Dr. Seuss’s Works

Hearing whos! and holding triple sling jiggers Dr. Seuss has captured the interest and hearts of countless children. But today, since your kindergarten years, have you read the books that entertained and taught you as a child? If so there is probably a little confusion. Not in the simple lyrical composure of his books, but in the themes. Some of these themes are not child oriented as you would think. Throughout Seuss’s 48 books, you find cynical and critical opinion of society and its progress. Dr. Seuss incorporates political, environmental, and cultural ideals into several stories that are passed as childhood easy readers to little children from parents. Such a thing could be thought as a form of childhood brain washing.

Divine Right and Monarchy take an insult in the 1950 story “Yertle the Turtle”. Where a power crazed turtle who oversees the pond in Sala-ma-Sond wants his throne higher (Seuss, 2). So that he may see the entire world. Turtle upon turtle climbed each other’s back to raise the throne above the pond and high as the trees. As his throne becomes higher on the backs of his loyal turtle subjects he views the whole world and surroundings. But the flaw is that the turtle on the bottom is under so much pressure, and due to over extension, when this little turtle burps, the entire tower falls. The king who was the highest, falls the furthest, and into the mud. From that day forth he was considered the king of mud (Seuss, 1-28). On the point of over extension and power hungry rulers who must see everything and have it under their control, we view the monarchies and dictatorships of today and past. Governments where vanity and power disregard the needs of the people. In the pursuit of self beautification peoples’ needs are ignored and power lust is the disease eating the empire. An empire once strong, now hurting for the sake of a king whom is not worried about those who support the kingdom.

Furthermore a sinister view on the arms race is blatantly expressed in The Butter Battle Book. Where two cultures called Yooks and Zooks, race to out do each other’s weapons. Finally they both create a bomb with the potential to destroy the entire land they all live in. Every civilian is underground in bunkers, all waiting for their chosen soldier to drop the bomb on the other. The emotion of this is captivated by the butter side up culture in this quote: “He screamed, ‘Here’s the end of that terrible town full of Zooks who eat bread with the butter side down.!’” (Seuss, 41). A shocking scene for any one to think about, a war where people will suffer and possibly die, because of bread. Seuss explains in a biography by Judith and Neil Morgan that his thoughts came from the Cold War at the time the book was written. He believed that the differences lying between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R were as trivial as the bread sides that we butter (Morgan, 249-250). Showing how a variance so miniscule could mean such destruction to those who are proud enough to uphold their particular beliefs.

Twelve years prior to The Butter Battle Book was The Lorax. A story that to this day stands as a testament of how deforestation and environmental recklessness can and will destroy nature. It starts with an invention of a product someone likes. Then the business grows, so do the factories, equipment, and pollution (Seuss, all). Such did railroads and the industry of the 1900’s. Eventually quicker and more efficient ways of getting raw materials are developed and utilized until the once thick forests are destroyed, the ponds are gummed by waste, and air thickened with smog. At the time of the industrial boom, there were few safeguards to prevent environmental devastation. Those in place were ignored in the name of money and power. Soon animals leave the wasteland because they cannot survive in these conditions. They leave in search for a pristine world like theirs once was. In the last paragraph of the story the old man responsible for the factories and devastation, entrusts a seed. This seed goes to the young child that the story is being told to (Seuss, all). The child is representing the industrial generation’s children. He is to replant and grow a forest. Starting with one initial step. A shocking parallel to how the industrial age left us with so many problems to solve. But once we realized the destruction, all the original generation had already stepped down and now their children had stepped up and had to clean up the mess. The old man says: “Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back” (Seuss, 62).

Societal morals are everywhere in the literary world. Some might argue that literary morals are the reasons fiction is written. Dr. Seuss writes in several stories about sharing. One particular story stands out called Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. Where Thidwick the moose, shares his horns with a weary animal. Based upon his generosity, the animal invites dozens of other animals to come upon Thidwick’s horns and make themselves at home. Soon Thidwick becomes in trouble by hunters, none of the animals will leave the comfort of his horns, even to save Thidwick’s life. He is chased by the hunters, then in a surprising turn of events, his horns are shed for the spring, leaving the menagerie of animals upon them to die in the hands of hunters. In an almost suitable ending. He then swims across the lake and reunites with his friends and family, a feat that he can now do because his no longer slowed by the heavy load on his head (Seuss, all). Animals taking advantage of the moose’s generosity, is a weird metaphor of a freeloader taking advantage of their patrons hospitality. In the end, the philanthropist is freed, but the sponger is left to die on their own in nature’s hands.

