Inspired by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin came up with the idea for Earth Day. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day has caused meaningful legislation to be passed, unification of environmentalists, and the “birth of the modern environmental movement” (“Earth Day”). As with most other topics and issues, much of the public’s concept of the environmental movement comes from its portrayal in the media. In James Cameron’s cutting-edge movie Avatar, Pixar’s animated story WALL-E, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder,” three of the primary goals of the modern environmental movement: the education of children about environmentalism,
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Seuss’ book The Lorax. Through the normal Seuss-esque pictures, rhyme schemes, and crazy made up words, a gripping story of the destruction of an entire ecosystem is told through the lens of the person who actually did the harm. The Once-ler, a greedy business man destroyed the Truffula trees in an effort to make himself rich. He didn’t realize the error of his ways until he was no longer earning a profit. The book ends with the Once-ler placing the fate of the Truffula trees in the hands of a child when he says that “You 're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back” (Seuss). This call to action is reminiscent of the current situation of replenishing the supply of trees that have been decimated by deforestation. The popularity of The Lorax has not waned in the slightest, as evidenced by Maniates’ statement that “his children still read The Lorax in school.” The Lorax is a seemingly simple novel that summed up the goals of an entire movement and then put them in child’s …show more content…
Bradbury, the “grandfather of dystopias,” has the ability to display an environmental story to the masses because of his mastery of style and storytelling (Robert). “A Sound of Thunder” is a commonly taught story and is a part of many high school english courses. Through his mastery of his skill Bradbury, makes his story about our effect on the environment available to students throughout the
Seuss’ book The Lorax. Through the normal Seuss-esque pictures, rhyme schemes, and crazy made up words, a gripping story of the destruction of an entire ecosystem is told through the lens of the person who actually did the harm. The Once-ler, a greedy business man destroyed the Truffula trees in an effort to make himself rich. He didn’t realize the error of his ways until he was no longer earning a profit. The book ends with the Once-ler placing the fate of the Truffula trees in the hands of a child when he says that “You 're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back” (Seuss). This call to action is reminiscent of the current situation of replenishing the supply of trees that have been decimated by deforestation. The popularity of The Lorax has not waned in the slightest, as evidenced by Maniates’ statement that “his children still read The Lorax in school.” The Lorax is a seemingly simple novel that summed up the goals of an entire movement and then put them in child’s …show more content…
Bradbury, the “grandfather of dystopias,” has the ability to display an environmental story to the masses because of his mastery of style and storytelling (Robert). “A Sound of Thunder” is a commonly taught story and is a part of many high school english courses. Through his mastery of his skill Bradbury, makes his story about our effect on the environment available to students throughout the