Shoot for the Moon

Shoot for the Moon
An Essay
Kirsten Peterson, Katrya Bolger and Brittany Graham

Some say that children see the simple truth of things. The same could be said for much of children’s literature. The Dr. Seuss books, those staples of bedtime stories, rather buck the trend. Certainly, you remember their silly rhymes and their black pen cartoons. They appear absurdly simple. As it turns out, the Dr. Seuss stories are a good deal more complicated, than say, various vampire novels aimed at preteens. Given how comparable their content is to our lives, Dr. Seuss can be considered to have had a very shrewd idea of human nature.

With his story “Yertle the Turtle”, Seuss shows us that when faced with a poor leader, we have a tendency to combine a large amount of inaction with an equally large amount of complaining. How many times have you seen Harper on th news and sighed? That is the problem that Seuss attempts to bring to our attention: we do nothing but sigh. In the story, all the turtles need is to refuse to cooperate and Yertle’s power would be broken. Leaders are a focal point for power but it is we who supply it in the first place, by supporting them. We should be, and are totally able to be, more forceful in influencing how our collective power is used.

Seuss shows that the leader's policy needs to directly affect our lives before we take action. Injustice, widespread suffering and rampant corruption are all to be regretted, but so long as they happen to strangers, we sympathize briefly and then continue with life. When Yertle commands nine turtles to build him a throne of themselves, there is no resistance in the community. It’s only when he orders his throne higher by two hundred turtles that the turtle at the bottom, Mack, is pressed into action. Faced with his shell cracking, Mack has no choice and has the perceived support of the majority.

The idea that a single event acts as a catalyst does not exist solely in Seuss’ children’s stories. In Nepal, King Gyanendra was overthrown for his abolition of the country’s parliament. The widespread offence to anyone who had voted caused huge retaliation. Between his initial crowning in 2001 and his seizure of Parliament in 2005 (BBC, 2008), Gyanendra was largely uncontested because he never did anything major enough to unite the whole country against him. Until his dismissal of parliament, that is. As King Gyanendra and Dr. Seuss’ Yertle demonstrate, it takes an event of magnitude in order for us to find the initiative to withdraw the support associated with a wayward leader.

Once the catalyst occurs, a new leader can manoeuvre to give focus and direction to all the dissatisfied. Mack performed this task for the turtles by uniting them in the statement: “down here below, we are feeling great pain”. Had it not been for Mack, their passive acceptance may have carried Yertle to the moon. Prachanda, leader of the Maoists in Nepal, also took it upon himself to voice the concerns of the majority, rural Nepalese. They have, ostensibly, been ignored by the king, as poor uneducated people unlikely to vote. Prachanda was willing to articulate their concerns in violence and rhetoric, highly appealing to those who have been disregarded too often and too long.

After his successful topple of the King Yertle, Mack becomes a figure of authority. While the book ends without Mack having used his power inappropriately, the fact remains that he profited most. The original problem of the king having a throne and being lord of all he surveys hasn’t been addressed.

Outside the realm of children's literature, King Gyanendra also betrayed his nation’s confidence, much as Yertle did. In doing this, he allowed the Maoist campaign to gain credibility and sympathy. Gyanendra took control of Nepal’s parliament because the guerrilla war in rural Nepal was intensifying. (Perry, 2004). However, the people’s impression was that he was greedy for power, and the ensuing demonstrations were among the largest Nepal has ever seen (BBC, 2008). A reversal of power occurred, with the king usurped by a schoolteacher, initiated and supported by the people. The people of Nepal have yet to see any marked changes in their lives, instead, things have gotten worse.

The new Prime Minister, Prachanda, is already using his influence inappropriately. He has been known to promote his personal interests before those of his constituents, having his daughter, Ganga, within his interim cabinet (Sarkar, 2008). As Mack did, Prachanda began at a lower rung in society; he was born in a rise paddy field. He has risen to control the people, those same people he once swore to liberate from oppression (Chandrasekharan, 2005). If Prachanda fails to meet the people’s expectations, “public euphoria will not last long” (Nepal: The Rocky Red Road, 2008). Thus the power cycle comes full circle, without much preventative change.

We do need leaders as a focus of power. The cohesiveness necessary to take action cannot be made without a driving force. However, once a “focus of power” has been established, it is necessary for us to evaluate its effectiveness in representing us. As can be seen in both “Yertle the Turtle” and Nepal, neither group demands different behaviour of their new leaders. Mack is sitting on Yertle’s same rock! And Prachanda, who presumably lives much better than the average Nepali, still insinuates in his speeches that he is “one of the people”. He was one of the people.

