for the suffering of the poor. Nextly,

the swallow cries for the lofty sacrifice of the Happy Prince. The Swallow seems

to realize gradually that the happiness is not going to Egypt but also stay with the

Happy Prince to help the poor. The first time, when the Swallow bring to give the

woman the ruby, he looks around not focusing on this. Bringing the ruby for the

woman is his promise to the Happy Prince. But the this time, the swallow shows

that it is his reposibility. The Happy Prince's action, sacrifying the eyes; makes the

Swallow delay his migration and stay one night longer. The Swallow goes

straightly to the home of the young man without looking around. The beautiful

sence does not attract to Swallow, does not it? No, the Swallow thinks that the

Happy Prince will be happy as young man receiving the sapphire. For the

Swallow; definition of the happiness is widened. And when the Swallow

regconizes the happiness of the writer receiving the sapphire. Definition of the

happiness is wider and wider when the Swallow feels the happiness of the writer;

seeming affecting the Swallow. The authors do not use a sentence or a paragraph

to describe the feeling of the Swallow when returning as the above. But we can see

that thought and action of the swallow has changed. Besides going to Egypt,

hepling Happy Prince and the poor is also the happiness of the Swallow. The

Swallow changing and sympathetic to the compassionate prince as well as the

needy. In the next days, the Swallow still determinds to stay with the Happy

Prince and finally stays over winter with the blind prince and even sacrifices his

life in the icy winter. The Swallow  deeply felt happy about helping the poor. The

image of the Swallow makes me feel deeply about the happiness. We should do

something to help the poor community around us.

Bùi Lê Huỳnh

The most happiness is shown that the swallow volunteer to be the eyes of

the prince, stayed with him and done what he comment. At first, the Swallow does

not want to do what Happy Prince commands because he thinks that he was late

six weeks to Egypt and he will be happy when flying up and down the Nile,

talking to the large lotus flowers, sleeping in the tomb of the great King… After

the Swallow agrees to help Happy Prince bring the ruby, and helps the boy by

fanning the boy's forehead with his wings even he doesn’t like boys. He feels quite

warm now, although it is so cold. I thinks that is happy and the Swallow has just

realized something new that is not be define now, but may be happy. The second

night, the Swallow still doesn’t want to help Happy Prince because he will be

happy when he flies up to the Second Cataract, watches the stars… The Swallow

doesn’t feel like the first day. I think because the Swallow does as Happy Prince

commands. The third night, the Swallow must go to Egypt, because it is winter but

the Swallow still does as Happy Prince commands. I think he will not happy here

when do as Happy Prince commands, but something is changing in the Swallow

because the Swallow decides to stay with Happy Prince always. The Swallow

wants to be the eyes of Happy Prince, and he tells a lot of interested things such as

the Nile, the Sphinx, the King of the Mountains of the Moon… He thinks it will

make Happy Prince happy, but Happy Prince wants to know about the suffering of

men and of women. So the Swallow flies over the great city and so a lot of things

more marvellous. At this time, the Swallow volunteers to do what Happy Prince

commands, and he tries to do the best because he have not much time. The more

he helps the happier he gets. The Swallow does not want to fly to Egypt now, and

does not want to fly up and down the Nile, watch the stars, or catch gold fish…It

now are not the happiness of the Swallow. He stays with Happy Prince and finds

that he is happy in here. He does many things that never has he done before. I

think he thinks it does not know about the suffering of men and of women, when

the Swallow realizes the suffering. He volunteers to help the poor, sharing the

difficulties with them. It must be the most happiness of the Swallow because the

Swallow abandons to fly to Egypt where a lot of things will make he feels happy,

but he stay with Happy Prince and do what he commands even if he does like to

do such as he does not like the boys, he will be death here if stay any longer. At

last the Swallow go to the House of Death, but he still not regret about what he

does because he can leave when the weather get colder but he does not, and that

must the most happiness of the Swallow.

Vũ Thị Bích Hà

In our life, people get happiness in different ways. For some people,

happiness comes from having stable jobs with high salary, or ideal sweetheart, and

others achieve happiness when they overcome challenges in their life, and so on. It

is happiness that impacts every facet in their life, so happy people are generally

more productive and more successful. In my point of view, the real meaning of

happiness is enjoying simple bliss of life every day, bringing happiness to

everyone around, and making an effort to pursue goals. And in "The Happy

Prince" true happiness is the prince's palace live on “When I was alive and had a

human heart, I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the palace, where

sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the day time I played with my companions in

the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the great hall”. And when he

ended the lives of everyone he has been honored as king and see him happy,

evidenced by the wall of gold happy prince erected in the city and majestic praise

to the people. Covered with gold on his eyes made of rubies he shall also have

sword he wore attached ruby. Everybody who look up to admire the statue and a

floating population in cities with the child uttered a solid ” Why can’t you be like

the happy prince? Asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the

moon.” The happy prince never dreams of crying for anything”. In the eyes of

people happy prince statue is admired . By using the method of personification

author of the statue as a real image through the King statue in tears. “ One drop

fell” and “ then another drop fell” and “ a third drop fell, and he looked up, and

saw”. Is he truly happy? That is the question the reader will put out, the fact that

he is not happy, happiness, happiness is referred to earlier when he was alive

longer as moderate as he stood statue is seen countless people suffering, but he did

not can help them, he knew only watched them helpless. until small swallow

appears. Swallow appeared as messengers of happy prince. And through the story

the author's use of personification swallow talk to the statue. Swallow is going to

be happy to fly to Egypt and enjoy the warmth but word of the prince felt energy.

