SEBA Class 9 English Supplementary Reader Chapter 5: The Happy Prince--- Oscar Wilde All Questions & Answers
The Happy Prince
ADDITIONAL QUESTION ANSWER
Important Questions and Answers
Q.1. “I have a golden bed-room.” Who is the speaker? How does he have a golden bed room?
Answer: The Swallow is the speaker.
The friends of the Swallow had gone away to Egypt. He had been left alone in the city of the Happy Prince. His friends had left six weeks before. After six weeks he too wanted to go to Egypt. All day long he flew and at night came to the city. Then he thought where he would stay for the night. The town seemed making preparation. Then he saw the statue of the Happy Prince on the tall column. He cried with joy and decided to put up there. It seemed to him a fine position with plenty of fresh air. So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince. Looking around he saw the body of the Prince gilted with thin leaves of gold and said that he had a golden bed-room.
Q.2. “Why are you weeping then? You have quite drenched me.” Why and when does the Swallow say this?
Answer: The Swallow had alighted between the feet of the Happy Prince. He was pleased to get a golden bed-room and prepared to go to sleep. Just as the Swallow was putting his head under his wings a large drop of water fell on him. He was surprised because the sky was clear and stars were shining brightly. He was astonished thinking how it could rain without cloud in the sky. Then another drop fell.
The Swallow decided to fly away to seek shelter under some good chimney top. But before he had opened his wings a third drop fell. The Swallow looked up and saw that the eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears and tears were running down his golden cheeks. The face of the Happy Prince appeared so beautiful in moonlight that the Swallow was filled with pity. The Swallow wanted to know who he was. The Happy Prince gave his identity. Just then the Swallow uttered the above quoted lines. He asked out of astonishment thinking how and why a prince could shed tears.
Q.3. Give a description of the seamstress and her son.
Answer: The seamstress is an widow who lives in a poor house in the city. Her face is thin and worn out and her hands are coarse and red, all pricked by needles. She is embroidering flowers on a satin gown for the lovliest of the Queen’s maids of honour. Her little boy is lying ill in a bed in the corner of the room. He has a fever and asking his mother to give him oranges. But the poor mother had nothing but the river water to give him. So the boy was crying. The Happy Prince was moved by the misery of the mother and the son and sends the ruby for the seamstress.
The Swallow happed in the room of the seamstress. He laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman’s thimble. Then he flew gently round the bed. He fanned the boy’s forehead with his wings. The boy uttered that he felt very cool and hoped that he would be getting better. Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince.
Q.4. What did the Swallow see and hear in course of his flight to the house of the seamstress? Why did he go there?
Answer: The Swallow flew away from the feet of the Happy Prince. He flew away over the roofs of the town. He passed by the cathedral tower and saw the white marble angels sculptured on it. He then passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. A beautiful girl was seen coming out on the balcony with her lover. She said that her dress would be ready in time for the state ball. She was also heard saying that she had ordered flowers to be embroidered on the dress. But she blamed the seamstress as a lazy one.
Q.5. How did the Swallow serve the Happy Prince? How did he die?
Answer: The Swallow practically executed (কামত পৰিনত কৰা) the wishes of the Happy Prince who could not move. The Swallow delivered the ruby to the seamstress and the sapphires to the playwright and the match girl. He narrated to him the suffering of the people in the city. As desired by the Prince he picked up and delivered the gold leaves to the children who needed them so urgently. His service pleased the Prince and those whom he served by delivering the jewels and the gold leaves.
Finally the Happy Prince asked the Swallow to fly away to Egypt. He was growing colder and colder. But he refused to go. Kissing the hands and lips of the prince he went to the house of Death and lay between the Prince’s feet?
Q.6. Why was the statue of the Happy Prince pulled down? What happened to it?
Answer: The Happy Prince had given away the jewels and gold on his body. The statue then appeared ugly and no better than a beggar. The Mayor and the councillor noticed the shabby statue. The Art Professor at the University remarked that as the statue was no longer beautiful, it was no longer beautiful. So the statue was pulled down.
Then the statue was melted in a furnace. But to the astonishment of the workmen at the foundry the broken lead heart of the statue did not melt. So it was thrown on a dust heap where the dead Swallow was also lying.
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Think about it
1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince”? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?
Ans: The courtiers called the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ because he had seen no sorrow and suffering during his sheltered life inside the palace and so lived a happy, contented life devoid of any tears. No, now, after his death, as a statue overlooking his city, he is no longer happy. In fact he is so sad, that even though his heart is made of lead, he weeps.
From his position on a high pedestal he can see the ugliness of his city and the misery and sorrow that engulfs his people.
2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress ? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house ?
Ans: The Happy Prince saw from his pedestal that a thin and worn looking seamstress, with coarse and pricked hands, was busy working flowers into a gown, while her little son lay ill in one corner. He was asking his mother for oranges but being too poor she had nothing to give him but river water. The Happy Prince thus felt sorry for her and wanted to help. So he asked the swallow to take her a ruby from his sword by which she would be able to come out of her misery.
In the seamstress’ house the swallow saw that the woman was asleep and the boy was suffering with high fever. He hopped in and lay the ruby on the table beside the sleeping woman’s thimble He then flew round the sick boy’s bed and fanned his forehead with his wings.
3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why ?
Ans: The Happy Prince sent the swallow with the first sapphire to a struggling young playwright. The Happy Prince, seeing the young man faint with hunger and cold as he had no fire in his grate, felt pity for him and sent him the sapphire. He hoped it would help him buy firewood and finish writing the play intended for the Director of the Theatre.
