Book Report of The Little Prin
Book Report of The Little Princess
Part One Introduction
The book I am going to talk about is The Little Princess written by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett.
Burnett was a famous British female writer.Her own life is also an inspiring and encouraging one.Burnett was born in a poor family in Manchester,England.Worse still,her father died when she was just a little girl. Burnett began to publish her articles in magazines to support her family at the age of 18.Her first best seller was That Lass O’Lowries,which drew materials from her early life in a coal mine.However,Burnett was famous mainly for her child literature works.In 1886,Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy,which was a story of an American boy who became an British lord successor.It is Little Lord Fauntleroy that made Burnett one of the richest popular writers at that time.Then in 1905,The Little Princess was published and was finally regarded as Burnett’s representative work. In 1911,Burnett published The Secret Garden,which is Burnett’s most famous and successful book.Because of The Little Princess and The Secret Garden,Burnett established her status in the history of world child literature,which will never fade.In conclusion,Burnett was an outstanding child literature writer.
The Little Princess was published in 1905 and soon became popular,enjoying a great reputation.It had been more than once produced into movies,the most famous example was Hollywood’s version in 1930s,which was starred Shirley Temple,the popular child star.The book was regarded as one which can cultivate children’s taste and good traits.
The Little Princess is an amazing book which teaches us to be brave,noble and kind.It conveys so many excellent qualities that it has a power to clean our souls.The core of this book,in my opinion,is that every girl can become a princess of spirit and every girl is supposed to struggle to become a princess of spirit.
Part Two Summary
Brief summary: The book is a story about Sara Crewe,a girl with good qualities whose father,Captain Crewe, was extremely rich.When she was born in India,her mother died and her father took care of her alone.Her father loved her so much that he offered her everything she wanted.Sara left her father and studied in an all-girl school in England when she was seven.The principle of the school,Miss Minchin treated Sara well because of her richness.And Sara made lots of friends with the girls in the school due to her kind heart.However,Captain Crewe was bankrupt when investing in a diamond mine his friend developed and died of fever.Since then Sara became a helpless orphan,who was nearly maltreated by Miss Minchin.But as the saying goes,good acts will be well rewarded,Sara’s life changed greatly when an Indian gentleman moved to the house beside the school.The gentleman helped Sara in secret in order to make her happier and it turned out to be that he was the friend of Captain Crewe who developed the diamond mine.He had been looking for Sara for a long time and finally recognized that the poor girl was Captain Crewe’s daughter.Sara became rich again and started a new life.
Analysis:
From my perspective,The Little Princess can be divided into four parts.
Section one is of Sara’s peaceful life before her father’s death.In this section, Sara unfolds her kindness as well as cleverness.As far as I am concerned,the author wants to convey the message that what a princess will behave when she is living a good life. Princess is not one who is rich and is able to live a luxury life. In the first few chapters, what amazes me is that Sara is such a modest and kind girl even if she is so rich and has everything she wants. For example, she is the richest girl in the school but she never looks down upon other girls, servants or maids. Moreover, Sara is also the cleverest student but she won’t laugh at the slower ones. Instead, she is always willing to help them. In fact, Sara has everything but never takes pride in it. She prefers kindness and sharing. Just as she says,”You almost have everything and meanwhile others are so kind to you,which makes you become a good person naturally..”As we all know,it is not natural.It is Sara who makes it seem natural.Many people become self-important and nasty when they achieve a little,regarding themselves a cut above others.But Sara cares for others more when she achieves more.That’s what we should all learn from her.
Section two is of Sara’s miserable life after her father’s death. This is also the highlight of the whole story. Sara gradually changes from a princess with wealth into a princess in spirits.As the theme reveals,every girl can become a princess with great efforts and never-give-up will. Firstly, you have to admire that Sara is so brave and strong that she isn’t beaten down by the tragedy. She is just an eleven-year-old girl! Even being badly treated by Miss Minchin,she never loses heart or temper.No matter how hard the life is,she is always optimistic and tries to be polite and kind.I can always remember that she once picked up a coin in front of a bakery and used it to buy six loafs of bread. She was tired and hungry that day because of the heavy workload.When Sara left the bakery she noticed a beggar who was almost starved to death.Even though Sara was very hungry,she still shared four loafs of the bread to the poor beggar, leaving just two loafs to herself. I believe not many of us can do what Sara does in such a dilemma.
