It’s Friday and my son has completed his first full week of school. This week it’s been all about getting back into our family schedule. Every night we read before bed. My son is stuck on Yertle the Turtle and we’ve read it several times this week.
The story revolves around Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond. Unsatisfied with the stone that serves as his throne, he commands the other turtles to stack themselves beneath him so that he can see further and expand his kingdom. However, the turtle at the bottom of the pile, named Mack, asks Yertle for a respite. Ignoring his request, Yertle commands more and more turtles to add to his throne, until he notices the moon rising above him as the night approaches. Furious that something “dares to be higher than Yertle the King”, he decides to call for even more turtles in an attempt rise above it. However, before he can give the command, Mack burps, shaking the stack of turtles and tossing Yertle off into the mud, leaving him “King of the Mud” and freeing the others. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
I have enjoyed revisiting this classic Dr. Seuss story and paying close attention to the deeper meaning behind his words. I don’t focus on politics here but feel compelled to say that the US is in crisis and we are facing many challenges. We are about to choose a new leader and must make sure that whomever we choose to lead us is not a Yertle. Because you all know what happened to his majesty.
“And today the great Yertle, the marvelous he,
is the 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.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle
