Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. Your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Wednesday, February 13 at midnight.Discussion Leaders: Alyssa, Amanda L., Rainy, Kaitlyn, Allison, Amanda W., Travis, Derek, Molly
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
ReplyDeleteAgain, I did not become acquainted with this picture book until adulthood. Although I had read numerous Dr. Seuss books as a child, I must have been sheltered, because everyone seems to be familiar with this text. I was shocked at how much depth there is to this book, including the obvious “save the environment” component.
At the beginning of the book the mood was light and positive. As more Thneeds were created, the mood took a steep dive for the worst. Soon all of the animals were leaving the forest, similar to deforestation. Children learn about deforestation, and this book would be a great introduction to the topic.
The Once-ler apparently did not get the memo until it was almost too late. The Once-ler can easily be seen as representing big businesses, hence, the Once-ler defending his position with “And for your information, you Lorax, I’m figgering on biggering and biggering and BIGGERING and BIGGERING, turning more Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone, EVERYONE, EVERYONE needs!” The general population believes that big businesses are out to make a buck, without any concern for the negative impacts their business places on the community. This is undoubtedly shown with the Once-ler’s goal to create a Thneed for everyone.
I was not surprised to see this text transformed into a movie. It has a lesson that all young children, and adults, should be aware of: don’t take more than you need. The quote mentioned earlier also represents the Once-ler’s idea of advertising and manipulating the population into believing that they could not possibly live without a Thneed. The Thneed itself stands for every fashionable, trendy item on the market. Consumers, children and adults alike, are susceptible to the popularity demands of society. This is something that, I’m positive, has existed since assembly lines and quick-paced production factories were invented.
Over the summer, I had been taking an education course and I was shown an earlier version of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss from the 1970’s. This original version included mention of the Great Lakes, in relation to their pollution due to businesses such as the Once-ler’s Thneed factory. Newer versions of the text now omit any mention of the Great Lakes, I assume due to the government trying to hide any flaws in a consumer-based society.
This text has real world applications that children should be aware of. Students should be taught that pollution is not just something that happens in a book, but can actually be found where they live. This book (and movie) both showcase what can happen when businesses are permitted to rapidly produce goods. Children should also be taught how to reuse items, rather than constantly buy new items that potentially cause harmful side effects to the environment.
I intend on utilizing this text in my future classroom. This book would be the beginning of a unit on pollution and recycling. I will always recycle, both at home and in my future school. I will teach my students what to look for when recycling, and what can be reused.
Questions:
What are other ways this book could be incorporated into school?
How would the tone have changed if the book had ended after all of the Truffula Trees were cut down? Would this new ending have been appropriate to teach in schools?
What political aspects were incorporated into the text?
Kaitlyn Kent
Word Count: 567
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
ReplyDeleteThis book starts out dark and mysterious. The young boy has a look of wonder on his face as he travels to a dark, tall home where the Once-ler lives. This immediately captures the reader’s attention as to what the boy is up to and is going to find out. As a child looking at this book, the rhymes and sense of mystery would really real them in and make them ask plenty of questions.
As the story continues, the flashback occurs. The flashback shows a happy place with green grass, blue sky and bright-colored trees called Truffula Trees. The setting of the flashback showed excitement and joy to the reader, it was hard to tell what was about to happen. The flashback in the story could be a great way to show students how a flashback works in a book. This is one example of many lessons that could be taken from this book and taught in the classroom.
The reader is introduced to the Lorax when something bad starts happening. We see the Once-Ler show up to the forest where the Lorax and other animals live. The Once-Ler immediately starts to cute down the Truffula trees to start his own business. This part of the story shows the reader that there is harm in cutting down trees and this is not a nice thing to do. The Lorax had a kind heart and he spoke for the Truffula Trees in saying that they did not want to be cut down to be made into thneeds. This is the point in the story where children will start to notice what a bad guy Once-Ler appears to be. He doesn’t listen to the thoughts and feelings of the Lorax and the fact that he was destroying the Lorax and everyone else’s home.