The Happy Prince gave away his second sapphire to a poor little match girl who was crying because her matches had fallen into the gutter and thus were spoiled. She also had no shoes and stockings, nor a covering for her head. The prince hoped his sapphire could help her escape her father’s wrath, who he knew would otherwise beat her for not having brought home any money.
4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city ?
Ans: After giving away the sapphires the Happy Prince is now blind, so he asks the swallow to fly over the city and tell him what he sees. The swallow saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses while the beggars sat at the gates. When he flew into dark lanes, he saw the white faces of starving children, looking out indifferently into the darkness. Under the archway of a bridge, the swallow spied two little boys, hungry and lying in each other’s arms trying to keep warm.However the watchman drove them out into the rain. Thus it was a scene of misery and suffering which met the swallow’s eyes as he flew over the city.
5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt ?
Ans: When the Happy Prince gave away his eyes to the needy people of his kingdom, the swallow was quite overwhelmed. He did not have the heart to leave his blind friend and decided to stay with him forever. He loved the prince for his kindheartedness and selflessness and gave up the idea of going to Egypt as he would rather stay with the Happy Prince.
6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story ? Why are they precious ?
Ans: The leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead body of the swallow are the two precious things mentioned in the story. They are precious because both the Happy Prince (with his leaden heart) and the swallow, had overlooked their own well-being to care and provide for the miserable people of the city. The heart when it beat inside the Happy Prince was filled with compassion and helped him realise the ugliness of his city, whereas, the swallow when it was alive, joined hands with the Happy Prince and did his best to alleviate the sufferings of the poor.
Talk about it
The little swallow says. “It is curious, but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.” Have you ever had such a feeling? Share your experience with your friends.
Suggested reading
The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde.
How Much Land Does a Man Require ?” by Leo Tolstoy
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
1. Where was the swallow headed? Why?
Ans: The swallow was headed to Egypt.The swallow was flying to Egypt because it would soon be winter in his part of the world. In contrast, it was still sunny in Egypt. Moreover all his friends had already left a long time ago and so the swallow was following them to Egypt.
2. Why did the swallow stop in his journey to Egypt ? Did he manage to reach Egypt ?
Ans: The swallow stopped in the Happy Prince’s city under his statue because it was night and he wanted a place to rest till morning. No, the swallow never reached Egypt because while he was initially implored by the prince to stay and help him deliver jewels to the needy, his own kind heart melted at the prince’s compassionate and selfless nature. He fell in love with the Happy Prince and refused to move away from his side. He was unable to bear the winter frost and died at the feet of the prince.
3. Why did the swallow pluck out the Happy Prince’s eyes ?
Ans: The swallow plucked out the Happy Prince’s eyes because the Happy Prince had asked him to do so. He wanted to help two poor inhabitants of his city and as his eyes were made of priceless sapphires, he asked the swallow to pluck them out and give them to a young, hungry playwright and a miserable cold matchgirl to ease their suffering.
4. “In fact, he is little better than a beggar!”
(i) Who is the speaker ?
Ans: The Mayor is the speaker of the above quoted line.
(ii) Who is the speaker referring to here ?
Ans: The Mayor is referring to the statue of the Happy Prince.
(iii) How did ‘he’ come to be in this state ?
Ans: The Happy Prince in his attempt to alleviate the suffering of the people of his city had given away all his riches. The precious gems that adorned his magnificent statue were each given away to a seamstress, a playwright and a little match girl; while the gold leaves covering him were distributed among the poor. Thus, the once gilded and beautiful statue appeared shabby and drab when the Mayor saw it.
5. What proclamation did the Mayor decide to issue ? Why ?
Ans: The Mayor decided to issue a proclamation stating that birds were not allowed to die in the city. The Mayor decided to issue such a proclamation after noticing the swallow’s dead body lying near the feet of the statue of the Happy Prince. The Mayor in his arrogance thought the sight spoiled the beauty of his city.
6. “That is because you have done a good action.”
(i) Who is the speaker ?
Ans: The Happy Prince is the speaker of the above quoted sentence.
(ii) What good action is the speaker referring to here ?
Ans: The Happy Prince is referring to the action of the swallow whereby he had helped the poor seamstress and her sick boy by taking the Happy Prince’s ruby to them. And moreover despite his dislike for boys, the little swallow made an attempt to provide the sick boy some relief by fanning his forehead with his wings.
7. Describe the statue of the Happy Prince ? Why did the Mayor decide to have the statue pulled down ?
Ans: The statue of the Happy Prince was a magnificent one. It was a symbol of beauty. It was displayed on a tall column, high above the city. The statue was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold.Two rare and exotic sapphires glowed bright in the place of his eyes, while a large red ruby adorned his sword’s hilt. The Mayor decided to have the statue pulled down because the Happy Prince had donated all his finery to the poor people of the city and so now his statue looked shabby and unfit to be displayed on a high pedestal.
8. According to the Happy Prince, there was no mystery as great as
(i) misery.
(ii) richness.
(iii) the swallow and his decision to stay behind.
(iv) gold.
Ans: (i) misery.
9. The Happy Prince gave away his gold to
(i) the seamstress.
(ii) the playwright.
(iii) the matchgirl.
(iii) the poor people of his city.
Ans: (iv) the poor people of his city.
10. The playwright was happy on seeing the sapphire because
(i) he could now buy oranges and finish his play.
(ii) he could send it to the Director of Theatre and be appreciated.
(iii) he thought it was a sign that he was being appreciated.
(iv) he knew it was a gift from the Happy Prince.
Ans: (iii) he thought it was a sign that he was being appreciated.
