Compare and Contrast?

It was a UCLA summer English course, designed for new low-income and minority students, and a Teaching Assistant was in charge.   It actually proved invaluable to me since I was returning to  academia after an 18+ year contemplative absence and was definitely low-income with no savings. It also provided survival skills for some younger students, notably one athlete who could barely read.  A nice bonus was the tuition/book rebate we got when we finished the course. 

I am reminded of this long-ago opportunity as I wonder: Has anyone ever done a "compare and contrast" paper on Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince and Antoine de Saint Exupery's The Little Prince?  I am just beginning to mull over a few thoughts in this regard, not at all sure where it will lead.  But it seems worth noting, even superficially, that I keep wondering whether or not "the sheep has eaten the flower."  

And one has to consider the dangers of the sheep being unmuzzled, simply because no strap was drawn for the muzzle.  No matter how protective of his flower, no matter how watchful over his sheep, "At some moment or other one is absent-minded, and that is enough!"  Even the Little Prince could be momentarily absent-minded.

One might conjecture that the defeats Machiavelli's  Prince suffered bear no comparison to the departure of the little golden haired man who "fell as gently as a tree falls" and without any sound, "because of the sand." One might  rightly say that their ultimate concerns were vastly dissimilar, and dismiss any possible comparison.  But that would be wrong, I think, because surely someone before me has examined points of comparison with great precision - and been able to contrast them and link them to our own times.  That would be a significant and enlightening effort, no? Has it been done? 

Clearly, The Prince Machiavelli so loyally advised, was not devoid of ambitious political power, nor was Machiavelli. But aren't some traces of love and care for the populace evident,  even though Machiavelli dearly hoped his hard earned and shared wisdom would be rewarded?  In any case, Machiavelli's loyalty is laudable, and he did not want the sheep to eat his flower either.  

But then there is the matter of the snake.  "It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite."  That is some comfort to the Little Prince, and to his counterpart, the Prince who would regain governing power.  But it can comfort us also. Why?  Think about it.  In Chinese culture, the year of the snake, the New Year  just beginning  today, has positive, hopeful connotations. It is greeted with all-night fireworks and  wonderful celebrations.  

As for me, I think I must reexamine the texts before going any further.  Perhaps I will also uncover a brilliant comparative study some scholarly person has done. Very probably it will engage in less poetic license than what I say here. Hopefully, it will be something I can grasp!   

Happy New Year of the Snake! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo de la Serpiente!

The Burghers of Calais, Rodin (Stanford University)