Most students are stunned to find out that Dr. Seuss was a political cartoonist who came out very early against Adolf Hitler and the isolationist movement, which at that time was known as “America First.” But it is in these cartoons that you can see the beginnings of what would become the Dr. Seuss that most children and, even adults for that matter, grew to love.
Before the war, Dr. Seuss was an artist who published his first book in 1937. He began working for a magazine called P.M. in early 1941 because he was so upset about the events taking place in Europe. Over the next couple of years, Dr. Seuss’ cartoons showed an ever-growing menace in Germany and Japan. Some people criticize him today for what they consider to be stereotypical or racist portrayals of Japanese in his cartoons. What these cartoons actually stand for and what they warn against is the growing menace around the globe. A lot of cartoons ridicule America First. America First’s most famous proponent was aviation wizard Charles Lindbergh. Dr. Seuss also made fun of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin. When the war broke out, Dr. Seuss was 37 years old. He wasn’t going to be signing up to join an infantry unit but he could influence others to help the war effort as an illustrator and artist. Between 1941 and 1943, he drew over 400 cartoons, which are all collected here. Dr. Seuss also did propaganda via cartoons that informed Americans what they could do to help the war effort. These cartoons ranged from buying savings bonds, purchasing saving stamps and the conservation of resources. 1. Why was Dr. Suess against the "America First" movement?
2. How did Dr. Suess contribute to the war effort? Still wanting to do more, at the age of 38, he joined the Army. It was in the Army that he began working on propaganda films to show soldiers how to conduct themselves. Those films featured a character called Private SNAFU which stands for situation normal, all “fouled” up.
Dr. Seuss’ military career took him to Hollywood where he worked for director Frank Capra in what became known as "Fort Fox.” It was there that Dr. Seuss begin making cartoon shorts to help the war effort. Originally, he worked with Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng; that duo would later go on to start Looney Tunes after the war. Voice over artist Mel Blanc, the future pipes of Bugs Bunny, did most of the voices for Dr. Seuss’ cartoons involving Private SNAFU. Using simple language (which would carry over to his own books) and some risqué graphics, these little videos kept the soldiers attention about what to do and what not to do as an enlisted soldier. Combined, the group made over 30 shorts films. Seuss also began working on his own films that were going to show soldiers what to do after the war. He was actually previewing them overseas in late 1944 when the Battle of the Bulge began and he was trapped for a while behind enemy lines. Those films would later be released as “Your Job in Germany,” and “Know Your Enemy – Japan.” It was said that both General George Patton and General Douglas MacArthur hated them. 3. How was Dr. Suess trying to help soldiers prepare for after the war?
Seuss later reflected on his work and felt ashamed about some of it:
“When I look at them now they’re hurriedly and embarrassingly badly drawn, and they’re full of many snap judgments that every political cartoonist has to make. The one thing I do like about them, however, is their honesty and their frantic fervor. I believed the USA would go down the drain if we listened to the America Firstisms… I probably was intemperate in my attacks on them. But they almost disarmed this country at a time it was obviously about to be destroyed, and I think I helped a little bit – not much, but some – in stating the fact that we were in a war and we damned well better ought to do something about it.”
After the war was over, he was awarded the Legion of Merit award for “exceptionally meritorious service in planning and producing films, particularly those utilizing animated cartoons, for training, informing, and enhancing the morale of the troops.” But it’s also in the cartoons that he drew that we begin to see some characters that would emerge after the war in his children’s books. Even during World War II, he used plants and animals as subjects of his cartoons. Through personification, Seuss who was able to get his message across about the war and also to show what soldiers should be doing in the war. The work he did for the Army and Department of the Treasury became the foundational style of Horton Hears a Who, Yertle the Turtle and many more. 4. What did Dr. Suess like about his work?
5. Why do you think it is important to show Suess's contributions to the war? Click on the link below to read the original article.
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