ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


Playlist Dr. Seuss 5 videos

0
Who's Seuss?
951 Views

Dr. Seuss was a failure to start, but he soon learned to follow his heart. He wrote books about things that he knew, and soon enough, his book sale...

1
Dr. Seuss: Changing the Way We Read
920 Views

You'd have to be a Grinch not to acknowledge what a huge effect Dr. Seuss had on all of us. Horton may have heard a Who, but hey... we heard it, t...

2
Dr. Seuss: Master of Allegory
1617 Views

There is certainly some deep meaning behind this guy's words. If he were ever to ask someone to borrow a cup of sugar, he was probably actually in...

See All

Dr. Seuss: Master of Allegory 1617 Views


Share It!


Description:

There is certainly some deep meaning behind this guy's words. If he were ever to ask someone to borrow a cup of sugar, he was probably actually insinuating that totalitarian dictatorships are dangerous. We're not quite sure how to make that connection in this particular case, but... we're sure it's in there somehow.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

Seuss: Master of Allegory, a la Shmoop. Step aside, George Orwell.

00:11

No, seriously… step aside. Big Brother is coming.

00:13

Heh. Gets him every time. Make way for one of the true masters of allegory…

00:18

Dr. Seuss.

00:20

This guy can take things like green slime and a guy on stilts and make us think of nuclear

00:24

weapons and Neville Chamberlain.

00:29

Even if we don’t know who Neville Chamberlain is.

00:32

He’s that talented. One of Seuss’ books in particular is famous

00:37

for representing something other than just a funny-looking creature in a strange land.

00:42

In Yertle the Turtle, the main character is an allegory for a rather unsavory character…

00:49

…Adolf Hitler.

00:51

Well, they did both have a pretty hard outer shell.

00:57

Seuss never comes out and says directly that Yertle is Hitler, but let’s examine the

01:02

clues…

01:03

Yertle takes over his little country by force…

01:05

…ordering the other turtles to do crazy things like <<Yertle voice>> “Sit in your

01:09

place while I sit here and rule.”

01:13

Sounds Hitleresque to us. Adolf was never too keen on people milling around or going

01:17

about their business. Yertle also wants to rule everything that

01:22

isn’t already his…

01:23

…the cow, the mule, the cat, the house, the blueberry bush…

01:27

Really, Yertle? You can’t even let the blueberry bush go?

01:34

Every time this reptilian dictator sees something that’s greater than he is…

01:38

…like, oh… the moon…

01:40

…he freaks out and starts destroying whatever stands in his way of ruling over it.

01:44

You don’t see a lot of reasoning or logic coming out of this guy.

01:47

The two also experience a similar downfall.

01:51

Yertle goes down for his ambition…

01:53

…just as Hitler did when he overextended in Russia…

01:58

…and for mistreating the other turtles.

02:02

Not the best idea Yertle had ever had.

02:03

You don’t want to mess with bad turtle karma. With such a heavy subject underlying what

02:10

at first glance might seem to be a pretty innocent story…

02:13

…is this book in fact more for adults than it is for children?

02:17

The colorful illustrations and cutesy rhymes might say otherwise, but…

02:20

…plenty of adults watch South Park or Family Guy…

02:23

…and those shows couldn’t be any less for children.

02:27

Talking babies and dogs aside. What do you think?

02:32

Is Yertle the Turtle intended for an adult audience?

02:35

Or can it be enjoyed on a… less complicated level?

02:39

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

Related Videos

The Importance of Being Earnest Summary
123037 Views

They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...

The Giver Summary
105891 Views

Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...

Invisible Man (Ellison)
1818 Views

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
1255 Views

Do not go gentle into that good night. In fact, if it's past your curfew, don't go at all into that good night. You just stay in your good bed and...

Quotes: A fool's paradise
293 Views

Find out the meaning behind "a fool's paradise."