Yurtle the Turtle

[timbaly]

I don't remember how i came across this information, but somehow I heard that the Dr. Seuss book Yurtle the Turtle was modeled on the Rise of Hitler. This book is one of the few popular Seuss titles that I have never read or seen in a book store or library. So for those of you who have read it, I want to know if you think this is true. I'm pretty sure it is true, because I believe I saw it on the news, but how similar is the book to Hitler's rise to power?

[STI]

Heh, my girlfriend read that book to me last week. :)

Most Seuss books have some sort of hidden political message. It's quite possiblet that he was talking about Hitler, but I saw it as the fall of the Czars (of course, with a new king ruling over the turtles). That was just me, though. I could be miserably wrong.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Many of his books have a political message.
The man was a prominent leftist.
And Yertle (sp?) the Turtle was no exception.

I don't think it was referring to Hiter specificaly, though.
The King turtle whose name was Yertle made a stack of turtles so that he could sit at the top and see as further and further as his curiosity grew.
Then one turtle near the bottom who had pretty much had enough of this crap, sneezed or something and sent Yertle flying down his turtle thrown.

Good story.

[SittingBull47]

interesting. Dr. Suess a prominent leftist? I'm going to look at him again and try to find messages in his books. It was also a song by the Chili peppers...good song.

[STI]

Yurtle wasn't curious, he was hungry for more power.

[timbaly]

I think I remember the name of the show that i heard this on I believe it was the Sunday Morning Show on CBS with Charles Osgood. I'm going to have to find this book in one of libraries near me, and I believe the turtle's name is Yertle not Yurtle.

[revoevo]

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss

On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond,
Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.
A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.
The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.
The turtles had everything turtles might need.
And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.

They were... until Yertle, the king of them all,
Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
"I'm ruler", said Yertle, "of all that I see.
But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me.
With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond
But I cannot look down on the places beyond.
This throne that I sit on is too, too low down.
It ought to be higher!" he said with a frown.
"If I could sit high, how much greater I'd be!
What a king! I'd be ruler of all that I see!"

And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command.
He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone
And, using these turtles, he built a new throne.
He made each turtle stand on another one's back
And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack.
And then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile.
What a wonderful view! He could see 'most a mile!

"All mine!" Yertle cried. "Oh, the things I now rule!
I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule!
I'm the king of a house! And, what's more, beyond that
I'm the king of a blueberry bush and a cat!
I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

And all through the morning, he sat up there high
Saying over and over, "A great king am I!"
Until 'long about noon. Then he heard a faint sigh.
"What's that?" snapped the king,and he looked down the stack.
And he saw, at the bottom, a turtle named Mack.
Just a part of his throne. And this plain little turtle
Looked up and he said, "Beg your pardon, King Yertle.
I've pains in my back and my shoulders and knees.
How long must we stand here, Your Majesty, please?"

"SILENCE!" the King of the Turtles barked back.
"I'm king, and you're only a turtle named Mack."

"You stay in your place while I sit here and rule.
I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule!
I'm the king of a house! And a bush! And a cat!
But that isn't all. I'll do better than that!
My throne shall be higher!" his royal voice thundered,
"So pile up more turtles! I want 'bout two hundred!"

"Turtles! More turtles!" he bellowed and brayed.
And the turtles 'way down in the pond were afraid.
They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed.
From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens.
Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack.
One after another, they climbed up the stack.

Then Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high,
He could see forty miles from his throne in the sky!
"Hooray!" shouted Yertle. "I'm the king of the trees!
I'm king of the birds! And I'm king of the bees!
I'm king of the butterflies! King of the air!
Ah, me! What a throne! What a wonderful chair!
I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

Then again, from below, in the great heavy stack,
Came a groan from that plain little turtle named Mack.
"Your Majesty, please... I don't like to complain,
But down here below, we are feeling great pain.
I know, up on top you are seeing great sights,
But down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.
We turtles can't stand it. Our shells will all crack!
Besides, we need food. We are starving!" groaned Mack.


"You hush up your mouth!" howled the mighty King Yertle.
"You've no right to talk to the world's highest turtle.
I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea!
There's nothing, no, NOTHING, that's higher than me!"


But, while he was shouting, he saw with surprise
That the moon of the evening was starting to rise
Up over his head in the darkening skies.
"What's THAT?" snorted Yertle. "Say, what IS that thing
That dares to be higher than Yertle the King?
I shall not allow it! I'll go higher still!
I'll build my throne higher! I can and I will!
I'll call some more turtles. I'll stack 'em to heaven!
I need 'bout five thousand, six hundred and seven!"


But, as Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand
And started to order and give the command,
That plain little turtle below in the stack,
That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,
Decided he'd taken enough. And he had.
And that plain little lad got a bit mad.
And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing.
He burped!
And his burp shook the throne of the king!


And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees,
The king of the air and the birds and the bees,
The king of a house and a cow and a mule...
Well, that was the end of the Turtle King's rule!
For Yertle, the King of all Sala-ma-Sond,
Fell off his high throne and fell Plunk! in the pond!


And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course... all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.


I got it here (http://www.chuckwagner.com/yertle.html), and you can even have Chuck Wagner read it to you! :D

I didn't know Seuss was a leftist either! But now that I think about it, I can see it in is books, obviously this one included. I love those books, the Lorax is another favorite...

Hmm... its great to think millions of children are being read leftist literature every night before bed, is it not? :P

[insurgency03]

political messeges in suess books huh, interesting

I wonder what the cat in the hats all about then?

[timbaly]

Thanks the word revoevo. Now that I've read it I think it's probably about Hitler in general and his wants not just his rise to power. i might have confused the two since the show that i heard this on was on a few weeks ago. The only thing that doesn't seem to fit in is the fact that it was the bottom turtle that caused yertles dreams to go down the tube not an outside forces.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I think it's a criticism of capitalism and class society all together.
For yertle to extend his power he must subjugate more turtles.
Very true of capitalism.

The Lorax is another book by Dr. Seuss that I really like.
It's very envoromentalist and condemns corporate growth as a threat to the environment. :)

[MiniOswald]

Hands up for Seuss!
Hoorah!
I think yertle may just be about capitalism or possibly the rise of reds and how it just takes someone to go bollocks to this, im not gonna be your stepping stone any more!

[timbaly]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 09:39 PM
I think it's a criticism of capitalism and class society all together.
For yertle to extend his power he must subjugate more turtles.
Very true of capitalism.
If it weren't for the fact that on a Tv program it was mentioned that the book was related to Hitler I would have thought it was about what you see it to be. But, I'm positive that the narrator of the segment on Seuss and his 100th birthday said that hitler was some how related to the book.

[Hate Is Art]

was suess an opium addict? cos writing books about turtle stacking and giant cats wearing hats is far out

[Raisa]

Yeah! What a beautiful peice of work. See seuss knew what he was doing, he wrote so every one can understand.

[Raisa]

I think that Yurtel the turtle doesnt represent any particular rule....just how empires are built on the working people's backs.

[Raisa]

I think that Yurtel the turtle doesnt represent any particular rule....just how empires are built on the working people's backs.

[commie kg]

That one with the two societies, one that eats toast with the butter-side up, and one with the butter-side down (I forget what it's called), was a metaphor for the stupidity of the Cold War.