An Essay On The Sneetches By Dr. Seuss

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss is a story about two types of creatures, separated by having or not having stars on their bellies. The Star-Belly Sneetches believe they are the best, and look down upon Sneetches without stars. As a result, the Plain-Bellied Sneetches want nothing more than to have stars on their bellies to fit in and be accepted. This concept of discrimination and shunning of those who are different can be seen in a multitude of ways, not only in the story, but in the real world as well. As a society, over the years we have battled favoritism and inequality as a result of many conflicts such as different incomes, races, and beliefs.
One of the largest factors in discrimination in our society today is everyone’s desire to conform to fit into the “cool” crowd, or those who are successful. Just like in the The Sneetches, people may be willing to go to great lengths, or spending outrageous amounts of money to be a part of the in-group. For example, the Sneetches kept dumping money into the pockets of an entrepreneur named Sylvester McMonkey McBean, (who calls himself the Fix-It-Up Chappie) in hopes of achieving social acceptance. In the world today, everyone seems to need the latest technological upgrade or style of clothing to fit in with his or

her peers. Those who may have a lower-income may not have the same opportunities to purchase whatever product is “in style,” and as a result may be looked down upon as less important or inferior to those who have the ability to buy said product.
Alongside income, race may play a significant role in someone who is accepted into a social group and someone who is not. Although in present-day society, racism is far less common than it was a couple of years ago, there are still a few amount of situations where race and ethnicity can cause discrepancies between two or more groups of people. The aim of The Sneetches is to teach and explain children with the message that race and ethnicity should not be dividing lines in our society, but that we can coexist peacefully, regardless of our external differences. At the same time it is important to note that the Sneetches reached peace and harmony only when they no longer knew who was who, which shouldn’t be misinterpreted to as one must change his or her outer appearance to fit in, but rather one should overlook the physical differences because if people were to all look the same, society would be able to get along peacefully.
Another point could be made, however, that even if everyone looked the same, people still have their own ideas, opinions, and beliefs in which they may be discriminated for.

Although this is true, if society didn’t have any differences in ideas or beliefs, there would be no competition, no growth, and no advancement in the community. Our differences are what make us who we are, and as a society we need to learn to accept one another for who they are and for what they believe in. Their beliefs may not be the same as yours, but that is okay. We are all human and we are all capable of doing great things, we just need others there to support us and to give us constructive criticism along the way, not tear us

down.
The Sneetches does a fantastic job of portraying the message of discrimination as a result of one’s differences, which rings true in today’s society as well. Differences in income, race, and beliefs contribute to an overall feeling of inequality in a community. Sylvester McMonkey McBean has it all figured out, and takes advantage of the Sneetches bigotry until they ran out of money. Only then were they finally able to open their eyes to fight the false, blind distinctions between the two. Just like race, no matter if people are black or white, short or tall, Catholic or Jewish, we must put aside our shallow prejudices and realize that we are all ultimately the same: human beings.