“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view---until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” This quote it from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, means that you don’t really know what it feels like to be that person, unless you are them, or have been in a similar situation. This quote applies to the play The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and the text The Secret to a Happier Life because they all share a common theme of empathy. Empathy is when a person has feelings for another’s situation. In the play and the text, they give an example of empathy and the benefits of using it. The first way the quote applies to the play and the text, is because they give you an example of using …show more content…
One example that shows this is in “The Secret to a Happier Life.” In the text on page 29 it says “Empathy smothers selfishness and fosters tolerance and compassion. In short, empathy helps us get along with others. Some studies suggest that empathetic people tend to be more successful, while those with little empathy tend to be lonely and have more conflicts.” This proves that the text shows you how empathy can benefit you, because it tells you all the positives to being empathic. Another example that shows how empathy can benefit you in many ways is in “The Prince and the Pauper.” In the play on page 28 it says “(Edward)These past weeks, I have seen poverty and oppression, inhumanity and intolerance. I do not envy my people the lives they lead… From this day forward, I will strive to improve the lives of my people. (All) Long live the king! Long live the king!” This proves that Prince Edward realized how terrible the citizens lives were, and he promised to fix it and in return they chanted “Long live the king!” to show how much they liked him.“Long live the king!” The quote applies to the text and the play because they share a theme of empathy, and in both the play and the text, they tell you the benefits of using