The
novel Prince and the Pauper is set in XVI century England. It tells
the story of two young boys, Edward Tudor and Tom Canty, who are
identical in appearance, but belong to different classes. Edward Tudor is
the son of Henry VIII and heir to the throne of England. Tom Canty is the son
of a beggar and thief. The boys were born on the same day, they both live in
London and they look alike. However, one is destined to have a life of
affluence, while the other is destined to a life of poverty. As a result
of a chance meeting the two boys are brought together. Curious about each
other’s life and eager to see how the other half live, the boys exchange
clothing, and, against their own will, they are forced to trade places and
lives.
The
reader learns about the class system in England, the wealth of the aristocracy
as opposed to the misery and hunger of the lower class. Tom Canty lives in one
of London's poorest areas. He has to beg to survive. With the help of the
church, Tom learns to read and write and he cherishes tales about a better
life. Daydreaming about a different life, Tom approached the Palace as
prince Edward happened to be outside. Intrigued about the boy dressed in rags
that resembled him so much, prince Edward invited Tom into the castle where
they exchanged clothes. Due to their physical resemblance, they are mistaken
for each other. In spite of their different background, the two boys are
in fact not much different. They are both intelligent, good hearted, they like
the same things and manage to make friends before they are forced to separate.
The mistaken guards expel the prince dressed in rags from the palace, while
Tom, dressed as a prince, gets to stay in the palace. Prince Edward is set
to experience the life of a commoner and pauper, while Tom gets the opportunity
to live the life of a prince.
Unknown
Words
Plebeian: A
commoner (originally in ancient Rome)
The aristocrats looked
down upon the plebeian class, not realizing that there
were intelligent and good-hearted people among them.
Besmirched: Degraded
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading you're post because it was so detailed and it looked like a very interesting book! Great Job!!!!
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ReplyDeleteGreat vocabulary usage, and great explanation and detail. Great job in following the outline, you had your proof, you proved it and explained it. Well done!
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