As the story goes on, the Once-Ler expands his business of cutting down the trees to make more thneeps. The animals that lived in the forest started to leave because they could not live without food, shelter and happiness anymore. The Lorax tries so hard to show Once-Ler what harm he was commiting, but the Once-Ler was so caught up in expanding his business that he just ignored it and went on with his success.
At the end of the story, the Once-Ler re-states a quote that the Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This quote is very strong and influential. It is my favorite part of the whole book.
This book can relate to so many real life situations. The Once-Ler represents a selfish someone who was so caught up in their own success that they didn’t realize how much harm they were doing. The theme in the story of being selfish and harming others is very clear. To a child, they could easily point out the mistakes and sadness happening in the story.
I saw the movie before I ever read this book. I found the movie and the book to have a great influence on anyone who reads or watches them. This is a wonderful story for children to read with an elder. There are great lessons to be taught from this story and Dr. Seuss books are always the best.
Questions:
Do you think the themes in this story are too difficult for young children to understand?
Why did the Author decide to keep the Once-ler’s looks a secret?
What kind of emotion do you think children would feel when reading this story?
Word count: 605
DeleteThe Lorax by Dr. Seuss
ReplyDeleteThe Lorax by Dr. Seuss has always been one of my favorite books growing up. The wordplay and colorful illustrations make this book stand out in its didactic message. The Lorax sends a clear message about the need to conserve the earth’s precious and finite natural resources. I grew up on a lake as a kid and spent a lot of time catching frogs, fish, insects, and even digging up turtle eggs. But while I caught a fair amount of animals, I always let them go unharmed; and if I did harm them I felt terrible. I feel very strongly about protecting the lakes and forests and the creatures that inhabit them. Sometimes I wish there was a Lorax, one who could speak for the trees; with a Lorax it would be indisputable that something was very wrong about deforestation. It’s probably not surprising that my favorite part of the book is when the Lorax first appears and speaks “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” He immediately points out that the Once-ler is making a big mistake by turning precious Truffula trees into useless Thneeds that no one really needs. Then the Once-ler invites his whole family to come and enjoy his success and help his business grow GROW GROW.
The Once-ler’s successful factory is too efficient at destroying Truffula trees. Because there are no more Truffula trees the Bar-ba-loots begin to starve and are forced out of the forest. The Once-ler evidently has a conscious, it’s apparent when he feels somewhat sad that the Bar-ba-loots are forced to leave “I, the Once-ler, felt sad as I watched them all go. BUT… business is business! And business must grow regardless of crummies in tummies, you know.” This is the point in the book where the Once-ler decides he doesn’t give a Thneed about anything except for growing his business and therefore his profits, even if it means hurting others. One by one the animals begin falling victim to the Once-ler’s unquenchable greed. The entire time the Lorax is trying to warn the Once-ler that if he doesn’t stop making Thneeds out of the Truffula trees then the forest is going to die.
But the Once-ler being the jerk he was, decided that he was going to continue to make Thneeds until the very last Truffula tree was gone! And he did… eventually. Once the last Truffula was chopped, and after all the animals had fled, the Lorax extremely disappointed and sad floated off leaving only one word behind; “unless”. This little riddle leads to one of the morals of the story, that if you care a bunch, the environment can be and will be protected. The Once-ler tells the boy “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. The message is clear: it’s not easy to protect the most defenseless things on earth, that’s why you have to car a whole awful lot to help keep things like trees, birds, bears, and fish alive and well.
Discussion questions:
Do you think the Once-ler expected the forest to die? Would you have listened to the Lorax had you been the Once-ler? Why or why not? Also how do you think the illustrations and wordplay help tell the story?
Travis Alcazar
Word count: 565
Dr. Seuss: The Lorax
ReplyDeleteReading Dr. Seuss' The Lorax rally brought me back to my childhood, and beginning to read, although I was much more a fan of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. My mom and I still talk about how that was the first book I could “read”, but I had only memorized the contents. Dr. Seuss is an author who has help mold children for over 40 years. The Lorax is kind of an interesting piece and looks to start almost like a horror book, with an urban legend kind of thing. This is kind of interesting for a children story, and the idea of legend and such.
