The Happy Prince

N: Happy in Service Have you ever heard someone say, 'It's better to give than
receive?' They could have been referring to any number of things: giving a gift,
helping someone at work, or volunteering for a worthy cause.

N: The main character in our short story, The Happy Prince written by Oscar
Wilde, sure thought so. He was willing to give up his greatest possessions for the
benefit of people who were hurting and less fortunate. Let's take a closer look at
this tale involving a princely statue and a friendly swallow.

N: The Statue and the Swallow When our short tale opens, we're introduced to
the Happy Prince, an ornate statue situated high on a pole overlooking the city.
He boasts a sword with a ruby on its handle, sapphires for eyes, and delicate
leaves of gold covering his entire body. The townspeople are proud of the statue
and admire the warmth and beauty that it gives off.

It's springtime in the prince's city, and a group of swallows has moved from one
location and are en route to Egypt, leaving behind one of their own. This
particular swallow, the second protagonist, has fallen in love with a local Reed
bird. They spend all spring and summer together, but their love is short-lived, and
the brokenhearted swallow starts making plans to rejoin his friends.

Meeting the Prince After a solid day of flying, the swallow is exhausted and begins
to look for a place to rest. He happens upon the prince and decides to make his
bed there for the night under the shelter of the statue. Just as he's settling down,
a drop of water falls on him. The swallow is confused; there's not a cloud in the
sky! It's then that he looks up and realizes the eyes of the Happy Prince are filled
with tears.

The swallow is confused. How can the 'Happy Prince' be sad? The prince tells the
bird that he was not acquainted with tears when he was alive because everything
around him was wonderful. Now that he is up high above the city, he can see the
sadness and troubles of the people and his heart is sad.
One night the Happy Prince said to the little Swallow that far away in the little
street, there is a poor house. Through the window he can see a woman seated at
a table. She is embroidering a gown for the Queen's maid of honor. And in the
bed in the corner, there's a little boy, he has fever and asking for oranges but his
mother cannot afford some.

The Happy asked the little swallow that can he bring the ruby out of his sword-hilt
to the old women. The Swallow said that he is awaited in Egypt, he's friend is
flying down the Nile and on the next day they are sleeping on the kings tomb. So
the Happy Prince asked the little Swallow again, if he could stay one night longer
and be he's messenger. The little Swallow said the winter is coming but he will
stay one night longer and be his messenger. He took the ruby and flew to the
poor house, he put the ruby on the table beside the women and fanning the boys
forehead with his wings.

He flew back to the Happy Prince and told him what he had done. He said that he
is quite warm now, and the Happy Prince said because you have done a good
action. And the little Swallow became curious. And then he slept. Thinking always
makes him feel sleepy

Then the swallow said that He will fly to the Egypt tomorrow. But the Happy
Prince didn’t want him to go because he has another favor to him. And the
swallow asked what’s next command. And the Happy Prince said that there is a
Writer who is writing a story but can’t complete it because He was starving and
there is no fire in his room and he stays in a little room on a top of a house. Then
the swallow asked him that what is he gonna do. And the Happy Prince said that
take one of his eyes and bring it to the writer and the swallow was shook and said
that he cannot do that but the prince let him to and the eyes of a Prince is a
precious stone and it was sapphire and he said that it will bring a good life to the
writer. And the swallow said he will bring the sapphire to the writer tomorrow.

And in the next morning the swallow get the sapphire in the prince eye and flew
over the river to the village and flew away to the writer’s house. And he found the
house easily and entered through the hole in the roof. The writer was sitting on
the table with his head down. And the swallow kept the sapphire on the table and
flew away and the writer woke up and looked up the stone. Then the writer
thought that it was came from his reader but little does he not know it was from
the prince. Then the writer was happy from the stone.

And the moon came up the swallow return to the prince and come to say
goodbye to him and he was going to Egypt tomorrow morning

Early the morning, the Mayor and Town councilors noticed the shabby-looking
statue of Happy Prince, where in fact it’s a little better than a beggar.

The Mayor said there is actually a dead bird at his feet. The Town Clerk made a
note suggestion that birds are not to be allowed to die there. The Art Teacher said
that as the statue is no longer beautiful, it is no longer useful. That’s why they
melted the statue of Happy Prince at the furnace to make another statue. A must
have statue, A Statue of Myself. The Town Councilors quarreled. What a strange
thing, said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry.

They threw the lead heart to the dust-heap because it cannot be melted in the
furnace. One of the angel brought the leaden heart and the dead bird as God
requested, they were the two most precious things in the city. The Angel have
rightly chosen those because in His paradise, the little bird shall sing for evermore
and in the city of gold, the Happy Prince shall praise him.