2 multiple choice questions Read the passages. The biblical story of Samson is used as a source for the modern passage Prince Louie.

2 multiple choice questions

Read the passages.

The biblical story of Samson is used as a source for the modern passage "Prince Louie."

Samson

In a well-known biblical narrative an angel tells Samson's mother, before Samson is born, that if he never cuts his hair, he will have super-strength. The prediction comes true, and as a young man, Samson performs many astounding feats of strength. Samson falls in love with Delilah, a woman of the Philistines, the Israelites' enemies. However, she is a spy for her people, assigned to find the source of Samson's strength. Once they marry, she asks him again and again to tell her the secret, but he keeps refusing. Finally she persuades him, and while he is sleeping, she cuts his hair. His strength is gone, and he is captured and blinded by the Philistines. The Philistines place Samson between the pillars of the prison house so their people can mock him. However, by that time, Samson's hair has begun to grow back. His strength renewed, he pulls the prison down by its pillars, killing thousands of Philistine spectators and himself. 

Prince Louie

When Prince Louie was a small boy living in a humongous palace, his mother, the queen, approached him and said, "My poor little innocent child, someday you will be King Louis of Forbush, and all the cares of the kingdom will fall upon your frail, puny, inadequate shoulders. Fortunately, your amazing mama is, as usual, ready to eliminate all your problems in one astounding stroke. Wear this magic ring, and your kingly power will never fail you. Your enemies will be confounded, and the most elegant of princesses will seek your royal hand."

Louie watched in alarm and dismay as his mother slipped the golden circlet onto his princely pinkie. He wanted no part of confounding enemies; all he really wanted to do was chat about philosophy with alchemists and dragons. But princes have no freedom, and the ring clamped tight around his finger, seeping monarchical power, like serpent's venom, through his skin.

Alas, it was just like his mama said it would be. By the time he reached the age of sixteen he had conquered three neighboring kingdoms and banished all seven of his brothers (who were continually plotting to usurp him). For his crowning achievement, he gained the consent of the most totally amazing princess on Earth, the lovely Annabella of Gnarltree, to become his bride.

But what Louis didn't know was that the treacherous Gnarltrees were planning a surprise attack on Forbush—and Annabella was their spy, assigned to discover the secret of Louis' magic power. She was prepared to try every possible ruse and exhaust all her clever wiles to find out her husband's secret, but let's face it, Louis was completely in love with her and spilled the whole story the first time she asked. In fact, he had been yearning all his life to share his truth with someone.

"It's this stupid ring my mother gave me," he sighed.

Getting the ring off Louis' finger was hard work, because his pinkie had expanded over the years and the ring hadn't, but Annabella was never one to give up. Two bars of lathery soap later, the gold band had loosened enough to be pulled free.

"Thank you, my dearest!" Louie cried. "At last my power to trample mercilessly on the lives of my peace-loving subjects is gone. Farewell, my darling, I'm off to find a dragon's cave next door to an alchemist's cellar, where I can compute the algorithm for universal happiness." Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he hastened, although still lovestruck, away.

A month later, the Gnarltrees invaded. Storming across the border on horse and foot, they burned, looted, robbed, pillaged—all the usual stuff, in other words. The people cried out in distress, praying for a champion. Louis, who, to his shock and disbelief, hadn't found either a dragon or an alchemist, heard their cries, in the form of a rumor spread by a ragged beggar bursting into a roadside inn.

Louie knew exactly what he had to do. A surge of mighty resolve poured though his veins. He borrowed a horse, galloped to the palace, gathered his advisors for a last-minute conference, put on his armor, rode into battle at the head of forty thousand troops, and drove every last Gnarltree off the continent.

"But I didn't have my ring!" he exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Louie, Louie, Louie," his mother clucked, "who cares about a ring? The power is in you. The ring was just a trick of your fantastic mommy's to help you find your own worth."

Louis became more admired than ever, and from then on he ruled kindly over his people. The Gnarltrees were gone from the land, except Annabella, whom Louis could not let go, because he loved her more helplessly than ever. And they lived happily ever after, or at least he did. Her opinion has not been recorded.

How does the story "Prince Louie" show the influence of the biblical story of Samson?

• In both stories, a mother tricks her son into achieving great power by letting him think it comes from elsewhere.
• Both stories show that unwise love can lead people to perform actions that hurt them.
• In both stories, the main character at first does not understand the true source of his great power.
• Both stories are about strong young men who lose everything in their personal lives while gaining a victory for their people.

How does the story "Prince Louie" transform the story of Samson?

• Samson is betrayed by his wife, but Louie betrays himself.
• Louie's mother is a key character in his plot, but Samson's mother does not affect his plot.
• Samson is uncomfortable with his great power, but Louie welcomes his.
• Samson's story is tragic, while Louie's story is comic.