(no subject)
Sorta finished!!! I refuse to write the last page...I've used all the info I have...nothing else can be bsed!!!!
please give constructive criticism
Senior Project Proposal
Arianna Jarvis
Lisa Keller
Senior Project Summary
December 1, 2005
Dr. Seuss as a Political Commentator
Introduction
Is Dr. Seuss important to modern literature and journalism? If so, how is he? How is somebody, well known for rhythmic, colorful children’s books, one of the most prolific and prevalent authors of the late 20th century? Part of the answer is that his books are not part of the pulp dribble that is being cranked out with little thought to the developing IQs of the children that read them, like the series of “Potty” books or “Walter, the Farting Dog.”
Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) wrote to and for children, not down to children. His stories, while seemingly frivolous and juvenile have stories that actually ring with meaning for those that read them. When young children read The Lorax, they feel the sense of doom and misery that comes with the fall of the axe upon the last Truffula Tree. While small children may not be able to grasp the full moral of the tale, they do understand that the Lorax no longer has a home because the trees are all gone. They understand that it is a tragic story.
That is because there are universal and subliminal themes in the books of Dr. Seuss, that comment on the state of the nation and of mankind itself. Themes such as environmentalism, prejudice, commercialism, the futility of war, and the necessity of mankind working together resound in the milieu of his books. Stories such as The Lorax, The Grinch, Horton Hears a Who, and The Sneetches teach young readers obvious morals and lessons. Kindness, honesty, and patience are hinted at, as well as further reaching ideals that children do not even become aware of until they are much older. These morality stories are told and shown to children in a way that taps into their sensibilities, into a subconscious part of themselves that is not even fully developed yet.
This paper is meant to show the importance of Geisel in the genre of literature and political commentary. His career spanned from a political cartoonist during World War II, when he drew U.S. savings bonds’ advertisements and cartoons about the Axis Powers and the United States’ foreign policies, until his development of his own genre of children’s literature. Biographies, book reviews, literary analyses, and even Geisel’s books, themselves, will provide an adequate background as well as plentiful details about how important scholars, teachers, and simply readers view Geisel’s work.
Because of Geisel’s work as a political cartoonist, he can be considered a journalist, although his books are literary. The points of some of his sing-song tales are usually so thinly veiled it is hard to misunderstand what his views on particular issues are. It would be good to supply a general definition or example of what political journalism entails. It is also important to include examples of his political cartoons, and how exactly they differ from his later works.
In one biography, Geisel is said to have learned to draw in an unorthodox fashion. When he drew an animal, or some other subject, and noticed it to be awkward or disproportionate in some way, rather than fixing the problem area, he would emphasize it. With caricature, a style most often used in journalistic cartoons, it is his technique that is employed. As authors act with present day cartoons, emphasizing Bill Clinton’s nose or George W. Bush’s ears, Geisel would elaborate on Adolph Hitler’s chin and mustache, his recognizable traits, and accentuate the eyes of Hideki Tojo in a manner that actually verges on racial stereotypes. These stereotypes also support describing Geisel’s work with the government during World War II as anti-Axis propaganda, although his familiarity with foreign political issues is cleverly marked.
Part I: How is Dr. Seuss viewed?
In 1957, while Theodor Geisel was writing books with Random House, his book The Cat in the Hat sold almost a million copies, with critics declaring it to be a magnificent reading primer for young children. The book was marketed to be a realization for young children that they no longer needed to be read to. With the help of some business savvy Random House executives, he eventually became the president of an enterprise known as Beginner Books, which launched a new genre of literature geared toward children readers.
Being on the ground floor of the children’s book endeavor, Dr. Seuss had plenty of time and contracts to write to his heart’s content; thus, his books became a staple of reading texts for children. Since 1957, school children have been weaned on his wacky rhymes and zany illustrations, the time span cover a good number of generations. It would be perfect to find teachers’ lesson plans, and list of books used in grammar school curriculums.
It will be interesting at the present, with the government trying desperately to “improve” the nation’s education with programs and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and Reading First, what sort of changes will be instituted in regards to what literature children will be assigned to read. In many school’s across the country Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Phantom Tollbooth, A Wrinkle in Time, Of Mice and Men, The Witches, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Light in the Attic, James and the Giant Peach, and Lord of the Flies, among other books, are banned from schools. These books are banned because of their themes, characters, and content. Random House, the same publisher of all of Geisel’s books, has also published a good deal of the books on the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of banned books. Others that Random House does not publish, are books similar to Geisel’s style, such as the eccentric doodlings and poetry of Shel Silverstien’s A Light in the Attic. With the present presidential administration closely scrutinizing the books school children are exposed to, what will become of Dr. Seuss books?
