The Young King

Actually these journals were written as one of my course assignment of "Extensive Reading". We should read a book a week and made a journal of it. The books were already fit to us as a second-language learner, or they had been made simpler. After reading we could write about the summary, our feeling when reading it, our comment, our difficulties while reading or even new words or memorable quotations we found.

I'd like to post one by one of my journals. And the first is:

September 24, 2010

1^st Journal

 - The Young King -

Oscar Wilde

This story is included in the book with the title of “The Young King and Other Stories”. It tells about a young king who was really fond of beautiful things, such as fine clothes and rich jewels. But after finding out the miserable things behind those beauties he knew something much more valuable. He learned about other people’s miseries that made him wiser. In the end of the story he was crowned by the greatest power of God Himself.

My favorite quotation is:

“Can happiness wear what sadness and pain have made?” said the king (p. 7)

It seems that the young king had already realized his mistakes, and he knew better that in this world there were not only fine things. And also, it tells us that we cannot sacrifice other people only for our wealth or benefit.

My comment is:

I think this story has a very meaningful moral message, especially for the young readers (and initially the author made these short stories for his sons as bed-story telling). It gives some examples of good and bad things. Although, as far as I concern, those examples are a little bit difficult to be understood by children, even too miserable ones, but they ever happened and still happen.