Dr. Seuss Contribution To Children's Literature

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What kid hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? From “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” to “A person’s a person, no matter how small” to “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere”, Dr. Seuss has filled the lives of children with whimsical stories and ideas. (8) Using casual dialect and everyday objects, he was able to spark the imagination of others. All the while, he instilled lessons into his writings. It is not a surprise that Dr. Seuss received an award for a “Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature”. His work will be read and enjoyed for decades to come. All in all, no matter which Dr. Seuss story that the reader might select, his or her imagination will be sparked, and the reader will surely be entertained. Seuss has made several contributions to literature. In numerous, if not all of his writings, Seuss uses funky rhymes, outlandish characters, and ties his story together with a heartfelt theme. (4) In relation to his works, Seuss himself said it best, “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple”(5); and I believe that this can relate to his works. The majority of Seuss’s books were children’s books, which contained an underlying message. By using his imagination and the way he arranged his words, he was able use the simplest words to create the biggest impact. Although he was immensely involved in his books, Dr. Seuss had a personal life as well. Behind the scenes, was a woman named Audrey Stone [Geisel], who greatly impacted and influenced his books later on in his life. (6) Because Seuss was successful, he received several awards. Some of these include: Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature, An Academy award for “Gerald McBoing-Boing” (Best Cartoon, 1951). An Emmy for “Halloween is Grinch Night”. (7) It is obvious that Dr. Seuss’s writings have been and will continue to be loved and Seuss (AKA - Theodor Geisel) which displays the behaviors of an animal to demonstrate the characteristics of faithfulness. In the poem, Dr. Seuss compellingly tells the citizens of Whoville about an amazingly faithful elephant named Horton. Seuss uses casual dialect that all the citizens can understand. And in the true “Seuss Style”, he embraces rhyme, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant…. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent!” (1) Repetition is also used to drive his point home, “And it should be, it should be, it SHOULD be like that!”. (2) The imagery of a huge elephant sitting on a tiny egg without cracking it also helps demonstrate the commitment and faithfulness that Horton portrayed. All of these literary devices help drive Dr. Seuss’s main theme, which is that one should be faithful and never give up even when there are easier options! The story begins with Horton and his bird friend named Mayzie, who live in a jungle together. Mayzie has an egg, which is ready to hatch. She, however, does not want the responsibility of hatching the egg herself; so she runs away, leaving the egg with Horton. Being the responsible, kindhearted elephant that he is, he sits on the egg and patiently awaits its hatching. In the meantime, Horton is captured by a traveling circus, but he refuses to leave the egg behind. He takes the egg with him and continues to faithfully protect it, demonstrating

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