Through my first read of The Lorax it reminded me a lot of giant corporations, and their effect on environments. Take for instance Walmart (just an example). Walmart is a giant corporation with hundreds of stores spread out across the U.S. How many of those stores are built on what used to be fields? A lot. The Lorax is a perfect example on how these giant corporations can destroy environments. There is also this tone of deforestation, which I guess is also kind of corporations in America, and also their effect on environments. We also see the factory polluting the water, and clogging the gills of the fish, so The Lorax tells the fish to leave their pond.
There is also this tone of corporate greed, that can be used to talk about greed in general. First the guy just cuts down one tree, and then he is not satisfied with just the one and develops a machine to be able to cut at a much faster rate. He builds his factories large, and just keeps wanting more and more. For the most part people I believe are greedy creatures and are constantly making sure that their best interest come first. This is seen through the man in the story who keeps wanting more and more to increase his industry. At the end of this story, we see a glimmer of hope. This is when the Once-ler gives the boy a tree seed. Not only just a tree seed, but the last tree seed, in hopes of rebuilding the environment. This story can be viewed as a reminder if you take something from mother earth, you should leave something of equal value in its place, Ideally the same thing. This poses philosophical questions I think.
I can't help but notice that there is this theme of greed in The Giving Tree and the The Lorax. This makes a lot of sense because at least my experience with children, they have this habit of saying “mine” a lot, and are constantly taking toys from other kids. Perhaps my favorite part of the story is this idea of “UNLESS” and how the world is eventually going to have nothing UNLESS “someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not”. If you want something to change, you're going to have to take control and change it yourself, no one else will.
Upon a second quick reading I noticed this idea of addiction. The once-ler starts by cutting down one tree, and then he “needs his fix” so to speak. He starts cutting more and more, and eventually makes a machine to aid him in his cutting.
Discussion Questions:
-The Lorax is a fairly philosophical book, do you think that there is an age in which it is inappropriate to teach children philosophy? If so what age?
-Is The Once-Ler greedy or does he think that he is performing an important service for the good of the people?
-Is there ever a point where it is not harmful to be greedy?
Derek Bush
Word Count: 625
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, on the surface is about a greedy man who destroys a place that is home to many creatures. On a slightly deeper level it is also a clear commentary on the effects of consumerism and deforestation. The Once-ler doesn't think about how his actions are affecting the creatures and world around him, his can only focus on making more Thneeds, which apparently everybody “needs.” Before long the creatures are all gone, the land is destroyed and the air is practically un-breathable. Yes, he has sold many Thneeds, but at what cost? His temporary monetary gain resulted in a semi-permanent disaster. Hopefully the boy who gets the seed in the end will plant it and eventually the world will be as it once was. Essentially this book shows what could happen if we continue deforestation without giving anything back to the earth.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning everything is obviously dead, but I did notice one plant: a cactus. This was a smart choice on Dr. Seuss' part because a cactus doesn't need much to survive and without clean rain and smog covering the sun it's one of the only plants that could still be around. It it also a very harsh, painful plant to touch, which highlights the harshness of the land in the present day. I found it interesting that the Once-lers all wore green gloves as well. Generally a “green thumb” means you are good with nature, you can cultivate it. In The Lorax this is not the case. While they all wear green gloves symbolizing growth and nature, they do nothing but destroy it.
I also liked that the Lorax, who spoke for the trees, animals, and seemingly life in general, was orange and yellow, two colors associated with the sun. The sun helps give life to everything, just like the Lorax tried to protect the lives of all the creatures in the Truffula fields. It was also a nice touch when the smog started covering the sky that the Lorax was hacking and wheezing (the sun looking like it's close to the smog from our perspective) and then when everything is done the Lorax lifts himself through the smog to seemingly live in the sky (like the sun).
I noticed that all the creatures in the book seem to be kind and generally adorable. This may have been a ploy by Dr. Seuss to win over the reader's heart even more. He knew he could get the reader to feel the injustice in the book, but by making all the harmed characters also nice and cute he made sure to drive the injustice home. If he had used creatures that looked uglier or were mean to begin with the reader would not feel as much for them and might actually sympathize more with the Once-lers.