Part of this paper will be examining and analyzing the themes of Geisel’s stories, and many of his themes are beliefs and principles that are not shared by the United States’ government, such as protecting the environment, the negative outcomes of war, and the danger of materialism. It would be beneficial to find an agenda of the Reading First program to see where the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and the Grinch fit into the development of readers in today’s world. According to the ALA’s 100 top banned book list, many of the books were banned for topics such as racism, violence, political and religious viewpoints, and models of disorderly behavior. Geisel’s books have those exact topics in them. For instance, the Grinch in How the Grinch stole Christmas, is prejudiced against the race of Who’s down in their little Who village. So much so that he steals their ornaments, presents, and food, definitely delinquent behavior. He also whips his dog Max to encourage him to pull the fully-loaded sled up their mountain. Lastly, in the end, the Grinch changes his attitude about the holiday and sits down at the head of the Who’s table to Christmas dinner. And yet, there is not one Dr. Seuss book on the ALA’s list.
Looking at reviews would present a clear picture the opinions actual readers of Geisel’s books and their expectations of him. Also, finding the sales statistics, such as the million copies of The Cat in the Hat sold at $1.95 each, will illustrate even further the had impact Geisel had, not only on this nation, but on the world. The Cat in the Hat, for example, was translated into Chinese, Swedish, and French, and Braille. Dr. Seuss’s themes are so universal that other cultures can understand his points, and the ideas are timeless enough, that many children don’t realize how old some of his books actually are.
Because of this universality, it’s easy for Dr. Seuss stories to transfer to different mediums. His books have been made into coloring books, television shorts, plays and movies, bringing his stories to diverse audiences. Because of the different media, it is rare to come upon some body who has never heard of Dr. Seuss, although Theodor Geisel is not a household name.
Part II: Life and Work
Life:
There should be a short run-down of Geisel’s life: birth, education, early job experience. This isn’t a biographical paper, but it’s good to have a background of the author being critiqued and analysis. It would also be important to include his political stances, and whether or not he was outspoken politically, besides the commentary he makes through cartoons and stories. According to stories of Geisel from friends, he is said to have been a very introverted, shy, and humble artist, that rarely strayed far from home, and stuck with familiar people and surroundings.
One friend commented “You might find Ted whiling away his time in the Neiman-Marcus shoe department during some charity gala, busily changing prices on the shoes, or in the hushed library of the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, busily autographing books by Mary Baker Eddy.” Even as a prolific and influential children’s writer, Geisel never had any kids of his own, despite being married twice, and actually tended to avoid children.
Despite his quiet and secretive demeanor, there is one story that provides evidence of Geisel’s strong sense of values. Once, a television sponsor had stumbled upon an unpublished verse Geisel had long ago forgotten he’d written, and had offered “a vast sum of money” to use it for a Christmas billboard. Herb Cheyette, Geisel’s New York lawyer, was shocked when Geisel, in an effort to keep from using his work to endorse any one particular religious holiday, turned them down. Cheyette told the writer “This verse totals less than a hundred words. If you accept this deal, you will go into The Guinness Book of Records as the writer who received the most money ever per word.”
Geisel shot back with, “I’d rather go into The Guinness Book of Records as the writer who refused the most money per word.”
Work:
Along with not knowing the age of Dr. Seuss’s stories, in 1999, when Richard H. Minear’s book, Dr. Seuss Goes to War, came out, fans of all ages were surprised to learn Theodor Geisel had done more in his career than write children’s books. He had, in fact, been apart of “Fort Hollywood” during World War II, with Meredith Wilson and Frank Capra, in the effort to raise patriotic spirits through posters, films, cartoons, news reels, and books. The United States’ government commissioned studios to produce, basically, pro-America, pro-war propaganda films. In the meantime, Geisel also joined the ranks of promoting war bonds’ sales.
