Jacquelyn Clark
Professor Rodriguez
English 1302
December 2, 2014
Literature Paper

Teaching young children priceless lessons such as trying new foods can be challenging for many parents. As a God Mother of a very finicky three year old boy, it is implausible to get him to try new meals or snacks. Even after I sought guidance from his mother and mine for ideas, he still refused different refreshments, until I read to him and his kid sister Green Eggs and Ham and several others by Dr. Seuss. It happened by mistake when I realized that many of Dr. Seuss books teach children helpful lessons that most parents are feeble to because he uses fun graphics, rhyme, and entertains their imagination.
When you actually analyze these books written by Dr. Seuss, it is not hard to see the main ideas of his stories through the pictures alone. Before I even open the book of Green Eggs and Ham, I see similarities of Amauri and the main character, The Black Hatter. They are wide eyed, with their nose up, and careful not to get too close to anything out of the normal, but yet curious enough to examine the beasty looking cuisine. On page twenty-three, there is a picture of Sam-I-Am enticing “The Black Hatter” into a box with a fox to try the green eggs and ham. This is an ironic metaphor of how parents try to get their children to eat their veggies. “I will let you watch TV with Daddy during dinner if you eat your green beans”. However, the bribe is not enough to get them interested. As I read this story to Amauir and his sister, I saw his expression felt the same as the poor Black Hatter.
Rhyming is another key element Dr. Seuss uses to keep children interested in the lessons being taught. Although there is rhyme throughout the entire story, I noticed by page thirty-one Amauri and Aubrey were really excited as the rhymes grew longer and I out of breath. It seemed to me that he had a few flash backs on the times he could relate to our unnamed victim. The rhyme scheme is simple and very entertaining because the Amauri and Aubrey were failure with the objects and they liked that they were portrayed in a new way. For example, the fox and box, mouse and house or, rain and train. On pages forty and forty one the train is racing down a hill with the car from earlier in the story on top then, they both crash onto a boat!!! How exciting is that? This book is full of surprises and keeps the kids anticipating for what is next to come. Everyone goes flying in the air then into the water, and The Black Hatter is annoyed beyond explanation when he is told again “Try them! Try them!” Sam-I-Am’s persistence paid off and The Black Hatter tried the repulsive green eggs and ham after Sam agreed to leave him alone. Again, this is another metaphor of patents to children. Parents are not reluctant to give up and children are just too annoyed to fight any longer. As the climax hit and the turning point approaches, so does the expression on Amauri’s face. We watched The Black Hatter eat the green eggs and ham!!! The next words spoken were “Say! I like green eggs and ham!” Amauri smiled and gleamed from ear to ear as though he was happy the torment was over, and the food was actually appealing. The Black Hatter was smiling too, and wanted to eat the incredible cuisine with any creature at any location. He was excited that he had tried new foods, now he and Sam-I-Am were friends. The way I view the ending is much more than friendship, it is trust. Shall another episode arise that Sam-I-Am asks for The Black Hatter to try another appalling meal, I am sure he would do so without the commotion. This can also be true for parents.
Further analysis can say that the book is simpler than what I have experienced. Taiba Akhtar, author of Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion wrote “Some philosophers might justify the narrator's actions by asserting that it is possible not to like something even when you have not tried it. In this scenario, the fundamental idea is that it’s possible to form judgments through reason without recourse to experience.” I find this statement to be true! However, we are looking at a children’s point of view. Toddlers and Kindergarteners who do not know enough about the world or their surroundings should not be allowed to make choices that could hurt them later in life. For instance a parent allowing a child to eat sweets and cakes instead of vegetables because the kid does not put up a fight with the things it likes. Actions such as this could lead to childhood obesity and health problems that in turn could lead to ridicule and bullying. I argue that parents should read this book to their children and us persistence to get healthy foods into their diets. In fact Green Eggs and Ham was ranked fourth in The Top One Hundred Picture Books by recommended teachers in the 2007 NEA poll. If parents would choose to make the connection for their children and explain that new things are not necessarily bad then the newest generation of children could just be the healthiest. In the article Childhood obesity: is it being taken seriously? it is quoted "The availability of liquid calories and empty calories, combined with a deluge of fast food and junk food advertisements, have changed the way children eat. The majority of children fail to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity and spend a huge amount of time sitting. The way we've structured our daily lives makes it hard for children to live healthily."
Being a God Mother of a three year old boy who likes to read and run is a rewarding pleasure. I have learned completely by accident that Dr. Seuss books have the potential to teach young children valuable lessons through rhyme, pictures and excitement. Because of Green Eggs and Ham I was able to get finicky little Amauri to eat green beans and carrots. With a little more fruits and vegetables in his diet I am sure he will have a full and healthy life.

Work Cited

1. Seuss, Dr. Green Eggs and Ham. New York: Random House, 1960. 1-62. Print. 2. Asisa Burns. "Green Eggs and Ham." Wikipedia. N.p., 12 Aug. 1960. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham>. 3. Akhtar, Taiba. "Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion." Teaching Children Philosophy. Ed. Jake Wartenberg. N.p., 23 Dec. 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham>. 4. Whitfield, Rani. "Childhood Obesity: Is it being taken seriously?." Medial New Today. N.p., 30 July 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280370.php>.