Lessons From The Lorax
Source: Dr. Seuss
The Lorax is a glorious creature, who embodies the environment and acts as the guardian of green. He is the “voice of the trees” and attempts to fight a lonesome battle against the giants of industry, the Once-ler. Overall, his message rings true to the folks here at Urban Times, as we also believe that without action, no solutions can be assembled. Where the story of The Lorax hits the nerve is exactly where we diverge however, Seuss emphasizes the woe and sacrifice attached to the battle of the environment at the time (1970s), whereas we like to think of the bright days ahead.
In the book, the arguments for and against big industry are largely simplified for younger audiences, but Dr. Seuss’ message was certainly not without controversy (in the 70s and 80s). Certain schools banned the work for attempting to put the logging industry into disrepute, and companies and government agencies were outraged with how they might be regarded after reading. It is this exact shock factor that some ecologists strive to achieve today, but the fact of the matter is, a large chunk of the world’s population are becoming pro-environment and the Lorax Effect no longer shocks at all, but merely marks a reminder of where the movement began.
The quote to the left was in fact not from the Lorax, but from the industrialist(s) whom had rid the area of any tree life and finally realized the word of the Lorax was true. This particular quote gave us inspiration when creating our upcoming feature ‘The Start-up Lab‘, which will spotlight enterprises that match entrepreneurship with social and environmental good. It seems as though we are not the only ones that wish to let the Lorax’s message live on either, as “The Lorax” is coming to 3D cinemas next year. Strapped to the nines with A-Listers (DeVito, Efron, Taylor Swift, etc) and it will be interesting to see how, in the modern day, the depiction of environment vs. business will be presented.
Full ‘The Lorax’ (ebook):
@charliehilton I am glad you covered the original on here. This and Dr. Suess's "The Sneetches" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3yJomUhs0g) are two of my favorite stories.
I love this post. It's a fantastic commentary on a classic piece of childrens literature. And having watched the eBook through, I drew comparisons with real-life events that have received coverage in Urban Times. I felt sad for the Lorax as much as if I were a child.
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