Geisel also worked as a political cartoonist for New York’s newspaper PM during the war. The satirical humor Geisel employs in his political cartoons are not too different from the humor used in today’s cartoons. In one cartoon, a man is sticking out of a cave labeled Russia, while being mauled by the bear inside. On the man’s rump is a large swastika. Meanwhile, crouched behind the fight is Uncle Sam with a bow and arrow about to be aimed at the man. The caption proclaims, “The Unexpected Target.” The point is so straight-forward that even when the illustrations are viewed nearly 50 years later the meaning and humor can still be grasped.
It is remarkable how easily he transferred from his political cartoons to children’s stories. It would be interesting to find out what spurred this transition. Furthermore, not only did he venture to write a children’s book, but helped launch a revolutionary wave of a genre just for children. With the help of scholarly essays, the extent of his influence will be more clearly defined.
Part III: Analyses of written work
With the help of scholarly reviews and analyses, this section will delve into the meanings within Geisel’s political cartoons and children’s books. Articles such as Shira Wolosky’s “Democracy in America: By Dr. Seuss,” or “The Origin of Stories: Horton Hears a Who” by Brian Boyd help to clear away the fluff society has piled upon Geisel’s work, dismissing him as a ridiculous rhymer. It would be beneficial to find some background on some of his political cartoons, in order to discuss them in their historical context.
For instance, another cartoon of Geisel’s is captioned “The Great U.S. Sideshow.” Uncle Sam is standing to the side, in a little box with a megaphone, motioning to the man on the stage. The nerdy, weasely-looking man has nothing by way of stomach between his chest and hips, and the word “appeaser” is titled on his shirt. Uncle Sam proclaims “And on this platform, the most amazing marvel of the age! He lives; he talks…yet the guy has no guts.” This issue is interesting because “appeaser” was a word uttered in absolute disgust during the World War II era; thus, living now, and having a broader view of the war and all facets, it word loses some of the punch that was surely felt when this cartoon was published.
Furthermore, with anecdotes and dissecting his books and movies, this paper will be able to unearth inner meaning. He wrote the teleplay and musical lyrics for his cartoons that were made into thirty-minute specials during the seventies. Many of the songs he added have further political commentary in them. Also, it would be good to get information on the Ron Howard film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and discuss the differences in story, themes, and characters between the live action film and Geisel’s own book and cartoon.
Anecdotes from Geisel’s biographies provide direct information on what incidents in Geisel’s life different story ideas sprung from. For instance, one story about Geisel tells that he got into a heated discussion with retired Marine Corps General Victor H. Krulak about the Vietnam War. Geisel volleyed a series of questions at the general about the technical issues of nuclear war. A year later, Geisel published The Butter Battle Book, which metaphorically mimics the arms race, and the extent and danger of escalation.
Meanwhile, the book The Sneetches satirizes the ridiculousness of racism and prejudice as the Sneetches, who are basically all exactly alike, pay enormous quantities of money to a fly-by-night salesman to put stars on their bellies and take them off again. Geisel expounds on the fact that it isn’t a fundamental difference that sets races apart from each other, but the stigma in the minds of humans that one race is superior to another, instead of realizing that all humans are exactly alike, only with more or less stars on their bellies. Sadly, it is not until the Sneetches are left broke and be speckled with stars that they are able to see each other for whom they really are, exactly the same.
Conclusion:
There is something deeper to Dr. Seuss than his colorful illustrations and simple poetry, otherwise he would not be as widely read or respected as he is. He is often quoted at high school and college commencement ceremonies; he is read by generation after generation of schoolchildren. In the past 50 years, he has played an integral part in this country’s history.
This paper does not quite have a perfect conclusion or thesis statement as yet. There is so much to be said about Theodor Geisel, and sadly a lot has already been discussed in articles written and re-written in the past 30 years. However, there must be something more that can be said about this amazing literary figure.