Discussion Questions
1.How does this book show both the positive and negative effects of consumerism?
2.How is color used to affect the mood of the story?
3.Do you think kids would understand the lesson this book is trying to teach?
Amanda Willoughby
Word Count: 518
The Lorax, and almost all Dr. Seuss stories for that matter, are filled with unimaginable characters and events. Seuss uses goofy illustrations and rhyme to create an unforgettable story. Many of his stories also include a lesson to be taken away. The Lorax begins with a deserted wasteland that could seem frightening. But it also asks the question, “How and why did it get this way?” Other questions are directly asked of the reader such as, “What was the Lorax?” and “Why was it there?” These are questions that a reader would have in mind upon simply reading the title. This involves the reader in the story, making it more interesting and mysterious.
ReplyDeleteSeuss’ use of rhyme makes the story enjoyable and playful, especially when it’s read out loud. I believe children would be able to pick up on the rhymes, but some may read slower or concentrate more on pronunciation that it could be harder to recognize. If the story is read out loud, more emphasis could be placed on the rhyming words. For example, I used to read Fox in Socks to my nephew, which specifically states on first page that the book is “dangerous” and to take it slowly at the risk of getting tongue-tied. This means that the book is intended to be read out loud, as with most of the Dr. Seuss books.
This idea goes along with the inclusion of made-up words. This is a well-known trait of Dr. Seuss and adds to the playfulness. “Miff-muffered moof,” “bar-ba-loots,” “thneeds,” “tuffula trees,” and “gluppity glup,” are all examples of the made-up words that make Dr. Seuss books so memorable. Many of these words also contain alliteration which could help with the teaching of literary devices. But overall, I believe Seuss structures these words in this way to make the reader smile or laugh at its silliness. Other literary devices that are utilized are onomatopoeias and repetition. These are all very important to the structure of a children’s book. The word “tuffula tree” is used numerous times throughout the story, adding importance to the object.
This leads in to my final thought about The Lorax: the lesson that it’s intended to teach. The destruction of the tuffula trees can be directly related to the destruction of our own environment. Whether or not children will be able to make this connection is debatable. But the book is still able to show the repercussions of harming the environment and being greedy. The Once-ler leaves nothing out while telling his story and the reader is not meant to sympathize with him. The Lorax brings wisdom to the story and could be a representation of the hidden adult. He explicitly states how the Once-ler’s actions are harming the land and the animals. The setting becomes darker as the smoke from the factory pollutes the air, and the water becomes tainted from the “gluppity-glup” and “schloppity-schlop.” The Lorax is forced to tell the animals to leave and find a safer place. However, the reader does not know where the animals end up. The Once-ler is able to recognize his wrong-doing and offers the young boy the opportunity to make the land healthy again. This sends a message to other children that they also possess the potential to make the world a better place.
Amanda Lentz
Word Count: 557
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think the Once-ler is never shown, except for his hands and arms?
Do you think the made-up words help a child’s development of reading and literature? Or hinder it?
Do you think children will understand the “unless” message on their own? Or will they need help and guidance from a parent or teacher?
This is another children’s book that I have seen numerous places, yet have never read. I am once again surprised by the emotion that was evoked while reading this book. The mood changes throughout the story, being pretty dark and mysterious at the beginning. All of the illustrations used deep, dark colors, and there was almost a sense of suspense as the boy approached the Once-Ler’s house.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrations took a surprising turn as the Once-Ler started telling his story. The colors of the illustrations were so much brighter and happier. I even found that I was reading the words with a little more spunk. I found that I felt happy for the Once-Ler as he was able to grow his business and do well for himself, but at the same time I felt for the Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots who were run out of the land because they were running out of food, the Swomee-Swans who were run out because of the smog, and the Humming-Fish who had to leave the pond because their gills became too gummed.
