Instead of continuing on with The Taming of the Shrew, we're going to give a little shout out to Dr. Seuss by reading his controversial story The Lorax.
The Lorax is an allegory. What's an allegory, you ask? Well, it's a type of extended metaphor where the characters have political, religious, social or moral significance. Simply put, the purpose of an allegory is to teach a lesson to the reader. Seems like an appropriate technique to use for a children's story, eh?
Unfortunately, as adults we sometimes lose sight of the fact that children need stories like The Lorax to help them understand and relate to complex situations. The plot of The Lorax deals with an imaginary land where the environment is being depleted due to the insatiable demands of the manufacturing business. Sound at all familiar?
Because this class is about the freedom of speech and the right to think and say what you think, we're going to read this book and then you all will have a chance to talk about whether or not you think The Lorax is appropriate for children. We will do this in the form of an opinion piece. OP #9, to be exact.
If we have time, we'll discuss our opinions about this story. I can't wait to hear and read about all of your thoughts!
