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Lorax

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The Lorax

A motion film called The Lorax provides a realistic look at how overconsumption has affected the small fictional town of Thneedville. In this town you have big houses, and even bigger cars, plastic trees, air quality so bad that you have to purchase the air you breathe. You soon get a glimpse of what is beyond the “city limits” of Thneedville which is utter destruction. Caused by the overconsumption of people and a man who sought to profit from people in the town.

We are a nation of consumers who suffer from a horrible disease known as “Affluenza” the disease of over consumption. And Affluenza has plagued us to the point where children’s movies are being made about over consumption and spending. The lyrics of the opening song of The Lorax could be the theme song of the how Affluenza has plagued people today in America “With brand new cars, and houses and lawns”(Powell & Paul, 2012). This film had many examples from the book we are reading in class. The example of how houses are getting bigger so people can have a place to store more “stuff”. The reason why is because people continue to buy more things that they don’t need.

This movie made me think of the main character Ted and once the movie progressed I connected him to John Beal from our reading. For very different reasons they both sought out to save, replenish, and protect the trees. For Ted it was so he could impress the girl he liked which then also stopped a greedy cooperate figure. John Beal wanted to see the forest he once knew as bountiful brought back to its original glory.

Even though Affluenza and consumption isn’t as bad as we see in Thneedville it could one day become exactly like that. Especially if people aren’t conscience of their spending and consumption of goods and natural resources we could one day have plastic trees and be paying for the air we breathe.

Works Cited

Paul, C & Powell, S (2012). Thneedville [Recorded by The Lorax Singers]. On Dr. Seuss The Lorax [CD]. Studio City, CA: Varese Sarabande Records.

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