Perhaps the issue of his being overlooked as a potentially banned author. Why is he not banned in the scheme of things. Of course, it is a wonderful thing that he is overlooked and is still accessible to schoolchildren, but why is Where’s Waldo? banned, or Maurice Sendak, and not Dr. Seuss? Would it be beneath the school boards’ dignities to acknowledge Dr. Seuss books such as The Butter Battle Book or The Lorax as potential threats to the impressionable minds of children? Is it because school boards can not find the deeper meanings in Dr. Seuss? Did the re-publishing of Geisel’s political cartoons in Dr. Seuss Goes to War affect their opinions of the author at all?
please give constructive criticism
Senior Project Proposal
Arianna Jarvis
Lisa Keller
Senior Project Summary
December 1, 2005
Dr. Seuss as a Political Commentator
Introduction
Is Dr. Seuss important to modern literature and journalism? If so, how is he? How is somebody, well known for rhythmic, colorful children’s books, one of the most prolific and prevalent authors of the late 20th century? Part of the answer is that his books are not part of the pulp dribble that is being cranked out with little thought to the developing IQs of the children that read them, like the series of “Potty” books or “Walter, the Farting Dog.”
Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) wrote to and for children, not down to children. His stories, while seemingly frivolous and juvenile have stories that actually ring with meaning for those that read them. When young children read The Lorax, they feel the sense of doom and misery that comes with the fall of the axe upon the last Truffula Tree. While small children may not be able to grasp the full moral of the tale, they do understand that the Lorax no longer has a home because the trees are all gone. They understand that it is a tragic story.
That is because there are universal and subliminal themes in the books of Dr. Seuss, that comment on the state of the nation and of mankind itself. Themes such as environmentalism, prejudice, commercialism, the futility of war, and the necessity of mankind working together resound in the milieu of his books. Stories such as The Lorax, The Grinch, Horton Hears a Who, and The Sneetches teach young readers obvious morals and lessons. Kindness, honesty, and patience are hinted at, as well as further reaching ideals that children do not even become aware of until they are much older. These morality stories are told and shown to children in a way that taps into their sensibilities, into a subconscious part of themselves that is not even fully developed yet.
This paper is meant to show the importance of Geisel in the genre of literature and political commentary. His career spanned from a political cartoonist during World War II, when he drew U.S. savings bonds’ advertisements and cartoons about the Axis Powers and the United States’ foreign policies, until his development of his own genre of children’s literature. Biographies, book reviews, literary analyses, and even Geisel’s books, themselves, will provide an adequate background as well as plentiful details about how important scholars, teachers, and simply readers view Geisel’s work.
Because of Geisel’s work as a political cartoonist, he can be considered a journalist, although his books are literary. The points of some of his sing-song tales are usually so thinly veiled it is hard to misunderstand what his views on particular issues are. It would be good to supply a general definition or example of what political journalism entails. It is also important to include examples of his political cartoons, and how exactly they differ from his later works.
In one biography, Geisel is said to have learned to draw in an unorthodox fashion. When he drew an animal, or some other subject, and noticed it to be awkward or disproportionate in some way, rather than fixing the problem area, he would emphasize it. With caricature, a style most often used in journalistic cartoons, it is his technique that is employed. As authors act with present day cartoons, emphasizing Bill Clinton’s nose or George W. Bush’s ears, Geisel would elaborate on Adolph Hitler’s chin and mustache, his recognizable traits, and accentuate the eyes of Hideki Tojo in a manner that actually verges on racial stereotypes. These stereotypes also support describing Geisel’s work with the government during World War II as anti-Axis propaganda, although his familiarity with foreign political issues is cleverly marked.
Part I: How is Dr. Seuss viewed?
In 1957, while Theodor Geisel was writing books with Random House, his book The Cat in the Hat sold almost a million copies, with critics declaring it to be a magnificent reading primer for young children. The book was marketed to be a realization for young children that they no longer needed to be read to. With the help of some business savvy Random House executives, he eventually became the president of an enterprise known as Beginner Books, which launched a new genre of literature geared toward children readers.
Being on the ground floor of the children’s book endeavor, Dr. Seuss had plenty of time and contracts to write to his heart’s content; thus, his books became a staple of reading texts for children. Since 1957, school children have been weaned on his wacky rhymes and zany illustrations, the time span cover a good number of generations. It would be perfect to find teachers’ lesson plans, and list of books used in grammar school curriculums.
It will be interesting at the present, with the government trying desperately to “improve” the nation’s education with programs and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and Reading First, what sort of changes will be instituted in regards to what literature children will be assigned to read. In many school’s across the country Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Phantom Tollbooth, A Wrinkle in Time, Of Mice and Men, The Witches, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Light in the Attic, James and the Giant Peach, and Lord of the Flies, among other books, are banned from schools. These books are banned because of their themes, characters, and content. Random House, the same publisher of all of Geisel’s books, has also published a good deal of the books on the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of banned books. Others that Random House does not publish, are books similar to Geisel’s style, such as the eccentric doodlings and poetry of Shel Silverstien’s A Light in the Attic. With the present presidential administration closely scrutinizing the books school children are exposed to, what will become of Dr. Seuss books?
