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Popular Culture and Its Effect on Society

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Popular Culture and its Effect on Society Chris Lupkes SOC/105 Michelle Gardner March 04, 2013

The name Theodore Geisel, though one of the most famous contemporary writers, is rarely recognized even though his work is well known throughout the world. He has won three Academy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for his work but people only recognize him by his pseudonym, Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat is a book is about a Cat that moves in on two unsuspecting Children on a rainy day. He creates a whirlwind of misbehavior that the kids are at first powerless to stop. After the cat invites his friends into the house, they trash the place and try to get the kids to join in with all the mischief. After the boy asserts himself and orders the fun-loving cat to hit the road; that is where the story ends. This book was Theodor’s third book, the first of the six that the Cat appears in. The Cat in the Hat was perhaps the defining book of his career. The book only has 236 “new-reader” words in its vocabulary. When Ted’s first wife died in 1967, he married his old friend which only influenced the production of his later books. Theodore wrote the book because he felt that there should be more entertaining and fun material for beginning readers. The entertaining tale with the tiny vocabulary shows that he had a great skill in writing. The Cat in the Hat is what I believe to be the start of the new genre. The book was a hit in 1957, and since then has sold more than 11 million copies and has been translated into more than 12 different languages. The books fun antics have become one of the parents most loved books to read and most of all, one of the funniest for kids to read. Theodore Geisel once said, "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted." (Dr. Seuss - A Quick Visit Feb. 16, 2002) In each and every one of his 46 books, he has done just that. Even though others criticized him for not sharing their viewpoints or for using outlandish language, he has still made and impact on yesterday's and today's youth. His success can't be measured by the awards he's won or the amount of money he's made, but in the lives that he's affected. He continues to instill good morals and an adventurous nature into all the children that read his books. Theodore Geisel, Dr. Seuss, will forever live in the hearts of his readers.

References
"Dr. Seuss - A Quick Visit". Retrieved from http://www.playcenter.com/books/features/Dr_Seuss_A_Quick_Visit.htm. Feb. 16, 2002
Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Springfield Museums. Retrieved from: http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

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