LEAP Project #1-- The Lorax

 

For my first LEAP project, I decided to analyze a classic piece by world-renowned children’s author Dr. Seuss. Written and first published in 1971, The Lorax, a charming tale detailing the struggles of an environmentalist who quite literally “speaks for the trees” when nobody else seems to be listening. A cautionary tale concerning the dangers of corporate greed and its subsequent effects on our environment, the story begins as the antagonist, “the Once-ler”, recalls to a young-child how lush and full of life this desolate wasteland, of which he now lives, once was. He goes on to tell the child of how he’d long searched and sought out this special tree, called the Truffula tree, capable of making a piece clothing unlike any other called the Thneed, something we all would need and the Once-ler could surely sell for a profit. The Once-lers small shop soon transforms into a factory, to which the Lorax quickly returns, complaining it’s polluted the air, water, and forced local wildlife to migrate. But without remorse, the Once-Ler assures the Lorax he will only keep “biggering” his business, at which point the very last Truffula tree falls. With no more raw materials to build Thneeds, the factory is shut down, all the workers gone, and not a Truffula tree to be seen.  Awestruck and speechless, as the Lorax looks back with a defeated look upon his face, he lifts himself into the air and fades away into the smog filled clouds, leaving behind a small monument where he last stood engraved with the lone inscription reading “UNLESS”. The meaning of this would elude the Once-ler for years to come, as he hid away in solitude and self-imposed exile for what he’d done, until finally realizing what the Lorax had meant all along… “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful low, nothing is going to get better. It’s not” (The Lorax). The Once-ler inspired after all this time, hands the young child the last remaining Truffula seed, and urges them to grow a forest from it with hopes that the Lorax one day may return again. 

Children’s literature has always had moral and ethical dimensions, and in this particular case of the Lorax, provocative emotions are used to generate a reaction in its audience. While some children may be too ignorant too fully understand the message of environmental preservation that is rampant throughout Dr. Seuss work, it’s quite explicit throughout the story. It would appear as if not only were children the target audience for this piece, but also their parents, who might better wish to see their children grow up in a world thriving with life and beauty instead of one ravished into extinction by big-business. The colorful imagery and unique characters help not only to capture the reader’s attention, but also helps to lure them into a sense of compassion for the Lorax, perhaps even seeing themselves in his struggles for preservation. By stating very explicitly “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful low, nothing is going to get better. It’s not”,  Dr. Seuss abandons any ambiguous, vague language of propaganda, and paints a very grim reality of what our future could hold in-store. Undoubtedly, a conservationist, environmentalist ideology, it’s not unfathomable to see how some might see this piece as harmful or damaging to their way of life. Take for instance, logging communities entirely dependent on the harvesting of trees and lumber for their very way of life. As pro-environmentalist groups push for decreased deforestation and the conservation of wildlife in this country, more-and-more traditional citizens with careers as lumberjacks will undoubtedly become unemployed. I’m sure some could even argue the tale of the Lorax to be anti-capitalist, or even anti-progressive, as they snub their noses up towards successful business-ventures, automation, or even factories and mass-production as a whole. Of course, such things also all provide jobs filled by people who again might see this piece as harmful to the longevity of such careers. All of which, might direct someone to label The Loraxas a harmful piece of propaganda directed toward the youth of generations since its inception in 1971. In the opinion of this author, Dr. Seuss provided an eloquent and essential message, one that wasn’t easily delivered, nor received, but necessary nonetheless.