Part of this paper will be examining and analyzing the themes of Geisel’s stories, and many of his themes are beliefs and principles that are not shared by the United States’ government, such as protecting the environment, the negative outcomes of war, and the danger of materialism. It would be beneficial to find an agenda of the Reading First program to see where the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and the Grinch fit into the development of readers in today’s world. According to the ALA’s 100 top banned book list, many of the books were banned for topics such as racism, violence, political and religious viewpoints, and models of disorderly behavior. Geisel’s books have those exact topics in them. For instance, the Grinch in How the Grinch stole Christmas, is prejudiced against the race of Who’s down in their little Who village. So much so that he steals their ornaments, presents, and food, definitely delinquent behavior. He also whips his dog Max to encourage him to pull the fully-loaded sled up their mountain. Lastly, in the end, the Grinch changes his attitude about the holiday and sits down at the head of the Who’s table to Christmas dinner. And yet, there is not one Dr. Seuss book on the ALA’s list.
Looking at reviews would present a clear picture the opinions actual readers of Geisel’s books and their expectations of him. Also, finding the sales statistics, such as the million copies of The Cat in the Hat sold at $1.95 each, will illustrate even further the had impact Geisel had, not only on this nation, but on the world. The Cat in the Hat, for example, was translated into Chinese, Swedish, and French, and Braille. Dr. Seuss’s themes are so universal that other cultures can understand his points, and the ideas are timeless enough, that many children don’t realize how old some of his books actually are.
Because of this universality, it’s easy for Dr. Seuss stories to transfer to different mediums. His books have been made into coloring books, television shorts, plays and movies, bringing his stories to diverse audiences. Because of the different media, it is rare to come upon some body who has never heard of Dr. Seuss, although Theodor Geisel is not a household name.
Part II: Life and Work
Life:
There should be a short run-down of Geisel’s life: birth, education, early job experience. This isn’t a biographical paper, but it’s good to have a background of the author being critiqued and analysis. It would also be important to include his political stances, and whether or not he was outspoken politically, besides the commentary he makes through cartoons and stories. According to stories of Geisel from friends, he is said to have been a very introverted, shy, and humble artist, that rarely strayed far from home, and stuck with familiar people and surroundings.
One friend commented “You might find Ted whiling away his time in the Neiman-Marcus shoe department during some charity gala, busily changing prices on the shoes, or in the hushed library of the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, busily autographing books by Mary Baker Eddy.” Even as a prolific and influential children’s writer, Geisel never had any kids of his own, despite being married twice, and actually tended to avoid children.
Despite his quiet and secretive demeanor, there is one story that provides evidence of Geisel’s strong sense of values. Once, a television sponsor had stumbled upon an unpublished verse Geisel had long ago forgotten he’d written, and had offered “a vast sum of money” to use it for a Christmas billboard. Herb Cheyette, Geisel’s New York lawyer, was shocked when Geisel, in an effort to keep from using his work to endorse any one particular religious holiday, turned them down. Cheyette told the writer “This verse totals less than a hundred words. If you accept this deal, you will go into The Guinness Book of Records as the writer who received the most money ever per word.”
Geisel shot back with, “I’d rather go into The Guinness Book of Records as the writer who refused the most money per word.”
Work:
Along with not knowing the age of Dr. Seuss’s stories, in 1999, when Richard H. Minear’s book, Dr. Seuss Goes to War, came out, fans of all ages were surprised to learn Theodor Geisel had done more in his career than write children’s books. He had, in fact, been apart of “Fort Hollywood” during World War II, with Meredith Wilson and Frank Capra, in the effort to raise patriotic spirits through posters, films, cartoons, news reels, and books. The United States’ government commissioned studios to produce, basically, pro-America, pro-war propaganda films. In the meantime, Geisel also joined the ranks of promoting war bonds’ sales.