In writing a storybook about a dictatorship, Dr. Seuss was doing more than trying to put children to sleep. With his message that even the most inconsequential could influence power, he was trying to force us into action. The power that any leader holds derives from our support, therefore we should be able to direct its use. It’s excusable that turtles may not have the foresight, but as humans we ought to be able to grasp the concept Dr. Seuss thought simple enough to include in a children’s book.

Editorial Cartoon

Here is the group's editorial cartoon!

Journal Jan 19.

The essay is finally on paper, although rather skeletal. The opinions supporting the group's thesis have been put into words, although roughly. Some new paragraphs were added today, many posessing a more abstract relationship to the thesis, including a paragraph on the necessity of leaders as a focus of the power of a collective. Tomorrow will be dedicated to revising the essay in terms of style. At the moment, it is convincing, however it is not particulary captivating. As of yet, the group is uncertain as to how this can be acheived.

The cartoon has also been drawn. It includes a portrait of Yertle with Gyanendra's head peice, perched atop a stack of turtles. Their backs read peace, prosperity and eqaulity, all aspects of Nepalese society oppressed duing Gyanendra's short reign. The last King of Nepal's famous quote, "I will not be a silent King," is also included. This bring in a touch of irony, as it is commemorative portrait, and so clearly, he has been silence.

The other aspect of the cartoon includes Prachanda, wearing his decorative necklaces as Mack, striving for Yertle's rock. He is chained to the other turtles, dragging them behind him. This shows two things, that Prachanda is bound by the promises he made to arrive in power and that the other turtles are no more free than they were under Yertle. Rather than being stood on, they are simply chained.

Journal January 16th

Today is a quiet day as Kirsten and Brittany are off skiing. Katrya spent her time rifling through the sources to find pieces of information relating directly to the thesis of the group's essay. This weekend, she will begin taking these sources and putting together the annotated bibliography, in which she must justify the usage of each particular source. In order to do so, she'll need to know which sources Kirsten and Brittany have used in their essay as they continue to draft.

Yesterday was also a productive in terms of the cartoon. Brittany and Katrya discussed how the situation in Nepal could translate to a cartoon, concluding the class with a handful of potential ideas. In addition, they attempted to identify characteristics to distinguish the characters to be featured in the cartoon. It was decided that King Gyanendra would be shown through his fancy headwear while Prachanda's appearance they still could not determine. However, there will no doubt be further discussion on this matter.

Happy weekend!

Journal January 15th

Essay mode is officially in motion. With a decisive thesis and a greater understanding of their objectives, Kirsten, Katrya and Brittany are ready to work on putting their research into a 1,000 word essay. Now, it's a matter of sifting through the sources and identifying the information that will best convey that those who are the first to initiate change will benefit the most, in spite of the collective power of a group.

It was when the group looked closely at a page of the picture book that they discovered a new detail, which ignited their interest. On the last page of the book, there is a picture of the Kingdom in the aftermath of Yertle's rule. While Yertle is in the mud, Mack is perched upon a stone (a.k.a. the throne) while the other turtles smile on at Mack. The group noticed that, while Mack posed royally on the throne, the other turtles remained in the mud. This picture alone managed to inspire the group to pursue their new thesis, suggesting that the one to articulate the change will have a superior outcome to that of the other turtles.

Read for more essay updates, a cartoon and an annotated bibliography.

Journal January 14th

With a little less than 3 days and a weekend, the group is striving to finish a first draft of their essay. In this class, the thesis has effectively been changed to create a stronger, more defined essay. The new thesis is:

"The power of a group comes from a collective whole but those who articulate the power end up benefiting the most."

In their essay, they plan to prove:

- King Gyanendra and Yertle used the support of their subjects to increase their control of their Kingdom. Yertle's calling more turtles was parallel to Gyanendra's abolition of the elected government in 2005. Ultimately, this benefitted him more than the people he was meant to work for.

- They will include a paragraph comparing Mack and Maoist leader, Prachanda. How they lead a revolution to hold the masses but ended up with much more benefit than a common member of the group. There were no initial attempts to profit but they did.

That being said, the group will continue to work away!

Journal Jan. 12th/13th

Having had two short short periods in a row, the group decided that they would simply continue their discussion from the 12th into the 13th. To begin with, they began to refine their thesis. Then, they proceeded to better determine the main arguments that they would address in their comparative essay, drawing from the sources they found. By the end of the class, they successfully formed a list demonstrating the outline of the essay - naming the specific evidence.