The lesson here seems very apparent, and that is that we have an affect on what happens in the environment. The Once-Ler becomes so greedy, wanting to make everything bigger, selling more Thneeds, creating a bigger factory, and thus cutting down more trees which in turn is ruining the environment. This can teach children a lesson that they play a role in what happens to the Earth. This concept can be hard to grasp for students as they can look at the environment as a huge space that they may not have an influence on.
Nathalie op de Beeck states that “Ecology-minded book creators, concerned with having their books published and reaching a maximum number of readers, feel obliged to look the other way when a major company’s production values do not equate with their professional environmental ethics.” This brings up another topic that would be helpful with children, and that is to speak their mind for what they believe in. In the story, the Lorax continues to complain to the Once-Ler, but Lorax never does anything to take action. Students need to know that they can stick up for what they believe in and that they can in fact make a change.
Another point that Nathalie op de Beeck makes is that young consumers may not be able to understand the process of the transformation of raw materials into the products they are using. When I was a young child, I was definitely unaware of the way my behaviors effected the environment. Things as simple as cars creating smog, wasting paper is essentially killing more trees, etc. We always hear the saying “save paper, kill less trees” but often times convenience gets in the way of that, and I am just as guilty as the next person. Year long environmental projects could be a helpful tool to increase students’ knowledge on their role in the environment.
Questions:
Why do you think the Lorax never too ACTION to stop the Once-Ler from destroying the land?
Why do you think the Once-Ler saved the last seed, rather than planting it to gain more wealth?
How can children relate to the Once-Ler’s character in this story? To the Lorax’s character?
Allison Krueger
Word Count: 560
Dr. Seuss is no stranger to books that have a distinct message for children. Horton Hears a Who and The Sneetches are just two examples of books he has written that very bluntly address issues of treating others equally. Unlike the mixed messages and interpretations necessary for Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, The Lorax is very straightforward in its message; take care of the environment and don’t destroy it for consumerism. Considering he was also known for his World War II political comics, it is no surprise that the author and illustrator would be compelled to write stories with a message.Though Dr. Seuss addresses this issue in a way that cannot be disputed, there are still interesting elements included in this book. True to his style, Dr. Seuss has included vibrant colors, imaginary lands and creatures, made-up words, and a catchy rhyme scheme. Though this is addressing a serious topic, he does it in a way that makes it silly and fun for children and adults to read.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, this story is told through the eyes of the villain, the Once-ler. In certain ways, he is portrayed as a caring individual. He claims that he is making the thneeds because people sincerely need them. He describes the Lorax as “…sharpish and bossy.” (21) At the end of the story, he is also shown showing remorse for what he has done, as he asks the boy to plant the last Truffula Tree seed so that the valley may flourish again. Though the Once-ler is the “bad guy”, he truly seems to be not a bad guy. He makes decisions that do negatively impact the environment, and he also seems more preoccupied with expansion and profit, as he tells the Lorax that he is, “… figgering on biggering”. (49) He still does show remorse for what he does and, initially, he claims that he is making something that people do need.
The Lorax is also interesting to consider as a book to movie adaptation. The entire book speaks against consumerism and the destruction of our environment. However, it was bought by a major film studio, Universal Pictures, and voiced by an all-star cast, including Taylor Swift, Danny DeVito, and Zac Effron. Though I have not seen the film myself, I am also assuming that they took some liberties with the original story to make a 61 page picture book into a full length film. Ironically, Dr. Seuss’ outcry against consumerism was bought, readapted, and sold to make more money for already wealthy individuals. His widow, Audrey Stone Geisel, supported the production of the film and reported that she felt it was good for them to see it as an educational tool that they could understand.
The Lorax as a book and as a movie brings questions to mind. How do the characters function in the story as the villain being portrayed as a seemingly nice guy and the hero as a grumpy old man? Does the consumerism of the movie take away from the message of The Lorax? Is it a good thing as it helps to spread Dr. Seuss’ message to another audience? How do you think Dr. Seuss would feel about this adaptation of his book?
Work Cited:
Bercovici, Jeff. "Dr. Seuss's Widow Says 'The Lorax' Is Education, Not Propaganda." Forbes.com. Forbes, 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
"The Lorax." IMDb. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Word Count: 571