Geisel also worked as a political cartoonist for New York’s newspaper PM during the war. The satirical humor Geisel employs in his political cartoons are not too different from the humor used in today’s cartoons. In one cartoon, a man is sticking out of a cave labeled Russia, while being mauled by the bear inside. On the man’s rump is a large swastika. Meanwhile, crouched behind the fight is Uncle Sam with a bow and arrow about to be aimed at the man. The caption proclaims, “The Unexpected Target.” The point is so straight-forward that even when the illustrations are viewed nearly 50 years later the meaning and humor can still be grasped.
It is remarkable how easily he transferred from his political cartoons to children’s stories. It would be interesting to find out what spurred this transition. Furthermore, not only did he venture to write a children’s book, but helped launch a revolutionary wave of a genre just for children. With the help of scholarly essays, the extent of his influence will be more clearly defined.
Part III: Analyses of written work
With the help of scholarly reviews and analyses, this section will delve into the meanings within Geisel’s political cartoons and children’s books. Articles such as Shira Wolosky’s “Democracy in America: By Dr. Seuss,” or “The Origin of Stories: Horton Hears a Who” by Brian Boyd help to clear away the fluff society has piled upon Geisel’s work, dismissing him as a ridiculous rhymer. It would be beneficial to find some background on some of his political cartoons, in order to discuss them in their historical context.
For instance, another cartoon of Geisel’s is captioned “The Great U.S. Sideshow.” Uncle Sam is standing to the side, in a little box with a megaphone, motioning to the man on the stage. The nerdy, weasely-looking man has nothing by way of stomach between his chest and hips, and the word “appeaser” is titled on his shirt. Uncle Sam proclaims “And on this platform, the most amazing marvel of the age! He lives; he talks…yet the guy has no guts.” This issue is interesting because “appeaser” was a word uttered in absolute disgust during the World War II era; thus, living now, and having a broader view of the war and all facets, it word loses some of the punch that was surely felt when this cartoon was published.
Furthermore, with anecdotes and dissecting his books and movies, this paper will be able to unearth inner meaning. He wrote the teleplay and musical lyrics for his cartoons that were made into thirty-minute specials during the seventies. Many of the songs he added have further political commentary in them. Also, it would be good to get information on the Ron Howard film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and discuss the differences in story, themes, and characters between the live action film and Geisel’s own book and cartoon.
Anecdotes from Geisel’s biographies provide direct information on what incidents in Geisel’s life different story ideas sprung from. For instance, one story about Geisel tells that he got into a heated discussion with retired Marine Corps General Victor H. Krulak about the Vietnam War. Geisel volleyed a series of questions at the general about the technical issues of nuclear war. A year later, Geisel published The Butter Battle Book, which metaphorically mimics the arms race, and the extent and danger of escalation.
Meanwhile, the book The Sneetches satirizes the ridiculousness of racism and prejudice as the Sneetches, who are basically all exactly alike, pay enormous quantities of money to a fly-by-night salesman to put stars on their bellies and take them off again. Geisel expounds on the fact that it isn’t a fundamental difference that sets races apart from each other, but the stigma in the minds of humans that one race is superior to another, instead of realizing that all humans are exactly alike, only with more or less stars on their bellies. Sadly, it is not until the Sneetches are left broke and be speckled with stars that they are able to see each other for whom they really are, exactly the same.
Conclusion:
There is something deeper to Dr. Seuss than his colorful illustrations and simple poetry, otherwise he would not be as widely read or respected as he is. He is often quoted at high school and college commencement ceremonies; he is read by generation after generation of schoolchildren. In the past 50 years, he has played an integral part in this country’s history.
This paper does not quite have a perfect conclusion or thesis statement as yet. There is so much to be said about Theodor Geisel, and sadly a lot has already been discussed in articles written and re-written in the past 30 years. However, there must be something more that can be said about this amazing literary figure.
Perhaps the issue of his being overlooked as a potentially banned author. Why is he not banned in the scheme of things. Of course, it is a wonderful thing that he is overlooked and is still accessible to schoolchildren, but why is Where’s Waldo? banned, or Maurice Sendak, and not Dr. Seuss? Would it be beneath the school boards’ dignities to acknowledge Dr. Seuss books such as The Butter Battle Book or The Lorax as potential threats to the impressionable minds of children? Is it because school boards can not find the deeper meanings in Dr. Seuss? Did the re-publishing of Geisel’s political cartoons in Dr. Seuss Goes to War affect their opinions of the author at all?