Introduction
The Lorax, written in 1971 and made into a film in 2005, is one of a child’s first exposures to environmentalism and the impacts of humans. It acts as a cautionary tale to warn others what is to come if changes are not to be made. Before Dr. Seuss wrote the Lorax, he wrote Horton Hears a Who in 1954 in an attempt to teach children that no matter what you look like, how big or small you are, or where you’re from, you have a say in your own life. The two are connected as they are both works by Dr. Seuss that address topics which he believes are overlooked. On one hand you have a book about a political issue such as global warming and deforestation, and on the other you have a societal issue such as hatred and discrimination. Both texts are two forms of advertisement meant to introduce humans to the issues being ignored, while also spreading the conversation about unconventional ways to inform people. Proceeding will be a deep dive into the rhetorical situation surrounding each artifact including the exigence, audience and constraints as well as an analysis of each and how they intend to get their main points across to said audience.
Historical Context of The Lorax
Following the deforestation of the Pacific Northwest in the 1960s, there was a wide variety of responses in an effort to enact change. The Forest Management branch of the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service passed an act increasing the annual allowable cut in natural forests which meant harvests reached an all time high and conservation reached an all time low. This, alongside raising global temperatures, meant species habitats and eventually their reproduction were harmed. One of the responses to this was Dr. Seuss with the book The Lorax. Here, a family friendly approach was taken in order to blatantly point out that in response to receiving oxygen, water, habitat and food from the earth, humanity is consumed with greed and acts only to improve their lifestyle instead of continuing a symbiotic relationship. To address this issue, Seuss directed his book not only towards the parents reading to their kids, but also the kids themselves. Children are naturally curious individuals who thrive off of questioning why or why not and by asking questions pertaining to the book’s topic. When questions arise, it is parents who have to think about them and the answers, which entails them thinking about deforestation. Constraints for Seuss’ writing were having to approach climate change and pollution, a current political issue, while being gentle as the audience are children. He also had to find a creative way to introduce the topic as previous approaches to deforestation such as ads, graphics and statements were not working.
Analytical Framework of The Lorax
The topic is brought up in a comfortable way by a credible other who previously wrote about current issues in the world in order to build ethos. Horton Hears a Who written in 1954 about the powerless after World War II was one of the first signs of Seuss wanting to spark change in not only himself, but the human race. Then in the book The Lorax, Seuss states, “I will call you by Whisper-rna-Phone, for the secrets I tell are for your ears alone.” Here the author creates a sense of welcome to children where they can feel as if they’re learning a big secret that is purely between them. This scene builds trust to where a child as a listener, or parent as a reader, has their attention grabbed and curiosity peaked. From here, he can fabricate a story that has truth underlined. Then with pathos, through the emotion of seeing loss and devastation, Seuss attempts to build on that trust with feeling. The Onceler depicts a scene of lucious, green grass and ever growing forests, as seen in the illustrations and then describes a world overrun by greed, smog, and pollution “Now all that was left ‘neath the bad-smelling sky was my big empty factory… the Lorax… and I.” Suess created a storyline of how humans overran a functioning, healthy ecosystem, and if they allow their greed to take over, the only thing left will be themselves swallowed in sadness. Finally he depends on logos, but more specifically, the factual realization that the loss of the environment is happening in our world currently, to enact change in the present. One seed, one person, one stride can build to change the entire world at present. “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This specific part of the text is supposed to be a realization to both children and their parents where they almost have an epiphany that action is needed now. The human race is on a path of extreme consumerism and advancement, but does not realize to what a heavy extent there is a negative impact being left behind. (carbon footprints, waste, pollution, factory emissions, etc).
Historical Context of Horton Hears a Who
In 1954, when Horton Hears a Who was written, Dr. Seuss formally dedicated the book to Mitsugi Nakamura. Nakamura was a Japanese educator who informed Seuss on the lasting effects of World War II, specifically those on Japanese children. It also demonstrated a change in heart by Seuss himself, as previously cartoons drawn by him were seen to be anti-Japanese and he wanted to represent that he was wrong. In order to do so, Horton Hears a Who was meant to demonstrate that every person should be viewed the same, and no one looked down upon or disadvantaged because of their differences. His goal was to send an overarching message of equality and acceptance. Seuss wrote his book mainly with the audience of young children in mind. Prejudice and discrimination are taught and manifested, not born, and in order to negate this, Suess writes directly at young kids to halt the problem before it can start. He hopes to implement the ideas that anyone can be anything and differences are not wrong. Some constraints to approaching this topic are obviously because of the timing and second audience of parents. This was written right after World War II when America had just put Japanese in internment camps as they were seen as a threat, and that idea of a race being a problem or threatening, took a while to disband. The people, and more specifically parents, who support discrimination either consciously or not, would censor what their children see which means the points may never get across. Instead, an approach where the real message was hidden had to be taken.
Analytical Framework of Horton Hears a Who
In the same lens of textual and visual analysis, Seuss entrances readers with his views through his words and graphics. For ethos, he depicts a world where an elephant is enjoying life in his pond and then meets a small person, smaller than any he’d seen at all. Here Horton builds a relationship with the people of Whoville as he says, “ ‘You’re safe now. Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.’ ” These words don’t only build a relationship in the story, but also between the reader and author. A child can feel welcomed into the book and like that are also taken care of. Then Seuss utilizes pathos by describing the elephant’s relationship with those around him as rocky as no one believes him that these people exist on a tiny speck. “ ‘For almost two days you’ve run wild and insisted on chatting with persons who’ve never existed.” Seuss is able to create a world where just because a species may not look like the others at hand, it is disregarded and treated unfairly. The emotion Seuss hopes to bring out are both those for Horton, as he’s being seen as crazy, and the Who’s, who are seen as invisible and can be boiled. With logos, Seuss adds to the story by saying “A person’s a person, no matter how small” meaning that humans are humans and deserve to be treated well even if you see them as different or make assumptions about their overall population.
Discussion
While the main ideas of these artifacts are vastly different, the two are still comparable because they overlap in their delivery and audience. Seuss continuously uses children as his audience in order to channel his messages via them and the adults. While there could be belief that Seuss’ message is received in each of his books, there is still doubt as no remarkable change has been made. Most of the time, the deeper meaning behind his children’s books are overlooked or disregarded as they are purely seen as a source of entertainment or knowledge on the literary standpoint.
Conclusion
Action still needs to be taken in regards to both topics about deforestation and environmentalism, as well as equality and fighting discrimination. Everywhere people turn, as one solution is found, a new problem is created. There may be solutions, or improvements, such as reusing materials via recycling, or solar energy, but bigger issues such as overconsumption and greed still exist and overpower any good. With discrimination, there are strides taken towards equality based on gender in the workforce and social media, but then it still exists when talking about sexual orientation or race.
