Dr. Seuss Essay

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                                                                                                                                     Copeland                                                                    

Kaley Copeland

Berg Seeley

English 104 Final Essay 3

March 16, 2007

Dr. Seuss: Man of Religious and Political Controversy

        Dr. Seuss was known as the “Modern Day Mother Goose” and known for his popularity and success of writing children’s stories (Morgan and Morgan 5).  He was also known for his creative drawings and unique imagination (Cohen 21).  He wrote children’s stories that became instant successes.  Three of which that became extremely successful and popular were How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Lorax.  However, with all the success of these books, there came a downfall.  As many parents and adults across the nation read these stories, they began to notice many religious and political messages featured in these children’s books (Morgan and Morgan 67).  Seuss had no intention of having messages featured in his stories and became upset that it became such a controversy over misunderstandings (Morgan and Morgan 67).  These misinterpreted religious and political messages instantly triggered controversy in the household and at schools that sparked and created debates that still continue today (Morgan and Morgan 68).

Dr. Seuss wrote and published How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1957.  This story featured the cold-hearted Grinch that wanted to ruin Christmas for the people of Whoville.  But in the end, he has a change of heart and celebrates Christmas with the Whos (Cohen 329).  This book became an instant success in the bookstores because of its abnormality of your typical Christmas story (Cohen 329).  It became such a success that it was even created into a movie in 1966 (Cohen 330).  However, as families started purchasing and reading the book, many parents began to wonder if there were hidden religious and political messages.  Parents started believing that Seuss created this story to “exploit Christmas” as a religious message (Nel 168).  Parents also believed “the anti-consumeristic message… has led many people to believe that [Seuss] was opposed to turning his characters into consumer goods” (Cohen 338).  This also led them to consider that Seuss was “anti-Semitic” and trying to get the religious aspect of Christmas away from children (Morgan and Morgan 173).  But sources of Seuss claimed that “How the Grinch Stole Christmas was written out of [Seuss]’s specific ‘annoyance with the tradition of Christmas [being] turned into a mercantilistic holiday’” (Cohen 338).  He wanted to remind the public that Christmas was a time of celebration and giving to family and friends (Cohen 338).  Seuss also wanted to get the message across that “the Christmas celebration may involve Christian religious beliefs but it need not to do so to be meaningful” (Seuss qtd. in Nel 179).  This being said, Seuss wanted to have children of all religions to enjoy this story as oppose to just children that follow the Catholic faith (Nel 180).  

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There was also a political message that was featured in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Parents thought the message was one that revolved around the Red Menace (Cohen 337).  The Red Menace was a libertarian socialist and Marxism communist party (Nel 67).  Their main goals were to over throw the capitalist system and create their own “unique and creative world” (Nel 68).  Parents and other adults felt that the Grinch’s character and personality in the story was one that would support the Red Menace group and their political standpoints with his bitterness towards Christmas and his hopes of Christmas not ...

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