Project 2 - Complete - Greg Warman, Alex Gilkerson, Marc Nie, Sean Demme

Dr. Seuss, Our Literary Sponsor

Greg Warman, Alex Gilkerson, Marc Nie, Sean Demme

Alright you boys, alright you girls

It’s time to discuss where learning unfurls.

Thinking back, as long as I could remember

Yes even back to my first December

There was one author who stood above the rest

You might even say that he was the best.

From how the books were written

To how they were read

Dr. Seuss Knew how to stick in your head

He used clever plots and clever themes

All nestled away

In neat rhyme schemes. 

Take heed, in fact

For what we will discuss

is why Seuss left a deep impression on us.

With characters here and words he would tinker

Seuss put great joy in making a kid into a thinker.

What sticks with us still is not the words or the book

But the message behind.

There, that’s the hook.

Though the books were for kids

The parents weren’t left out

For with him

A great message always came about

Relevant today, as ever they could be

His stories have aged like The Great Gatsby

The reason he is so great isn’t hard to conceive

One of his messages was just to believe.

As I read his stories, not only did I learn

But more knowledge and creativity were always yearned.

Horton Hears a Who

Green Eggs and Ham

Yertle The Turtle

And even the Grinch too!

All have shaped how we learn today

Simply by being there when it was time

To hit the hay.

Seuss help kids all over the place

Get comfortable with words at a nice slow pace

Even if you are a big as an Elephant

Or as small as a Who

Dr. Seuss knew you could read it

He believed in you!

You know who we are

And you know where we stand

Dr. Seuss influenced literacy all over the land.

You cannot deny

No, you won’t even dare

No other childrens’ authors even compare

Time is short, yes, don’t be bitter

Let’s move on now, to the good Dr.’s Twitter.

Dr. Seuss held the firm belief that reading and writing creative stories actual helped “wake up the brain cells.” What he meant by this is that it is important to be able to bring out your creativity in life situations to help with your literacy or any kind of education for that matter. Most literate people have heard of, or are familiar with Dr. Seuss’ work.

https://twitter.com/Yo_itsSeuss - Dr. Seuss’s best quotes

Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, has influenced literature immensely for people of all ages.  His hypothesis on why kids were not able to read well was because of the books.  He felt the books were boring and didn’t catch their interest.  That’s why you can pick up any of the Dr. Seuss books and instantly be amused.  The way he catches the readers attention is by the fun colors, the catchy rhymes, and the goofy characters.  Doing this, especially for the kids, makes it fun to read.  In everyone of his books there is a message or a moral about the story it goes with.  He teaches children to use their imagination like in the book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.  When kids cannot go outside and play because of the weather, he gives them something exciting to do inside, like in the well-known book, The Cat in the Hat.  Geisel not only teaches people ways to learn, he taught us life long lessons as well.  In the book,How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, he teaches us that if you are nice and accept people that are rude and crude, they will end up with a bigger heart.  

His books give kids or anyone really, that are moving on to something bigger and better a sense of motivation.  The book, Oh, The Places You'll Go, helps you move on with your life, or at least makes it a little bit easier. One quote that really stands out, “You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So . . . get on your way!" If this doesn’t motivate you to try and succeed in your future then who knows what would.  

Compared to other children book series, Dr. Seuss is the most influential.  Other book classics like Berenstain Bears, The Magic School Bus, or any other books teach kids how to learn and in a fun way, but do not teach as much as the Dr. Seuss books.  Like I said before, Dr. Seuss books teach more than reading and writing, they shape kids by showing them many different ways to help others or act toward each other.  

All these facts are relevant to learning because growing up involves more than just a good education.  Don’t get me wrong, a good education is a huge part of growing up but there are other things that matter as well.  For instance: how to treat people whether you’re friends or not, helping the environment, using your imagination, and even the different places you can go with your life.  Dr. Seuss mastered his way of teaching people the important things in life and made it a fun and exciting way to learn.

Survey :

Dr. Seuss Survey Analysis

“How did/has Dr. Seuss affect literacy”

Out of 61 participants in the survey, here were the results:

1.       Have you ever read a book written by Dr. Seuss?

Yes- 57 (93.4%)

No- 5 (8.2%)

2.       If yes, did you enjoy it?

Yes-  50 (82%)

No- 1 (1.6%)

Some What- 8 (13.1%)

Never Read a Dr. Seuss book- 5 (8.2%)

3.       When is the last time you read a Dr. Seuss book?

Within the past month- 8 (13.1%)

Within the past 6 months- 15 (22.6%)

Between 6 months and a year- 11 (18%)

Over a year ago- 25 (32.6%)

Don’t Know-  10 (16.4%)

Never Read a Dr. Seuss Book- 5 (8.2%)

4.       Could you pick out an underlying message in the books?

Yes- 41 (67.2%)

No- 8 (13.1%)

Don’t Know 12 (19.7%)

Never Read a Dr. Seuss Book- 5 (8.2%)

5.       Have Dr. Seuss books impacted you in any way? If so, how?

Best Responses:

-          “The last time I read one it was to a two year old I was babysitting and just the excitement he had as I read to him made me want to work with kids! So now I want to teach kids.”

