Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known to generations of readers all over the world as "Dr. Seuss," is the American author of many popular children’s books. Dr. Seuss’ "deft combination of easy words, swift rhymes and batty nonsense" (Horn 69) has convinced many children that reading does not have to be a boring chore, but instead can be fun and entertaining. Amidst these wacky drawings of zany characters spouting off crazy rhetoric, there is much hidden symbolism. Many of Dr. Seuss’ works contain political, social, and moral messages.
Political messages in Dr. Seuss’ works include war, economic and environmental themes. Two of Dr. Seuss’ later works, The Butter Battle Book and The Lorax, "take strong stands on the dangers of indifference to world affairs." (Horn 70) In The Butter Battle Book, Seuss takes nuclear war as his theme. Two groups of animals live on either side of a stone wall. One side eats their bread butter side up, while the other side eats their bread butter side down. Because of each group’s odd ways, neither side trusts the other. Each side sets up a border patrol with mild protection. Over the course of the book, the weapons get more complicated and powerful until each side invents "the bitsy big-boy boomeroo," a very powerful bomb. Each side is ready to destroy the other when the books ends. These groups could represent the nuclear opponents of the time, mainly the United States and Russia. "In this book Dr. Seuss turns didactic and calls up many moral arguments adults make against nuclear proliferation." (Lystad 1) This book "ends without resolution of the issues" (Lystad 2) and leaves it up to the reader to decide his or her own beliefs on nuclear war.
Political issues arise again in Green Eggs and Ham. In this book "Sam-I-Am’s persistence convinces a friend to try an unusual - but tasty - dish." (Horn 67) This confrontation between Sam-I-Am and his friend is "so obviously a parable about the struggle between capitalist and socialist ideologies." (Atkinson 132) It can be said that Sam-I-Am represents the capitalist United States trying to convince communist countries to try the new, strange and unusual dish of green eggs and ham, which represents capitalism.
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... the kind-hearted elephant agrees to help a lazy bird by sitting on her egg while she flies off for a vacation. The mother bird decides to never come back. Horton suffers through many problems such as bad weather and being ridiculed by the other animals. In the end, Horton is rewarded when the egg hatches into an elephant-bird. All of these works "suggest to the reader that individual can and should be responsible for the welfare of others." (Horn 70)
Within the playful artwork and imaginative language, Dr. Seuss’ children’s books convey ideas about nuclear proliferation, environmental hazards, economics, fascism, and morality. Despite the fact that some of these works are more than fifty years old, the important messages within them still hold true today. Whether or not the parents who buy the books of Dr. Seuss realize the value placed in them, their value as teaching tools for children cannot be disputed. In all, the messages given by Dr. Seuss through his works could be the very essence of this writers popularity. The messages are basic and widely applicable, ensuring that his work can be useful to and enjoyed by all.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, is the author of my favorite childhood book, Oh the Places You'll Go along with many other children's poems. Dr. Seuss is easily one of the most well-known children's authors having sold over 100 million books (Kantrowitz). From personification to imagery to rhyming, Seuss knows just what it takes to make a great poem. Dr. Seuss uses literary devices such as rhyme, repetition, onomatopoeia, tone and personification throughout his book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
Dr. Seuss is an important figure in the lives of children everywhere. His stories are children’s classics that are fun to read and also tackle some real life issues. Dr. Seuss’s political views are very apparent in his some of his books like The Butter Battle Book, which discusses the issues of the Cold War.
Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodore Seuss, has written many poems as well as short stories, and is considered one of the greatest children’s author in history. His silly stories are able to excite children in ways that make them want read. His Wife says,” Ted doesn’t sit down to write for children. He writes to amuse himself;” Little do children know that often, in his stories, there is a lot of political undertone, a few examples include The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, The Sneethces, and The Butter Battle Book. If you were to really critique some of his books or poems, you might see that some of his themes wouldn’t seem to pertain to children.
Major conflicts can be exposed through literature. The cold war and the war in The Butter Battle Book have similar people and events that should not be exposed to children through literature.
The quote stated in the above paragraph is one of his many exact representation of his views on the world. Dr. Seuss is well known for writing many of the children's books my generation has grown up with, but is also known for inspiring and
“Waiting for the Signal From Home…”, PM Magazine, February 13,1942, Dr. Seuss ddndn Collection, MSS230, Special Collections and Archives, UC San Diego Library.
Seuss with a hidden meaning would be The Butter Battle Book. This book was written in reference to the Cold War. In this story, the Zooks and the Yooks are living in two completely different societies. The Zooks live in a place where bread is eaten with the butter-side down, but as for the Yooks, they eat their bread butter-side up. Clearly, both societies think they are correct and the other is in the wrong. They begin to try to one-up the other, building different types of weapons and bombs. As the book comes to a close, neither side launches their ultimate bomb, just like during the Cold War, both sides were too afraid to launch a nuclear
High school students in many American schools first read this book in an English class, which has been a staple for many schools. A required reading assignment exposes many more people to the book. Even though the book is considered to be a children’s book by many, it is still enjoyed by people of all ages.
