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Amy Ballard
Politics For Children
Social Studies Methods
10/3/2014

Amy Ballard
Amy Ballard

25 September, 2014
Historical Inquiry Paper
Politics for Children
Theodor Geisel, better known by his pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, is arguably one of the most
influential figures in childrens literature to ever live. He produced roughly one book a year until
his death in 1991. He not only wrote each of these books himself, but he also illustrated each of
them. These illustrations had a very distinct style that can be easily recognized, even without
seeing his name in conjunction with the artwork. His initial audience, though, was not children.
His initial success came in advertising and political cartoons. These cartoons often involved
subject matter that may not be deemed appropriate for small children as the bulk of it was
published during the World War 2 era. Some could argue that he made a 180 shifting from risky
political cartoons to brightly illustrated childrens books. However, his second wife claimed that
every book had something that was morally important, but rather masked, but always there,
just as every political cartoon had a message within it. This quote inspired the question that will
be addressed in this essay; how did Geisels (Dr. Seuss) early work in political cartoons affect
his childrens books?
As the majority Geisels political cartoons were drawn during the World War 2 era, it is
important to have an understanding of these eras. This will greatly aid the understanding of his
political cartoons, and add additional, more specific meaning to his childrens books. World War
2 began in 1939, following the great depression, which devastated the economies of almost every
country. This economic turmoil created an opportunity for the rise of many dictatorships.
Germany, Italy, Japan and the Soviet Union, are a few of the countries with the most powerful

Amy Ballard
dictatorships to arise during this period. When Germanys dictator, Adolf Hitler, came to power,
he set out on a path to exterminate all of the Jewish people in the world. He succeeded in
invading Poland, Denmark, France and many other European nations where he set up
concentration camps to group all of the Jewish citizens in. These camps created horrendous
conditions for the individuals forced to live in them, and ultimately led to the death of
approximately six million Jewish people. Other powerful nations, such as Japan and Italy, took
sides with Germany in the war, thus creating a group called the Axis powers1. Following the
Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, these powers were opposed by the Allied powers,
comprised of the United States, China, Great Britain, the Soviet Union2, and many other nations.
It was not until 1945, when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities, that
the war was ended. In total, World War two is estimated to have caused between 50 and 70
million deaths.
In March, 1942, in the thick of World War 2, Geisel drew a political cartoon titled,
You cant build a substantial V out of turtles!3 This cartoon depicts one large turtle with the
words Dawdling Producers on its shell. On top of the large turtle are two towers of other,
smaller turtles forming a V-shape. Later, in 1958, a strikingly similar image appeared in his
childrens book, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories4. Although, in the story of Yertle the Turtle,
only one tower of turtles is formed, the connection between the images is without question.
Going beyond the pictures themselves, comparable meanings can be found. This cartoon was
published among a myriad of other political cartoons that were anti-Hitler, and pro-war-effort.
Some other cartoons published within the same month even picture turtles. Some such examples
1

Cable News Network. World War 2 Fast Facts. CNN

ibid
3
Geisel, Theodor. You Cant Build a Substantial V Out of Turtles. [PM Magazine, 1942]. 1
4
Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. [Random House, 1958]. 1
2

Amy Ballard
are What have you done today to speed up,5 and What d'ya say we buy a whip6. The
childrens book, being that it was not intended to be a political cartoon, does not blatantly portray
the same message. However, through the use of symbolism, it does teach the same, if not a more
generally applicable, message. Geisels book tells the story of a turtle, named Yertle7, who
becomes greedy and forces all the other turtles to lift him up so that he can see everything around
his pond. As he does this, though, the turtles at the bottom of the tower become unhappy and
eventually let Yertle come crashing down to the mud. Passages from the book such as, "I'm
ruler", said Yertle, "of all that I see. But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me8 can
help more mature readers make a clear connection between Yertle and Hitler through each
rulers drive for expansion.
One month later, in 1942, Geisels Second Creation9 cartoon was published. Once
again, this cartoon was intended to fuel the anti-Hitler war effort. It is the image of a Nazi, or
Hitler himself- the cartoon does not give the body a head- creating wax molds. The mold box
that the wax is being poured into has a swastika on it and says The [swastika] mold10 on it. The
hardened molds come out completely identical, with one arm raised. Beside these finished molds
is a pot of melting wax containing the remnants of human figures that do not match the other
molds. It can be assumed that eventually, all of the molds would be identical, and none of the
others would remain. Years later, in 1961, The Sneetches and Other Stories11 was published with
some notable similarities to the Second Creation.12 These similarities are not as obvious as

Geisel, Theodor. What Have You Done to Speed Up?. [PM Magazine, 1942]
Geisel, Theodor. What dya say we buy a whip?. [PM Magazine, 1942]
7
Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. [Random House, 1958]. 1
8
Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. [Random House, 1958]. 3
9
Geisel. Theodor. Second Creation. [PM Magazine, 1942]
10
ibid
11
Seuss, Dr. The Sneetches and Other Stories. [Random House, 1961]. 1
12
Geisel. Theodor. Second Creation. [PM Magazine, 1942]
6