I can clearly see Sara’s growth during this tough period. In the past, Sara was the apple of Captain Crewe’s eye. She was rich, clever and popular with other girls. In other words, she had a smooth life path and her world was peaceful and bright. Then the turning point comes and Sara changes from a princess in material to almost a beggar. However, as the saying runs, what pains us trains us. During the hard times, Sara goes through a totally different road and gets a picture of the world from a different perspective. She learns, she tastes and finally she grows. example, when faced with Lavinia ’ s defiance, Sara had an inner monologue. ”When faced with others’ offence, can you give no indication? Maybe flying into rages seems sharp but it is a true triumph if you can be calm. Ignoring what your enemies do is the best way to deal with them.” I can’t fully understand when I first read the words when I was a child. But now when I read the book again, I am shocked by how mature Sara is for her thinking in this way. Even many adults today can not make it. Another inner monologue is of symbolic significance.” If I am a princess in rags, I am a princess in spirit. It is very easy to be a princess when you are rich. But isn’t it a greater triumph if you always keep a princess’s heart when you are nobody?” That’s it. Sara becomes a real princess after all the sufferings.
Section three is the part of the story after the Indian Gentleman moves in. In this section, Sara lives a better life because of the gentleman’s kindness. She is grateful and becomes friend of the sick gentleman, Mr . Carrisford, through letters. In fact, Mr.Carrisford is the friend of Captain Crewe who developed the diamond mine. He is guilty that his mistake causes Captain Crewe’s death and in order to compensate his fault,he has been looking for Sara for two years. His servant Ram Dass makes acquaintance with Sara when he is looking for his monkey and notices that Sara lives a poor life. He begins to tell something about Sara,the girl living in the attic, to Mr.Carrisford and suggests that they should help this poor girl. Mr.Carrisford agrees and so the story begins. Occasionally Sara identifies herself as Captain Crewe’s daughter when she returns the monkey back to Ram Dass, surprising Mr Carrisford a lot. Sara is shocked and a little angry when she realizes Mr.Carrisford is the one who causes her father’s death indirectly. However,when she is told that the diamond mine is actually very successful and Mr.Carrisford has been looking for her for two years,her misunderstand begins to eliminate.And Sara finally forgives Mr.Carrisford when she knows that it is him who gives her the delicious cuisine and all kinds of household items for the sake of making her happier. Sara decides not to return to school. A new stage of her life starts.
What the author wants to convey in this section is explicit. Efforts will be paid off if you never give up. And good deeds deserve rewards. Nearly all people harvest good results. Sara gets her wealth back and lives a good life .Mr.Carrisford finds the kid, having got his wish. Sara’s friends and the maid Betty learn a lot from Sara.
The end of the story impresses me much. It occurs to Sara that she once helped a beggar outside of a bakery and decides to help more people like the poor beggar. If any beggar wanders around the bakery, the landlady can give him/her bread and Sara will pay the bill. Mr.Carriford supports her idea. Surprisedly, when Sara and Betty go to the bakery they are told that the landlady has already given free bread to beggars because she was impressed by Sara’s kindness. And the beggar who received Sara’s bread that day becomes an apprentice in the bakery with the help of the landlady.
I am impressed because I see the love chain. Kindness will pass from one to another. Just as the saying goes, the world will be much brighter if every one devotes a little love. However, nowadays people are unwilling to show kindness to others fearing that they will be cheated by others. They are not the ones to be blame because we all have no idea of what to do when encounter such frustrating situations. We are delicate sometimes and all want to protect ourselves. When we are hurt by the cruel world we may have no strength to treat the world with a smiling face.Tiger wrote that,The world has kissed my soul with its pain, asking for its return in songs. Sara does it indeed,both physically and psychologically. She never never gives up her way of treating others with a kind heart.No matter how others treat her. It implies that we are all supposed to devote our best to the world and treat others with a sincere as well as kind heart. Sometimes we should try to ignore others’ comments and just be ourselves. No one have the power to change us except ourselves. And if you carry on you can see that more and more people will be influenced by you and begin to keep up with you. Then the best thing happens. Everyone begins to be kind and show his/her love.
We are owned and shaped by ourselves. Everyone can be kind and noble no matter how evil and dark the world is. And the world is owned and shaped by all of us. It’s up to us that whether the world will be bright or dark.
Part Three Conclusion
“When I was a little girl, it is The Little Princess that gave me the courage to go through the shadows.” Hilary Clinton once said.
I am very fond of this book since childhood. I remember that the first time I read this book when I was in primary school I even burst into tears due to Sara’s miserable life and her renascence after that. The book never fails to impress me every time I read it. Just like Hilary Clinton, I am greatly encouraged by this book in my past life.
