TEXT I

Drawing Number One

“I showed the grown-ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered, ‘Why be scared of a hat?’ My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so the grownups could understand. They always need explanations. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

Drawing Number Two

The grown-ups' advised me to put away my drawings of boa constrictors, outside or inside, and apply myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why, I abandoned, at the age of six, a magnificent career as an artist. I had been discouraged by the failure of my Drawing Number One and of my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again. So then I had to choose another career, and I learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown almost everywhere in the world. And, as a matter of fact, geography has been a big help to me. I could tell China from Arizona at first glance, which is very useful if you get lost during the night. So I have had in the course of my life, lots of encounters with lots of serious people. I have spent lots of time with grown-ups. I have seen them at close range... which hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.”

Source: SAINT-EXUPÉRY, Antoine. The little Prince. New York:

Mariner Books, 1943. Translated from French by Richard Howard.

TEXT III

The world is changing

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Sandy Millin

The title of this week’s post is inspired by this cartoon from Michael Leunig which appeared on my Facebook stream this week:

Adapted from: https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/2020/04/04 /the-world-is-changing/ Accessed on March 06th, 2024