-          “They've taught me how to see lessons and morals from different perspectives.”

-          “No they were just fun to read.”

-          “I think it's impacted my love for reading, and Dr. Seuss was basically a part of my childhood”

-          “They always remind me how simple life can be even though it seems so complicated.”

-          “Yes, they promote creativity”

-          “They present a new way of looking at life and difficulties in life. They have made me more aware of the way I live life”

-          “They taught me to be accepting of other people, try new things, and how to count.”

-          “Yes I think they're creative and help you think outside of the box. Nonsense wakes up the brain cells”

-          “Dr. Seuss sends messages that are creative and meaningful at the same time.”

Basically, from the results that we’ve gathered, most people have read, and enjoyed at least one of Dr. Seuss’s works.  Even though Dr. Seuss’s books were published back between the 50’s and 70’s, his books are still being read by recent generations. By the responses we received about the impact that Dr. Seuss’s books had on the participant allows us to draw the conclusion that his books and writing are so popular because they are simple, the rhyme scheme is catchy, and he incorporates simple messages and morals in his books that can be applied to anyone, which allows his books to stay popular even in a new generation.   These simple morals and his format of expressing those acts as a great literacy sponsor in the molding and shaping of our literacy as we’ve matured and grown up.

Individual Responses about Dr. Seuss as our Literary Sponsor

Greg's response:

       For our project, we defined how Dr. Seuss, in all his simplicity, helped to become a large influence in the development of our literacy as we've grown and matured.  Dr. Seuss created simple works but in those silly rhymes and goofy stories, he always managed to open up one's imagination, causing you to delve into his fun, fantasy creations all while he was presenting an underlying message about morals or equality that for me, has had a lasting impact on not only my literacy, but my life and how I live it and view the world around me. Because of his great influence on me, I would definitely recommend his books to anyone; tiny and small, or big and tall.  The underlying themes in his books apply to anyone and continues to apply even though times are changing. Dr. Seuss’s relevance will always apply.  His theme as “why” instead of “how” will always remain unique to him.

Marc's response:
     I was introduced to Seuss at a very young age. It probably started much earlier than I can actually remember, but the defining moment came when I was three and it was around Christmas time. My mom showed me the red and green cover of the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I have seen the 30 minute show before and loved it, but now I have the book to reference. After my mom read it to me, I began noticing the plethora of Seuss books we actually owned (which turned out to be a lot, actually). Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, Oh, the Places You Will Go, and many more; I grew up reading those books with my parents. I moved from Seuss to Shel Silverstein around the time I was eight and from there started reading short chapter books like Scooby-Doo and Captain Underpants. I will always remember that I started reading with rhyme and that it started with a green Who who didn’t like Christmas. The books taught me many things about literacy using many tools, such as repetition and theme. All the stories had a neat and unique theme to them. Green Eggs and Ham teaches you to try new things, while The Lorax has a deeper meaning behind it, such as protecting the environment. Not only did Dr, Seuss help my literacy, he also brought up simple life lessons and pseudo-social change.

Alex's Response:
     Dr. Seuss’s way of writing and style of writing has affected so many different people.  The way he uses the rhyming and different colors and pictures makes it almost fun to read.  Dr. Seuss does more than make it fun, you just have to look passed all of the silly things.  He gives the reader a new way to learn and think.  It is hard to figure that out at a young age, but now as a college student and by doing research on him, I have found other meanings in his writing.  It showed me to look more into the readings and find out what the author is really trying to get across.  There are many of his books if not all of them that have more than one meaning. Oh, The Places You Will Go was given to me for graduation and I was sure why.  I read it a few times to reminisce own my child years and I understood why it was a gift.  Not only to remind me of the book but to tell me I can do anything I want with my life and that I will make my own path.  I strongly recommend his series of books not only to children but all ages.  You can never be to old for a Dr. Seuss book.

Sean’s Response:

Dr. Seuss influenced my writing a good amount, but it didn’t start there. When I first started reading Dr. Seuss books I wasn’t writing quite like I am today. No long papers, no drafts, no word processing – It wasn’t my writing he effected first. Dr. Seuss had brought into the light for me what seems to be diminishing ever too quickly in children today, my imagination. There is simply nothing at the reading level of Seuss with that much imaginative illustration and literature. He taught me the control I have as a writer; my ability to write myself into any situation, to be anything, to have no limits.

This ultimately shaped the writer I am today. Dr. Seuss’ imagination was endless and that rubbed off on me. In fact, he’s quoted for saying, “In my world, everyone's a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!” He clearly knew how to play with his imagination. Not only did Seuss know the “how’s” but he also knew the “why’s”. “Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope” Seuss says about fantasy – it was his way of making the bad parts of life smaller – by flipping the telescope.

Seuss was a professional. He knew what kids needed and he created it. He used his writing and made something far more important than a novel – he knew his writing had no limits and he taught millions of kid that they could do the same. Childish nonsense and a good underlying message could mix to make something that nobody had seen and everybody loved. Seuss affected me and my writing and the writing of millions of others. He is the introduction to the idea that imagination was infinite – and that writing could be fun too.