“ Swallow, swallow, swallow, will you not stay with me for one night, and be my

messenger ?the boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad” and “the swallow picked

out the great ruby from the prince sword”. In the past, when he was alive, he is a

selfish prince who seeks only to give and receive pleasure. He shut himself in his

palace from those who really need his help. Live in upper class, he never looked

down lower class to see what life they led, what difficulties they had in, what

kinds of dreams that they wish for and what they are suffering. Now after his

death, when people built it high above the mast, he had a chance to see the pain,

sorrow, suffering, poverty, ugliness and suffering of the poor and poor people

around. His heart was full of pity led, love and compassion. But it was too late.

How he can help others while he can not move and no power? Contrary to the

past, although he was a young prince and a powerful and easy to use their rights to

help the poor, he never let them take care of those who lived outside the palace.

Now, he is a statue and he has no way to help the poor but gradually losing

precious jewelry, beauty of their sacrifices. All his actions are worth the costs you

pay for being selfish and neglected duty of care to the poor. When you buy one, all

his actions deserve to repair his bad behavior and compensate for its wrong

doings. The Happy Prince doing everything he can to help the poor, thus helping

him find true happiness. worthy of his actions make him realize what happiness

really is and he is willing to share real happiness with the poor even if he must

sacrifice all of the property value. worthy of his actions earned him a place in

Heaven. It is a reward in exchange for what he did. In conclusion, the real

meaning of happiness is enjoying simple bliss of life everyday, bringing happiness

to everyone around, and making an effort to pursue goals. Happiness is in our

hand if we really know how to make our life bright, and beautiful. In addition,

happiness always exists around us, and it is significant whether we can recognize

its presence or not. In life, we always hope happiness

Thái Lê Thanh Thủy

The happiness is also shown though the action that the prince require the

swallow stay with him one night to bring the sapphires to the young man in a

garret and the match-girl. Happy Prince is a beautiful statue, he accepts to blind to

help the poor to have a happy and sufficient life. When he was a young and

powerful prince, he never cared for them who just lived outside his palace, he live

in rich and enjoy happy with sufficient life in palace. Now, he is a statue and he

has no way to help the poor but gradually take off valuable jewels, ruby,

sapphires…with helping of the swallow. The happiness is shown though the action

that the Prince don’t beg but require the swallow stay with him more one night to

bring the sapphires to the young man in a garret an the match-girl. At this time, the

Happy Prince can share difficulty with the poor and help them escape from hunger

and coldness easier because of volunteer of the swallow. Before, great sacrifice of

Prince, the swallow see his kindness when Prince sacrifice his eyes and accept to

blind to bring happy for the poor. The swallow can’t take his eyes but it delays his

migration in order to decide to stay with Prince forever and ready help Prince to

bring two sapphires for a young man and match-girl. Now, helping and sharing

the difficulty with the poor from accepting cold winter of the swallow as well as

sacrifice the valuable things that bring happiness for the poor. They can buy the

food and do what they desire and have a sufficient life make Prince realize it’s real

happiness even though he lost valuable possessions. When the poor don’t feel

hungry and live a comfortable life, the Prince also feel real happiness. They don’t

worry about what trouble they are in, what misery they are suffering that he is

willing to share with the poor. The story ends and leaves behind a feeling of

happiness. Although the Happy Prince is no longer a beautiful work of art but a

grey statue, he is now enjoying real happiness in return for his worthy actions in

the Heaven.

Trần Như Phượng

There are some poverty need the help, and they appear in the vision of the

Prince make he have to be touched with pity. The little matching-girl is standing in

the square, this place fall into the view of the Prince. In the severe cold of winter,

she has no shoes or stocking even nothing to wear in her little head. What a pitiful

girl! She is crying because she has no money and once she comes home, her father

will beat her. That day maybe was one of misfortune day of the little girl. She cries

more enough to get attention of the Prince, and so he feels compassion for her

circumstances. The Prince make a brave decision when he asked the swallow help

him to pluck out jewel from his other eye. The Prince had a life full of happiness

and it is too happiness that he did not know the difficulty of the people around

him. He was really like a blind when he lived. And now he feels so sorry to his

citizen, he would compensate them for helping some worth jewel. However, the

Prince now only have the jewel in one eye, so he would rather become a blind than

see the pitiful girl appearing in his view. But the swallow denies to help him

because it is afraid of the Happy Prince will be blind. “Do as I command you” the

Prince said to the swallow with strongly determined without any hesitation. His

voice has both a command and an imploration that persuade the swallow help him

right away. The swallow feels great admiration for the Happy Prince’s action, then

he plucked out the Prince’s other eye and brings it to the little girl. The little girl is

still crying now, but her tears full of happiness. She cried because she has jewel to

give her father and she can come home right away. Although the Happy Prince is a

blind now, but he can hear the sound around him. He can hear the girl crying when

she catches the jewel from the swallow. He can hear the girl’s tear – the happy tear

– drop down, and then he can hear the girl laughing. She laughs with numberless

happiness. With all the sounds from the girl that the Prince heard, the feeling of

doing a meaningful thing makes him full of happiness. Now he can share some

difficulties to the little match-girl, one of his citizens. The action of Happy Prince

shows him a thing that he never knows before, it is “helping and sharing the

difficulty with the poor is happier than seeing”.