The+Lorax

**Katiria Kearney**
=**Title:** The Lorax = =**Author:** Dr. Seuss = = = 

**Summary**
====In a town that was once covered with bright-colored Truffula Trees and occupied by Swomee-Swans, Bar-ba-loots, and humming fish, the greedy Once-ler decides to start a business. He is very satisfied with his shop when he starts making money by selling his very first “Thneed” – a “Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need” – but his business raises issues with the Lorax who speaks for the trees. These Thneeds are not made from any old material, they are made from the beautiful Truffula trees. As his business increases and grows, so do the environmental problems. The Truffula Trees are being depleted which leads the Bar-Ba-Loot animals to leave because they no longer have Truffula fruit; the “biggering” of his factory then leads to smog so the Swomee-Swans must leave; and the machinery is filling the pond with Gluppity-Glup so the Humming-Fish had to find somewhere else to hum. The Lorax keeps trying to explain to the Once-ler the implications of his actions, but the Once-ler is so overtaken with greed that he does not listen until the of the Truffula Trees is gone – which means his business is history. The story is told by the Once-ler who expresses his despair to a young boy who has come to hear about the destruction of the Truffula Trees. ====

====“The Lorax” is a great way to spark up discussion and interest about environmental concerns. The story presents the problem of pollution, destruction and the exhausting of resources in a fun, //Dr. Seuss// style with catchy rhymes and unique illustrations. The Lorax’s fictional character speaks volumes about the environment and the effect that it has on its inhabitants and vice versa. ====

**Author Bio**
====Theodor Seuss Geisel, widely known as Dr. Seuss, was Bavarian and got the middle name Seuss from his mother, Henrietta. Geisel went to Dartmouth College where he started using Seuss as an alias for publishing cartoons in his college magazine. After graduating from Dartmouth, he began studying at Oxford to get his Ph.D. in English. Although he did not receive his Ph.D. he did meet and get engaged to his wife at Oxford. They got married in 1927 and went back to the U.S. where he became a cartoonist. His drawings and cartoons led him to a job advertising for Flit insecticide. He wrote more advertisements for various successful companies received quite a few honorary doctorate degrees for his children’s books. Many of his books were inspired by real political issues and figures of his time; “Yertle the Turtle” was inspired by Hitler and “Sneetches are Sneetches” was inspired by anti-Semitism. He died in 1991 having written many books and inspired many people. ====

====“The Lorax” brings attention and awareness to global concerns that affect people of all ages. The theme and main idea is that humans need to preserve the environment or our destructive and wasteful behaviors will make nature’s beauty a thing of the past. ====


 * ====The Lorax himself tells the greedy Once-ler that he “speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” Our plants, animals, and resources in our environment have no choice in the matter and the Lorax says so explicitly. His character shows that because trees, and other living organisms, “have no tongues” it is up to others to protect and preserve them. ====
 * ====“The Lorax” shows readers the implications of destroying the environment and exhausting its resources. The Bar-ba-loots must leave because they have no food or shade from the trees, the swans must leave because they cannot sing as a result of the smog, and the fish must leave because of the polluted water. Students can analyze the implications of Once-ler’s factory’s “biggering” and come up with ideas to prevent these things from happening. ====

**Related Links **

 * ====__www.seussville.com__ The official Dr. Seuss website ====
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 * [[file:UnitPlan-KatiriaKearney.docx]]