Hi All! It seems silly to start a high school English class with a "children's' book," but the book actually introduces a lot of high school level critical thinking. Plus, I would argue that it was not just meant for kids–as we will discuss. As far as titles go, The Butter Battle Book is pretty straight-forward. We've got your standard Seussian alliteration and an explanation of what's going on: there's a battle over butter. Very silly!
However, as we watch the video, we'll see that the theme (or message) in the story isn't so silly.
We will examine the text's historical context and how it fits into the events of its time to understand what the author was thinking when he wrote the story.
We will learn how to identify literary elements in a text (with a focus symbolism, allusion, and allegory).
We will determine the theme of a text.
We will analyze the development of the theme throughout a text, including how it is shaped by specific details/events.
Dr. Seuss, pseudonym of Theodor Seuss Geisel, (born March 2, 1904, Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.—died September 24, 1991, La Jolla, California), American writer and illustrator of immensely popular children’s books, which were noted for their nonsense words, playful rhymes, and unusual creatures.
Link to the full text of the book: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxld3JpdGluZ3dvcmtzaG9wfGd4OjU5ZjQyYWE4ODg3NmExZDU
Link to Berlin Wall History and 1989 Fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4VDwaV-oo
Link to the cartoon movie of the book:
Seuss certainly wasn’t afraid to step into the political ring. As Richard Minear illustrates in Dr. Seuss Goes to War, for a two-year period during World War II Seuss penned hundreds of cartoons that made explicit the political views that he would later take underground in his fiction. Interestingly enough, during this time he railed against many of the same tendencies that have reared their ugly heads again in recent years: isolationism, racism, anti-Semitism and, long before it became official American policy, what he called “America-firstism.”
On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) began to build a barbed wire and concrete “Antifascistischer Schutzwall,” or “antifascist bulwark,” between East and West Berlin. The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. To this day, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.
Historical Context – Knowing when a book or other type of text was written, and how it fits into the events of its time, helps us understand what the author was thinking when he or she wrote the book/text. Writers are usually writing for a reason and sometimes that reason relates to what is happening in the author’s life or in the world when he or she is writing. Historical context refers to the moods, attitudes, and conditions that existed in a certain time.
Author Purpose – When you read anything in this class and in your ‘real’ life, you should always be looking to see what the author wants you to get from his or her text. Typically, in English classes, we think of three types of purposes: to inform, persuade, or entertain. These can overlap!
Theme – Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. It is important not to confuse a theme of a literary work with its subject. Subject is a topic which acts as a foundation for a literary work while a theme is an opinion expressed on the subject. For example, a writer may choose a subject of war for his story and the theme of a story may be writer’s personal opinion that war is a curse for humanity. Usually, it is up to readers to explore a theme of a literary work by analyzing characters, plot and other literary devices.
Audience – Authors are usually thinking of the people that they hope will read their texts as they write. These readers are the author’s intended audience. But, all readers of a text are considered the audience. You are my audience as you read this. I am thinking of you as I type this up and I am purposefully writing in a way I think you will relate to.
Author Tone – The tone is the attitude of the author. Authors might come off as angry, or sarcastic, or sappy or funny or serious. Tone is how we see the author’s attitude. It’s different from the ‘mood’ created in a text.
Allegory – An allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and concepts are represented or described in characters, or objects or events in a story. Although an allegory uses symbols, it is different from symbolism. An allegory is a complete narrative which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event. A symbol, on the other hand, is an object that stands for another object giving it a particular meaning.
Satire – Writing that comments humorously on human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to change them. Basically, the story might seem funny or strange or ridiculous, but there is usually a deeper message about a serious topic.
Plot – The action of the story.
Conflict – In literature, a conflict involves a struggle between two opposing forces. One type of external conflict is a pretty obvious one, (man versus man), or a protagonist (good guy) and an antagonist (bad guy) opposing each other mentally or physically. There are five main types of conflict in literature:
· Man vs. Man
· Man vs. Nature
· Man vs. Society
· Man vs. Self - - (internal)
· Man vs. Technology
Please work in your groups to discuss and answer the below questions relating to The Butter Battle Book.
1. Why are the two side fighting?
2. In your opinion, which side is right, or is either side right?
3. What did you like or not like about the story?
4. What does this book have to do with history (historical context: consider when this book was written)?
5. Explain one symbol used in this story:
6. Who do you think Dr. Seuss intended to read this book (audience), and what was his purpose?
7. How does the author develop literary satire?
8. Choose from the following: Imagine you are Dr. Seuss and can add one more page to the end of the book. Write a paragraph on separate paper showing the new ending. Or, instead of writing a paragraph, draw a picture representing your new ending. Remember: the story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, and we are called to resolve in our minds that which the Yooks and Zooks cannot. That final, empty page that faces the image of Grandpa and VanItch invites, and even forces us, to fill-in-the-blank. Dr. Seuss is most definitely not giving us a solution. Maybe Seuss wants us to resolve the story!
Success Criteria
_____ I completed the discussion assignment with my group.
_____ I demonstrated an understanding the the literary concept of historical context as it relates to The Butter Battle Book.
_____ I demonstrated an understanding the the literary concept of symbolism as it relates to The Butter Battle Book.
_____ I demonstrated an understanding the the literary concept of author purpose as it relates to The Butter Battle Book.
_____ I demonstrated an understanding the the literary concept of satire as it relates to The Butter Battle Book.
_____ I created new text using Dr. Seuss style in support of a message.