Every year on March 2nd, America celebrates the birthday of one of its most influential and beloved children's authors , Dr Seuss. Born Theodor Seuss Geisel, Seuss was a man known for his vivid imagination and interesting characters. Seuss, however, was quite a character himself.
Did Dr Seuss Like Children?
It is often assumed that anyone writing children's books must either have children themselves, or a love for children in general. But this wasn't the case for Geisel. Not only did he not have any children of his own, but he admitted to being slightly afraid of them. In an interview, his widow Audrey explained, "he was afraid of children to a degree." She claimed the unpredictability of children often unnerved him. "What might they do next? What might they ask next?" he would exclaim. Still, it can never be said that Geisel hated children; he kept a closet next to his studio filled with hats sent to him from children all over the world.
Why Did Seuss Use a Pen Name?
It is widely known that Dr Seuss was a pseudonym. What is lesser known, however, is the story behind Geisel's need for a pseudonym. Purportedly, while a student at Dartmouth, Geisel was caught drinking with several other boys in his dorm. Usually this wouldn't be a very big deal, college boys drinking, but this occurred during prohibition. Consequently, Dartmouth prohibited Geisel from engaging in anymore extracurricular activities, including his work for the college's humor magazine Jack O Lantern. In order to get around the administration's orders, he adopted the pen name "Dr Seuss" and used it for all magazine content from that point on.
The Political Dr Suess
During WWII, Geisel actually wrote propaganda films for the United States. One such film was Your Job in Germany. All of his films were aimed to educate soldiers on dealing with foreign cultures. Even more controversial than his propaganda films were the political cartoons Seuss penned for a left wing newspaper. In these cartoons he depicted all Japanese Americans as potential traitors. And Geisel's political commentary wasn't limited to newspapers or films. In fact, immediately following the war he had a change of heart and penned Horton Hears a Who, an allegory for American's post-war occupation of Japan. When Other children's books that are political allegories include The Lorax, and most infamously, The Butter Battle Book. The latter was written to criticize the arms race between the US and the USSR. The book actually remained on the New York Times best sellers list for six months for adults. Also, although it wasn't originally meant to be political, Seuss's Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!, when published in 1972 was often believed to be an allegory about post-watergate Nixon. As a result, two years later Seuss released a version titled Richard M Nixon, Will You Please Go Now! that was published in The Washington Post.
Ted Geisel's Legacy
Almost 20 years after his death, Geisel's legacy lives on. This year, one out of every four American children will receive a Dr Seuss work as their very first book. Every spring, sales of Oh, the Places You'll Go! spike in spring as upwards of 300,000 students are given the book as a graduation gift. Also, every year on Seuss's birthday, the US also celebrates "Read Across America Day." No matter his political opinions and in spite of his character quirks, Dr Seuss will always be one of America's most beloved writers.