Following this, the discussion shifted towards the editorial cartoon. Brittany agreed to take care of the cartoon, thus ensued the question: How can we take what we know about the situation in Nepal and transfer it to an editorial cartoon? In the last page of the book, the group identified a picture which showed Yertle's kingdom, returning to its once peaceful state. Yertle is positioned at the bottom right corner, perched on a rock, with the other turtles surrounding him. The group was inspired to replace the faces of the characters in Yertle the Turtle with the individuals involved in the fall of the last Nepali monarchy. For one, Yertle would be replaced by King Gyanendra while Mack would be replaced by Maoist leader, Prachranda. This would show the shift in power in the situation.

To be continued!

Journal January 8th

Today was devoted to developing a thesis for the comparative essay. Brittany, Katrya and Kirsten set out to determine how to precisely state the argument of their essay.

The group collectively decided that they would not attempt to argue the universality of Dr. Seuss' work but rather, explore a statement that is more specific and more unique to the story of Yertle the Turtle. So the group began to pursue a discussion about the themes presented in Yertle the Turtle. Brittany suggested addressing the idea that the higher up you are, the greater the fall will be. Kirsten noted that those who are on the lower rungs of society tend to be the ones who initiate change but, she added, they very rarely manage to alter their own situations. Katrya questioned how the group could present this idea with further clarity, suggesting a more direct focus on the fall from the top while comparing a high-up figure, such as Yertle, to a low-end figure, such as Mack.

At large, the group talked about how Dr. Seuss seemingly predicted the fall of the last Nepali monarchy in Yertle the Turtle. Though he died long before the occurence, the book follows an eerily similar plot to that which occured in Nepal. They also thought about drawing upon other real life situations to further support the thesis.

Eventually, they determined this rough thesis:

"Yertle the Turtle explains that it is the lower rungs of society who initiate change however, it is those who are highest with the farthest to fall."

After talking to Mr. Blauer, they plan to develop this thesis further using these ideas:

- Yertle built his power upon the weak. Therefore, they had the ability to take it away.
- As individuals, there was little they could do. But as a group, they were stronger than Yertle.
- There's also a difference in the specifics of their concerns, between Yertle and the lower turtles. While Mack was concerned about his shell cracking, Yertle was looking at the moon which had risen above him.

Now, they will begin to sift through the sources and find the evidence that will best back up their thesis.

Sources

We've done some searching and we wanted to share our findings thus far:

Nepal moves to end last Hindu monarchy, Kuwait Times (2008)

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTIzODY4ODA1Mg

Last of the Hindu Kings?, The Independent World (2008)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/last-of-the-hindu-kings-804970.html

Human Development Reports, United Nations (2008)

http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_NPL.html

Profile: Nepal's Ex-King Gyanendra, BBC News (2008)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4225171.stm

King Gyanendra: Extended Interview, Time (2004)

http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/nepal_king/nepal_intvu_extended.html

Q&A: Nepal's Future, BBC News (2008)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2707107.stm

Prachanda's first interview as Nepal PM, BBC News (2008)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7596523.stm

Maoist Documents, South Asia Terrorism Portal (2006)

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/maoist/documents/papers/13nov2006.htm

King goes by ballot or force, says Prachandra, Nepalese Maoist leader, Times UK (2008)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3716757.ece

Nepal: Cease-fire: Com. Prachanda Proposes and King Gyanendra disposes: Update 75, South Asia Analysis Group (2005)

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org//notes3/note276.html

Take a peak!

Journal January 7th

Discussion today centered mainly around whether the recent political crisis in Nepal is a fairly accurate mirror to Yertle the Turtle's own crisis, or instead is a bit like those circus funhouse mirrors - distorted.

Kirsten was primarily concerned about the fact that the actions of the Maoist rebels, and specifically those of "Prachanda" their leader truly reflects the "small thing" that Mack did. Burping and tumbling a stack is not really comparative to Ak-47's and 13,000 dead. Also, she said, the better part of the civil war was conducted against King Birendra, who was happy with his role as figurehead and did not directly oppress people. So the force that people (Maoists anyway) consider oppressive is the monarchy. Which might work, but for the fact that there is no indication of the turtle's monarchy being abolished.

