Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, has probably been at least a small part of each of our childhoods. For me, he was a major part. Ever since I was a little kid I have been fascinated and entertained by the genius of Dr. Seuss stories and illustrations. I can't exactly say which of his stories is my favorite, but I do have a particular fondness for a hardcover collection that I had growing up. Some of the stories included in this collection were: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, The Lorax, And To Think That I Saw It On Mullberry Street, Yertle the Turtle, and Horton Hears A Who! One of these that I liked in particular was The Lorax, so much in fact that I have one part of my room painted with a garden full of truffula trees.
As true as it was in 1971, the year of publication, The Lorax tells the story of environmental destruction in favor of industry. This, as throughout a large part of our history, is extremely relevant in the current age of technology versus conservation. By no means would I consider myself to be an passionate activist spouting rhetoric about how we as a planet need to cut down on pollution and consumption, but I do believe these things. As the Lorax stated, with the destruction of one part of an eco-system, the rest also begins to disintegrate. Can't this be said for our society as well? All I can say is that I think The Lorax is much more than a children's book, it is a warning for what will happen if humanity continues it's slow downward spiral. We need to start doing more than just listening to the stories of our forefathers, the Once-lers, and planting truffula trees from the few precious seeds they have collected. Shouldn't we do something to save ourselves and our planet while we still can?
2 comments:
Hooray! I love The Lorax too and I totally agree that the message is timeless and the time for change has never been so pressing.
I got "Oh The Places You'll Go" as a gift when I graduated from high school.
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