Unquestionably the value of imagination is an incredible tool in Dr. Seuss’s works (Morgan). In his first real book And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street, Dr. Seuss ridicules how adults can suppress a child’s imagination by simply telling them to be truthful and to not tell stories about their days. As a way to appease their parents, a child will then not think freely, and not share their thoughts and feelings for fear of disappointing their parents (Seuss, 28). After a while of no creative outlet, the imagination dies. With it the spirit of childhood. All this winds into the upbringing to satisfy the parents, and all this will subsequently end the fantasy of childhood.

Sitting down to read a child a Seuss story you see tales of kids, and make believe characters. Never do you think that you are just reinforcing the concepts that are being presented to the young mind and yours through a supposedly harmless medium. By a parent telling or reading to a young mind the child then associates whatever you are saying with the truth, because you are it’s authority, and at a young age, equal to their god. In teaching Dr. Seuss books you just pass along his political, environmental, and social values upon the next generation. Children are easily swayed to believe what they are told by another person. Society also agrees with this in the fact that you must be eighteen to vote. So if children are so impressionable, why must we fill their heads with propaganda at such young ages.

Seuss, Dr. The Lorax. New York: Random House, 1970.

A story of the environmental strains and destruction caused by industrialization. When the pollution reached such horrifying levels all the animals and the conscious of nature left. In search for a cleaner place to live. Story being handed down by the Once-ler, old man responsible for destruction to kid whom he entrusts with rebuilding the environment.

Seuss, Dr. The Butter Battle Book. New York: Random House, 1984.

Story of a two cultures, the Yooks and Zooks. Both are at war because they differ on how to butter and eat their bread. Their arms race to find stronger weapons ends with a face off where representatives from both sides wait for the other to drop their weapon of mass destruction first.

Seuss, Dr. And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street. New York: Random House, 1937.

Kid is walking home trying to keep focused on the road. In his imagination he is making up a grand carnival and parade. Once home his father asks him what he saw, and to be truthful. The kid remembers his day dream of grand sights and seeing his father tell him to be honest, the child replies, that all he saw was a broke down cart and a horse.

Seuss, Dr. Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. New York: Random House, 1948.

Thidwick the moose is nice and allows a small animal to take refuge on his horns. The small animal invites a lot of other animals to be on the horns also. Despite Thidwick’s protests. When hunters come to hunt Thidwick. He is weighted down by the animals on his horns. His horns fall off and Thidwick is saved. But all the animals on the horns are stuffed and hung on the horns in the hunting lodge.

Seuss, Dr. Horton Hears a Who! New York: Random House, 1954.

Horton a large pachyderm hears a small speck crying for help. He saves it on a clover flower. When his friends question even the existence of a small community on a dust speck, they declare him insane. They cage him up and are going to boil the speck. Then when the entire community bands together and screams, the other animals hear and vow to protect the speck forever after freeing Horton.

Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. New York: Random House, 1950.

Yertle the turtle in his strive for greatness has his turtle subjects climb on their backs raising his throne. Every time he is raised higher, he sees something higher and wants to be taller than that. Soon the stack of turtles is too high and Mack on the bottom, hungry and tired, burps. Thus sending the entire stack into the pond. Yertle falls from leader, and all turtles are declared equal as they should be.

Seuss, Dr. The cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, 1957.

On a rainy day, some kids are at home bored. Their imagination takes over and a Cat in a Hat appears and begins to entertain them. They play inside the entire day and eventually their mother comes home. Showing imagination during boredom, can keep you entertained.

VanKirk, Alycia. “Sixteen Facts About Ted Seuss Geisel.” Mnc (Oct. 2000 ): 1 pp. Online. Internet. 7 Oct. 2000. Available FTP:mnc.mat-su.k12.ak.us

Bibliography:

Sixteen interesting facts about Dr. Seuss, compiled by a grade school student.

Morgan, Judith and Neil. Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel. New York: Random House, 1995.

Biography about Dr. Seuss. Shares in depth interviews and thoughts. Many quotations and pictures. Summarized major periods of his life and important and influential books he has written.