Analysis Of Said A Bird In The Midst Of A Blitz

Summary

In “Said a Bird in the Midst of a Blitz…” Philip Nel scrutinizes how the war molded Dr. Seuss. In this essay, the author examines how Dr. Seuss’s experience as a cartoonist for the newspaper, PM, showed up in his career later on as a writer for children’s books. Seuss served as a political cartoonist and successful advertising artist. Nel describes how Seuss expressed his frustration towards the war by sending a sketch to a chief propagandist. Seuss started his twenty-one-month career as a political cartoonist after the letter and cartoon were printed. Nel suggests that a cartoon that expressed Seuss’s views towards war straightforwardly could be viewed as a bird representing Uncle Sam relaxing in a chair, with bombs exploding all

Nel suggests that Seuss’s career as a propagandist made him more apt to challenge his readers to be inspired by acting out specific configurations of power. Seuss PM newspaper cartoons could not be polished; therefore, his work was very honest and raw compared to his perfectly revised books. Nel states how Seuss was not curious in social disputes until Hitler. Nel also argues that the impact of world occurrences enters Seuss’s work prior to the United States’ involvement in the war. Two of Seuss’s stories, The King Derwin of Bartholomew and the Oobleck is an early version of Yertle the Turtle, in which Nel describes these stories to be formed on the escalation of Hitler. After Seuss’s trip to Japan, Nel explains how Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are modeled after the Japanese. He argues that in Dr. Seuss’s book, Dr. Seuss Goes to War, Whoville is Japan, and Horton represents the United States. Nel states that there is racism shown throughout Seuss’s work in his anti-Japanese illustrations as well as his PM newspaper cartoons. Nel claims that Seuss’s newspaper cartoons are also analytical of both anti-Semitism and prejudiced conduct of

Phillip Nel provides examples of different literary works from Seuss that allow the reader to actually identify his war inspired stories. The least supported claim Nel makes is how Seuss wanted to leave readers curious. Why would Seuss want his stories and cartoons to be so socially constructed, yet in the end write his stories as children’s books? I believe Phillip Nell did an exquisite job in interpreting Seuss’s purpose of his work. He provides examples, and explains thoroughly throughout this essay how the war molded Seuss. I honestly do not think children would think this far into Seuss stories. Only adults would be able to recognize the suggestive clues, and children would simply see it as a children’s story and normal cartoons. For children, yes it is trivial to analyze Seuss in this way. After all, it is just cartoons and stories. For adults, I think it may concern families in what they are letting their children read. After reading this essay, I now see Seuss and his work in a different perspective. In one way I am disturbed and curious, but another part of me is inspired of the genius that Seuss is. He put a great deal of passion and life lessons into his cartoons and stories. I feel as if children’s books are specifically for children and to encourage them to learn. Because Seuss work is so successful and children will not think this far in depth