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Exploratory Essay

Exploratory Essay

Dr. Seuss 

The Cat in the Hat is the title of a children’s book, which every child in America seems to know and enjoy reading. This immensely popular fictional story was written by a famous individual who goes by the name of Theodor Seuss Geisel or more known as Dr. Seuss. In most of Dr. Seuss’ fictional stories he portrays a different message for the reader in each children’s book so that the audience may be molded into strong and virtuous individuals in the future. He does so through the usage of literary techniques such as rhyming, magical thinking, dialogue, and illustrations.  

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904, in Massachusetts. Once Dr. Seuss reached the age of 18, he went to study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, majoring in English. After graduating he continued to pursue his education at the University of Oxford to obtain his PHD and one day be a professor. However, Geisel did not pull through with this goal and ended up dropping out in 1927. His career began as a cartoonist. Geisel cartooned loads of articles and illustrations for books as well as many magazines. Over time his practice continued to increase in skill, eventually allowing him to obtain a job as the New York weekly judge. During WWII Gisel played a significant role in producing political cartoons for the media and propaganda posters throughout the war. Giesel also worked for 15 years in an advertising (Biography: Early career) department for standard oil. Throughout this time of his life, he was trying out different career options and jobs being offered to him to see what had suited him the most.  

Moreover, at one-point Giesel was proposed to illustrate a collection of children’s books by the title of Boners. Although the book did perform poorly it had been Giesel’s introduction to working with kids’ literature. His first book was called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which represented how valuable children’s imaginations are and should not be oppressed. The book, after being declined 27 times due to the racial stereotypes which are depicted throughout the novel, was finally published in 1937(Sunny Skyz). Nowadays this book along with If I Ran The Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, and a few others are banned from being published ever again due to racial stereotypes portrayed throughout the children’s book (Watts, A., & Asmelash). Over the course of Geisel’s new beginning in creating children’s literature he has written and published well over 60 books, some including Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many more, which all include beautiful messages for young and old audiences. A wide variety of these published books have been turned into either movies or shows. From all this arduous work Dr. Seuss was able to obtain three Emmys and Grammys along with the 1984 Pulitzer Prize and the Caldecott Honor. (biography:Awards) 

One of Dr. Seuss’ most influential children’s books goes by the name of Horton Hears a Who. This book portrays a particularly important message for its audience being “a person’s a person no matter how small.” (Read aloud 1: 1:05) Throughout this book the message is said repetitively to drill it to its audience. Although repetition is one of the major tools used throughout the book there is also a good amount of rhyming embedded. However, the rhyming used is not basic, the terminology included is advanced for your average reader. This sort of rhyming adds more interest in children to continue reading the book because they are so used to basic kinds of rhyming, but Dr. Seuss rhyming was unique and advanced, somewhat of a challenge for children. This challenge allowed readers to be more invested and motivated to read the book. Most of Dr. Seuss’ publishing’s were picture books; in Horton Hears a Who the elephant (Horton) faces a lot of challenges throughout the book to keep the safety of a race possible. The books’ illustrations work coherently with the story being told. Whatever emotions or actions such characters portray, the pictures which go along with them fit perfectly. A clear example is when Horton is asking the people of Whoville to be as loud as possible since they are on the verge of being killed. The image that goes along with this event is Horton being held back by monkeys that are trying to put him in a cage and the audience can clearly see that Horton is scared for the people of Whoville and he is also worried (Read Aloud 1: 9:10). Moreover, throughout the story children do not only learn about the good virtues of an individual, but they also learn about elephants and such abilities which they have, one of the main ones being incredible hearing mainly because of their tremendous ears. The story itself ties in with this because no one was able to hear the people living on the spec and the noise they made besides Horton until they shouted louder and louder. This children’s book was one of the few that turned into a major motion picture in 2008.  

Another of Giesel’s famous children’s picture books is Horton Hatches the Egg published in 1940 which displays the meaning of love’s capacity for transformation, together with commitment and responsibility. Similarly , to Horton Hears a Who this novel also has a lot of advanced rhyming and repetition throughout the book. One quote in particular being “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent!.” (Read aloud 2: 4:33) This story along with Horton Hears a Who both display dialogue throughout the book, one of the many skills which Dr. Seuss is great at and incorporates in all his books. For example, Dr. Seuss wrote, “Look! Horton the Elephant’s up in a tree!” They taunted. They teased him. They yelled, “How absurd!” “Old Horton the Elephant thinks he’s a bird!” …  Horton then replied, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent!.” (Read aloud 2: 4:23) Without such dialogue as this between characters, and if the book was only narrated, then all interest would be lost by the audience. Not only are the characters interacting with each other, but they are also rhyming as they speak, which is a combination of techniques Dr. Seuss uses. For all his books Giesel makes sure he incorporates magical thinking and imagination into each of them so that readers can still be engaged at the end of the book just as much as at the beginning. For this novel in particular the magical thinking was a creature which hatched out of the egg was half elephant and bird. Some of the illustrations in the story depict Horton’s size in comparison to the job the bird (Mayzie) is asking him to complete. One example being due to Horton being an enormous elephant and Mayzie being an average sized bird the task at hand seems un-accomplishable because an elephant cannot take care of an egg on top of a tree for months on end. These illustrations throughout the book are very precise and on point with the story; they match exactly what the author is trying to put into the reader’s mind. Additionally, the fact that the tree which Horton was taking care of the egg on for many months was magical thinking as well. (Read aloud 2: 2:32). Mainly because it is difficult to believe that such a small tree could withstand the weight of a large elephant for that duration of time even if supporting branches were placed under. The actions which Horton displays throughout the book teach young readers how to be reliable, faithful, and determined.  

Dr. Seuss’ legacy continues to live on today, his books and movies continue to be read today by young children of all ages. His legacy will remain forever because of how influential all his books were to his audience and the message these books left behind for readers through the usage of literary techniques such as dialogue, magical thinking, rhyming, and illustrations. Sadly, his life ended on September 24, 1991, he left behind a load of books but no children that may have continued his legacy.  

Citations: 

A&E Networks Television. (2021, March 2). Dr. Seuss. Biography.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.biography.com/writer/dr-seuss  

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Horton hatches the Egg. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg  

Watts, A., & Asmelash, L. (2021, March 3). 6 dr. Seuss Books won’t be published anymore because they portray people in ‘hurtful and wrong’ ways. CNN. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/dr-seuss-books-cease-publication-trnd  

Dr. Seuss’ first book was rejected by 27 publishers. on his way home to burn it, his life changed forever. Sunny Skyz. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/1207/Dr-Seuss-First-Book-Was-Rejected-By-27-Publishers-On-His-Way-Home-To-Burn-It-His-Life-Changed-Forever  

YouTube. (2019). Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss Read Aloud. YouTube. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-i1E1UbwVI.  

YouTube. (2020). Horton Hatches the Egg. YouTube. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVdB0MtZvvk&t=630s.