Theodor Seuss Geisel. [A profile of the author’s life and works]. (2004). Contemporary Authors Online. Retrieved from Gale Cengage Learning.
The adult world is a cold and terrifying place. There are robberies, shootings, murders, suicides, and much more. If you were to be a small child, perhaps age 5, and you were to look in at this world, you would never know how bad it actually was, just from a single glance. Children have a small slice of ignorant bliss, which helps to keep them away from the harsh of reality. It isn’t until later, when they encounter something that opens their eyes and shows them, that they truly start to understand the world we live it. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird shows the many differences between the simplicity of being a kid and the tough decisions and problems that adults must face every day.
Dr. Seuss I took an unconventional approach in the topic I chose for my reading assignment – whereas most groups selected single novels, my partner and I opted to read a collection of short stories by none other than the notorious Dr. Seuss. Were I writing this essay on a “normal” book, I would be able to pose a question about the book itself and answer it in an ordinary sort of way. However, given the subject matter I have chosen, an essay on an individual book, though possible, would be a very tricky thing to do. It would be wiser, and probably easier, to respond to the man himself. My decision to respond to the man himself makes many more choices – what facet of Dr. Seuss shall I ask myself questions about? I think perhaps I first need to give some brief biographical information on the man to understand the background he’s coming from. In 1904, Theodore Seuss Geisel was born in Massachusetts, USA. I have not been able to find too much documentation about his childhood, but he certainly did not come from a terribly poor or terribly unsuccessful family… in fact, his family had owned a local brewery in their home town of Springfield for several years. Ever since his childhood, Geisel had dabbled in the fields we all know and love him for today… for instance, during bible recitals, he read the verses to a rhythm and often in rhyme. In High School he wrote many short essays and drew cartoons for the school paper, and even then he had adopted a pseudonym for himself – “Pete the Pessimist”. Upon graduation, Geisel began studying literature at Oxford university, as his original intent was to become an educator… even then, he punctuated his time at Oxford with his job editing and contributing to the “Jack-O-Lantern”, ...
Are adults overprotective of their children? To what point do we protect children? Where should the line be drawn? Along with those questions is how easily children can be influenced by these same adults. Two poets, Richard Wilbur and Billy Collins, express the ideas of how easily children can be manipulated and how sometimes adults think they are protecting their innocent children, when in reality they are not. Wilbur and Collins express these ideas in their poems through numerous literary devices. The literary devices used by Wilbur and Collins expose different meanings and two extremely different end results. Among the various literary devices used, Wilbur uses imagery, a simple rhyme scheme and meter, juxtaposition of the rational and irrational, and a humorous tone to represent the narrator’s attempt to “domesticate” irrational fears. Conversely Collins uses symbols, historical interpretations, imagery, diction and other literary devices to depict the history teacher’s effort to shield his students from reality. In the poems, “A Barred Owl,” by Richard Wilbur, and “The History Teacher,” by Billy Collins, both poets convey how adults protect and calm children from their biggest, darkest fears and curiosities.
When my parents read to me, they enjoyed reading Dr. Suess books, which became popular with the publication of The Cat In The Hat. I was only interested in looking at books with color. When the books were colorful they grabbed my attention quickly. I couldn’t wait for my parents to come in my room at night and read to me from The Cat in the Hat. I think that this is one of the popular books that parents should read to their children.
Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote the Butter Battle Book in 1984. At this time, the US was in the midst of a Cold War escalation. Since the Nixon and Ford administrations of the early 1970s, US-Soviet relations had been in a period of détente. However, soon after being elected in 1981, President Reagan took a hardline stance against Communist Soviet Union. Reagan began the deployment of missiles, such as the Pershing missiles in West Germany and initiated the famous Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), popularly known as Star Wars, in 1983. These developments perhaps influenced Geisel to present an allegory for US-Soviet relations in Butter Battle Book. Zooks and Yooks represent the Soviets and Americans during the height of cold war. Using the butter battle as a representation of US-Soviet Relations, Geisel highlights the flawed leadership of both the superpowers.
According to literary critic Clifton Fadiman, “Theodor Geisel Seuss provided ingenious and uniquely witty solutions to the standing problem of illiteracy among children (qtd. in Kaplan).” Due to various influential figures and profound experiences during his lifetime, as well as expert use of creative literary techniques, Theodor Seuss Geisel’s children’s books continue to compel readers of all ages – allowing them to escape into different worlds filled with nonsense.