Firstly, I admire all characters in the book. Sara is definitely my favorite. I can’t describe how I love and cherish this little girl. She is all that I want to be. I can’t imagine what my life will be if I have no mum. But Sara has the strength to live happily without mother’s care. She even pretends to be another kid ‘s mum and cares for her. What an amazing child! I always hate that some rich people treat those who are poor badly. I hold the belief that every one is born to be equal and wealth can’t change the fact that every one’s soul is equal. And Sara treats every one equally. She treats her maid in good manners and even makes friends with the maid Betty. When she runs errands for the cooks and is badly treated by them, she never blames them and just does what she is told to. Sara’s strength is always out of my expectations. In those cold and dark nights, hunger loneliness and tiredness all trouble Sara. She has been frustrated and desperate but she can always be back on her feet when a new day begins. A detail should not be forgotten. Sara even makes friends with the mouse family! Sara once regards herself as a prisoner in the French Revolution and as far as I am concerned, her spirit is equal to that of the brave people fighting in the French Revolution.
Captain Crewe is an indispensable character, I think. Actually I like him too. We can infer that Captain Crewe is a kind and noble man through Sara’s behavior. Without Captain Crewe’s cultivation, we may have no opportunity to get such a treasure as Sara. Captain Crewe’s way of educating his daughter is admirable. He regards her as his friend and, well, princess. Recently there is new idea that people should raise daughters rich or people should spend more money in raising daughters. In this case, Captain Crewe can be called a qualified father. Sara is educated to be modest even if she is rich and clever.
Mr. Carrisford is a responsible man. He is also a victim and almost dies. When he recovers and realizes that he causes Captain Crewe’ death indirectly,he feels guilty and takes the responsibility. He even falls ill because he can’t find Sara----Captain Crewe’s daughter. He could have owned the wealth himself and lived an easy life but he didn’t. Kind people sometimes seem silly in others’ eyes. However, I admire the ‘silly’ very much.
Miss Minchin is a villain in the story. To be honest,I feel sorry for her sometimes rather then simply hate her. In fact,she is not the kind of bad woman in the conventional sense. She is just cold and hard and never values kindness. And sadly,no one ever reminds her. When her coward sister finally can’t stand what she does and criticizes her, I feel much better and also pity for her. She could have treated Sara better and obtained Sara’s respect and love. But she didn’t. She is too cold and shallow. Recently I read The Essays of Francis Bacon and a sentence impressed me much. It says,those who care for themselves too much will come to a tragic end. Miss Minchin buries her life with her own hands.But I can’t hate her. I just feel pity for her.
Secondly, I admire the positive energy that the story conveys. I have many ‘Ach-‘moments when read the book. The author emphasizes Sara’s imagination and creative ideas, which attracts my attention. Both children and adults should keep their imagination. When you are living a happy life, imagination can add beautiful colors to your life. When you are miserable, imagination can relieve your pain with its powerful strength. Indeed, life will be dull without imagination. Painters can’t draw a marvelous work and composers can’t compose a beautiful piece. Sara always imagines an attractive scene and makes it into a story which entertains other girls. Due to imagination she even makes her doll her new friend. And her imagination also helps her go through the tough times when she is living in the attic. She even makes friends with the mouse family too!
What’s more, the author tells us how to behave well through Sara’s actions. I conclude in the following. First, always be kind to others including those who treat you badly. Remember that every one is equal.Second, try not to lose your temper and always keep good manners. Ignoring the disgusting ones is the best way to fight against them. It’s not worth losing our good traits because of those we hate. Always be yourself. Third,never lose hope and never give up. Life is like a chocolate box and you never know what you are going to get.The sentence in Forrest Gump inspires generations of people. So it is implied in The Little Princess. A different choice,no matter how tiny,can all change the end, change our lives. Why can’t we just be positive and keep struggling until the end? I understand that it is difficult. Sometimes being negative or avoiding the reality is much easier. But the better choice is always in every one ‘s heart. You know what you should do in fact. And it’s up to you. Fourth, be modest. A proud person won’t be popular no matter where he goes. Sara is the cleverest and richest girl in class but she never appears proud. She is willing to help the classmates who are slow in studying. When others praise her fluent French she says that it just because she learns it earlier.
What’s a princess? Is the one wearing rich dress as well as living in a luxury castle? Definitely not. Princess is a symbol which symbolizes a girl with good traits. Every girl can be a princess. Read The Little Princess If you want to become a better one in the future. I am sure that you can learn much from it. It is a wonderful book which can change a person a lot. If you just want to kill your time, The Little Princess is also a good choice because it hides something profound in the easy-to-understand story. I am inspired by The Little Princess. And I hope you can learn your own lessons from this book too.
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