Katrya found an article indicating that Gyanendra ( the deposed king) has a cushy landing as his landholdings outside that which the state provided for are numerous and quite large. He appears to be an astute investor (or his personal accountants are) and while there aren't precise figures the income generated is hinted at being in the millions. Seuss did not say that Yertle landed in a Scandinavian hot mud spring spa, he just said mud.

Kirsten pointed out that where Yertle was trying to expand his territory (king of all I see!), Gyanendra was simply trying to keep control of what he already had, although through making a power gain, which is comparative. Either way, Nepal was impoverished before he came to power, with around 2 in 5 children siffering from malnourishment (0-5 yrs.). So Seuss's statement that all the turtles had plenty to eat does not apply. Mind, the same thing does not apply to 1930's Germany (or 1920's for that matter), and this was the original metaphor maker.

Journal January 6, 2008

The group began today's discussion by deciding on the theme of Yertle the Turtle. In this way, they will be able to link the plotline of Yertle theTurtle with the events in Nepal. The theme was eventually summed up with Yertle as a dictoator who causes a severe drop in the quality of life of his people. he is eventually overthrown by the "lowest" of his own subjects.

During their research on the end of the Nepal monarchy, which was suggested by Kirsten as being a similar situation, Kirsten, Brittany and Katrya discovered a variety of news websites relating to the topic. In the situation, it was obvious who was "Yertle". King Gyunendra, and the monarchy he represented, was implicated in a number of similar situation. When discussing Gyunendra, Kirsten pointed out that he fell in some "soft" mud, meaning that his fall from power was not as drastic as that of Yertle. There were "nets" in place.

It quickly became clear that the Maouists, lead by Prachanda, were the main source of opposition to the monarchy. It was their actions that eventually led to the overthrow of King Gyunendra, therefore, they are very similar to Mak. The group discovered discrepancies of course. The moauists were much more violent in their opposition that Mak.

Katrya suggested searching the UN website. This proved to be valuable proof of the poor quality of life in Nepal. The country ranked 145th of 179 countries on the Human Development Index.

All in all, the group found a variety of different websites, all leading them to believe that the similarities between the situation in Nepal and that in Yertle the Turtle would make a credible essay.

Journal January 5th

Katrya, Brittany and Kirsten discussed the similarities between the end of the Nepal monarchy in 2008 and Yertle's fall. Both incorporate an abuse of human rights by a dictator and the uprising of a people.

With this information in mind, Brittany suggested that a possible thesis for the essay could be the multiple applications of Yertle the Turtle. Not only does it apply to Hitler's rise and fall from power, as Seuss intended, it also applies to more recent event, such as the fall of the Nepali monarchy.

The group identified Yertle as former King Gyanendera, who dismantled governement in 2005 and took on absolute power - just as Yertle did when he silenced the turtles beneath him. Katrya suggested that Yertle's abuse of the turtle's rights was reflected in the poor quality of life in Nepal during Gyanendra's reign. Kirsten also mentioned similarities between Yertle's uprising and that of Gyanendera, who seized absolute power soon after arriving on the throne in 2001.

The group decided that everyone would research the Nepal uprising and tomorrow they would further develop their opinions.

Introduction to Yertle the Turtle

Much like a typical Dr. Seuss book, Yertle the Turtle transforms a real life political situation into a story that is fit for children. At the time when Yertle the Turtle was first published (1958), the Holocaust was still fresh in mind. During the Holocaust, German dictator, Adolf Hitler, was responsible for the millions of deaths of so-called "sub-humans" such as Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and those who were considered inferior by Hitler and his Nazis.

In Yertle the Turtle, Dr. Seuss transfers the qualities of Hitler's character to Yertle, the King of his pond. He is displeased with his stone throne and thus, orders the other turtles in the pond to form a stack so he may sit on top. From the top, he may oversee his kingdom. When Mack the turtle, sitting at bottom of the stack, pleads to Yertle for pity, Yertle simply ignores it. In fact, Yertle continues to add more and more turtles to the stack until night falls. He is fuming to see the moon is higher than he. He decides to summon more turtles. However, before the command can be obeyed, Mack burps and down comes the stack of turtles. Naturally, Yertle reacts furiously.

While the Holocaust took place decades ago, there occurs such examples of dictatorship and violations of human rights to this day. When our group assembled, we found that the recent Nepali deposition of the monarchy reflects a similar situation. We decided to further investigate the similarities and thus, prove the universality of Dr. Seuss' work.

With this base of information, we'll begin to conduct our research. Stay tuned.