As children, numerous people can remember reading Dr. Seuss books from time to time. In his book The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss illustrates a silly dispute over butter as a way to show a classic judgment about our world. There are two different groups of people on each side of the wall: on one side are the Yooks, who eat bread with the butter facing up; and Zooks, who eat bread with the buttery side down. Both sides believe their way is the right way, causing tension and leading to a battle. Through this battle of beliefs, each side begins to realize that they must be better than the other and do everything they can to win. Throughout the book, Dr. Seuss portrays meaning through the effective use of parody, dramatic irony, and conflict development. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayDr. Seuss' effective use of parody helps convey his meaning clearly. Dr. Seuss writes: “It was old-fashioned stuff. Slingshots, dear boy, are not modern enough” (Seuss 14). From this statement, the reader can understand that Dr. Seuss uses a slingshot to imitate nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, having nuclear weapons that were more powerful than others was a general idea. Proving that the slingshot is not modern enough can relate to nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Even Dr. Seuss exclaims, “Who's going to drop it? Wants…? Or…?" (Seuss 26). This is a parody because it mimics the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States. The author chose to question the character's intentions because during the Cold War neither side fought each other directly. This clearly shows that questioning the character is related to the concept of Cold War. From these examples, it is clear that Dr. Suess is a master of parody. Additionally, Dr. Seuss' effective use of dramatic irony helps convey his meaning clearly. Dr. Seuss writes, “VanItch had a Sputter exactly like mine!” (Seuss 20). This shows that the audience knew that the Zooks would carry the same weapons as the Yooks, but Grandpa Yook thought his was better and would surprise the Zooks. This is dramatic irony because the audience knew something that the characters didn't know. Dr. Seuss even exclaims, "Even the kids in HIS back room had one done!" (Seuss 25). Once again, the public knew this event would happen. This is dramatic irony because it was predictable that during the butter battle they would be surprised that each of them had the same weapons. From these examples, it is clear that Dr. Suess is a master of dramatic irony. Furthermore, Dr. Seuss' effective use of conflict development helps to clearly convey his meaning. Dr. Seuss writes, “All the Zooks stayed away and our country was safe. Then, one terrible day, a very rude Zook named VanItch snuck up and threw my Snick-Berry Switch!” (Seuss 10). This line illustrates that there was a specific conflict between both sides. The author clarified the conflict by introducing it right at the beginning. By writing this line, the audience has a clear vision of the concept of the book. Dr. Seuss also writes, “He said, 'You are not to blame. And those Zooks are going to regret starting this game” (Seuss 11). This shows the conflict developing because the Yooks are blaming the Zooks for starting the battle. By writing this line, you create atmosphere between the characters and allow readers to not.
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