SneetchesEssay

Dr.SeusssSneetchesisacommentaryonantisemitismbasedonthetheparallelshe drawsbetweenthesegregationofJewsandtheSneetches,hisuseofstarsasastatussymbol, useofgermanwordsandDr.Seusssknownpoliticalopinionatthetime. OneofthewaysthatDr.Seusscommentsonantisemitismwasthewaythathe parallelsthesegregationofSneetcheswiththesegregationofJews.Forinstance,inthe followingquote,Seussdescribestheexclusionofsneetchchildren.Thestarbellychildrenwent outtoplayballyouonlycouldplayifyourbellieshadstars.(pg.5)Thistreatmentissimilarto thatofJewsinNaziGermanyinthattheywereostracisedandexcludedfromplaceslikeschools orstores.AnotherwaythatSeusscomparestheattitudetowardSneetchestotheattitude towardsJews,wasinthewaythatthesneetcheswereoutcastfromsocietyandthepubliceye. Thiswasshowninthequotefollowing.Theyleftthemoutcold,inthedarkofthebeaches.They keptthemaway,neverletthemnear.(pg.)ThisattitudewassimilartothatoftheNazis, exhibitedwhentheyconfinedJewstoghettos,didntletthemsharesidewalkswithgentileand eventuallycastthempermanentlyfromsocietybysendingthemtoconcentrationcamps. ThesecondmainwaythatDr.Seusscommentsonantisemitismisbyusingstarsasa statussymbol.Inthesneetches,starswereconsideredasignofsuperiority,whereasin Germany,theywereasignofJudaism,andconsideredshameful,butinbothinstancesthey servedthesamepurpose:tocreatedistinctionbetweengroupsofpeople.Thepassagebelow describesthephysicalsignificanceofthestar.Thosestarswerentsobig.Theywerereallyso small.Youmightthinksuchathingmightnotmatteratall.(pg.1)Inthatquote,Dr.Seuss commentsonthealmostrandomnessofthetraitsthatwechoosetojudgepeopleby,whether

theyberace,physicalappearanceorreligion,andhowsomethingsosmallcandetermineour entirelifecourse. ThethirdmainevidencethatDr.Seusswasmakingastatementonantisemitismwasin hisuseofGermanwords.Thefollowingquotedescribesasneetchparty.Thestarbellied sneetcheshadfrankfurterroasts.Thispassagedepictsthestarbelliedsneetcheseatingthe frankfurters,atraditionalgermanfood,astheperpetratorsofdiscrimination,whichmatchesup withtheNazisandJewsofWorldWarIIera. Inadditionthetheaforementionedliteraryanalysis,anothercomponentunderstandingthe truemeaningofDr.SeusssTheSneetches,werehisknownpoliticalviewsatthetime. Accordingtohisofficialwebsite,allfourofSeusssgrandparentsemigratedfromGermany duringthe19thcentury,andthatasachild,Seusswasteasedbyotherchildrenforhisgerman heritage.HedidpoliticalcartoonsthroughoutTheSecondWorldWar,criticisingracismtowards jewsandafricanamericans,aswellasquestioningisolationistsandnoninterventionalists.He wasalsoapassionateopponentoffascism. Insummation,inDr.SeussbookTheSneetches,bydrawingparallelsbetween segregationofsneetchesandjews,usingofstarsasastatussymbol,andincludinggerman words,aswellasSeussspoliticalopinionatthetimeofthebookspublication,allconclusively showthatTheSneetcheswasacriticismofantisemitism.