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those in Yertle the Turtle13, but the symbolism is just as present. This childrens story takes place
on an island where fictional creatures, Sneetches, are divided into two groups; one group is starbellied and one is not. One day a man decides to create a machine that will allow the Sneetches
to get or remove a star from their bellies. As they do this, the two groups become identical, as if
they have been molded. Just as a contraption in Second Creation14 eliminates individuality, the
Sneetches lose their individuality every time they enter a contraption. At the end of the book, the
only way to regain their individual identities and realize that they are all equal is by
discontinuing use of the machine. While Audrey Geisel did not acknowledge that the book and
the cartoon were linked, she did acknowledge that Geisel had some theme for the book, saying
It was hidden so beautifully by, oh, "The Sneeches On the Beaches."15 That was a hidden
message there. That hidden message is arguably the same message hidden obviously in
Second Creation16.
More than any specific message, Geisel encouraged political activism. Many of his
political cartoons, such as Cages Cost Money,17 display the phrase Buy more U.S. Bonds and
Stamps. Of course, purchasing these things would not directly win the United States the war,
but it would be something. A similar message come across in Geisels book Horton Hears a
Who18. This book contains one of his most famous quotes, A persons a person no matter how
small. In this book one elephant, Horton, takes the time to pay attention to the little things one
day and ends up saving an entire, tiny civilization. Although this book was written for an
audience of children who cannot buy bonds or stamps, it encourages children to listen and pay

13

Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. [Random House, 1958]. 1
Geisel. Theodor. Second Creation. [PM Magazine, 1942]
15
Audrey Geisel, Interview
16
Geisel. Theodor. Second Creation. [PM Magazine, 1942]
17
Geisel, Theodor. Cages Cost Money. [PM Magazine, 1941]
18
Seuss, Dr. Horton Hears a Who. [Random House, 1954]
14

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attention. Geisel wanted people of all ages to be aware that they can do something to help their
community, country, and world. Audrey Geisel, again, mentions this book saying that Geisel
was putting forth a variety of messages.19 He was not simply anti-Hitler, anti-fascism, or antianything; he was pro-activism, and a proponent of listening at the very least, just as Horton20
does in his book.
Although there are a lot of theories about the hidden meanings in Geisels childrens
books, without asking Theodor Geisel, himself, there is no way of confirming any theory.
Unfortunately, this possibility disappeared with Geisels death in 1991. However, Geisels
political cartoons from the 1940s have clearly defined messages and opinions. Assuming the
opinions in these political cartoons were true reflections of Geisels personal views, insight can
be gleamed into many of his childrens books. However, as each of these different texts were
intended for different audiences it may be more beneficial to ask a child the perceived meaning
in Geisels childrens books. As that was not done for this research, though, only those messages
grasped by adults are included. Because of this, the research concludes that Geisels political
cartoons affected his need to include morals in his childrens books, rather than just making them
witty and entertaining. However, while Geisels political cartoons contain a direct call to action,
his childrens books do not. Rather, the symbols taken from his political cartoons teach basic
lessons about ethics and promote actively bettering ones community one way or another.

19
20

Geisel, Audrey. Interview

Seuss, Dr. Horton Hears a Who. [Random House, 1954]

Amy Ballard
Works Cited
Geisel, Theodor, Seuss. You Cant Build a Substantial V Out of Turtles. Cartoon. PM
Magazine, December 15, 1941. Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives,
UC San Diego Library. (September 20, 2014).
Seuss-Geisel, Theodor. "What Have You Done Today to Speed Up?" Cartoon. PM Magazine,
March 6, 1942. Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Library. (September 22, 2014).
Seuss-Geisel, Theodor. "What D'ya Say We Buy a Whip?" Cartoon. PM Magazine, March 27,
1942. Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
(September 21, 2014).
Seuss-Geisel, Theodor. "Second Creation." Cartoon. PM Magazine, April 3, 1942. Dr. Seuss
Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library. (September 22,
2014).
Seuss-Geisel, Theodor. "Cages Cost Money!" Cartoon. PM Magazine, December 15, 1941. Dr.
Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library. (September
25, 2014).
Audrey Geisel. "A Video Interview with Audrey Geisel." Personal interview by
Readingrockets.org. April 22, 2014. http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/seuss
(September 20, 2014).
Geisel, Dr. Seuss. Horton hears a Who!. New York: Random House, 1954.
Geisel, Dr. Seuss. The Sneetches: and other stories. New York: Random House, 1961.
Geisel, Dr. Sues. Yertle the turtle, and other stories,. New York: Random House, 1958.
Cable News Network. "World War II Fast Facts." CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/world-war-ii-fast-facts/ (accessed October 2, 2014).