He just made up words to fit the rhymes. Even as a kid, I thought that was completely cheating, and if I had known the word at that I age, I would have called BS on Seuss.
Anyone agree?
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There was a critic who thought Suess's rhymes stank
Suess just shrugged and laughed his way to the bank.
Heh, heh. Good one.
I still think his rhymes blow big donkey balls for the most part. I mean his legitimate rhymes are fine, it's when he starts making sh!t up that it just gets completely ridiculous.
I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
For his first story, he made up a list of something like 30-50 words he though kids should be able to read. He used only these words to write the story. If you don't think that was hard, try it yourself. That's why most of his rhymes are repeats or nonsensical. He was much more interested in producing books kids where capable of reading than becoming a master poet.
shareYeah, I saw an exhibit on Seuss and knew that. And I certainly recognize that as a great talent, and what he did was very worthy in terms of getting kids to read.
I just think his rhymes suck, that's all. Fake and forced.
I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
[deleted]
I think it's cool. always have
shareIt's designed to teach phonics to very young children. It's not designed to astound adults with clever prose.
shareAs I mentioned in my OP, I recognized this as a kid, not as an adult.
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No you didn't, if you were at the age & education level for which this was intended.
This is for children learning language & reading basics. They can't critique it because they don't know any other or better or more clever words that they would find more impressive. In order to critique, you have to have some reference. Very young children that young don't have the experience necessary to do this.
Perhaps you were uniquely gifted as a toddler (like every parent of every toddler I've ever known claims their kid to be) & read the rhyme "I know lots of good tricks, I can show them to you, your mother will not mind at all if I do." & thought to yourself, "that isn't a very clever line, I can think of much better poetry, based on my familiarity with Robert Frost & Sylvia Plath & I'm less than 3 years old". But if you can't understand the concept of simple phonics now, your education has failed you at some point along the way.
I think you've misunderstood me. A lot - A LOT - of what he did was absolutely brilliant. Cat in the Hat - incredible.
I'm just talking about when he makes up a word just to get the rhyme. Even when I was 5 I knew that was cheating.
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Ok, how would you do it better? Or, name authors of childrens' books who were contemporaries of Dr. Suess who you consider his superiors.
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"
It's not a question of my ability or lack thereof to do better. It's a question of his forcing rhymes instead of coming up with legitimate ones.
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you would have called BS on Seuss? Makes sense since Seuss graduated college and had a degree of Bachelor of Storytelling
This signature is not part of my reply.
Lex - well put. I am calling BS on his fake rhymes!
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
Seuss isn't the first writer to make up words (one of them: "nerd"). Probably won't be the last. How do you feel about rappers who make up words ("Sizzurp", anyone)?
"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012
Hey, Tresix from Jeopardy! How they hangin'?
Um, well, I never really understood that whole rap language - hizouse, shizit, that stuff. And I don't listen to rap, so what I don't listen to doesn't bother me. I was just listening to "White and Nerdy" yesterday, and I've never even heard the underlying song he's mocking, so there ya go.
Anyway, my problem with Seuss is his making up the words just so he can complete the rhyme. That is exceedingly lame.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
Words like "hizouse" and the like were around BEFORE rap. I remember hearing them about a good ten years before rap hit it big. As I've said, other writers have made up words. Shakespeare has done a few. I think it takes a special kind of mind to just make up a word. Most of Seuss' work was nonsense fantasy, so a made-up word wouldn't seem that uncharacteristic for him.
"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012
Shakespeare had some mighty big cojones to think that he could make up words. But make them up he did. But Shakespeare's words became actual words that entered into the English language.
Seuss' "words" have not. As you say, they are nonsense fantasy words that don't exist outside of his use of them.
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Other than "nerd" and "grinch", that's about it.
"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012
Seuss invented nerd?
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At least according to "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire".
"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/09/where-the-words-geek-a nd-nerd-came-from/ among other examples of "Seuss sourcing." interestingly enough (to us word nerds anyway) the word "nerd" isn't that old.
shareAll slang words were made up by somebody and they were probably made up as a rhyme or as a way to convey an idea in a new way. Something that creative people often do.
Seuss made things up to fit his fantasy stories just as people made up Kryptonite, Adamantium, Dilithium Crystals, Flubber, Unobtanium, etc.. for other fantasy stories.
George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.
I remember hearing the word "adamantium" in "Forbidden Planet" a few years after I first heard of it in "X-Men". That made me wonder if there actually was such a metal.
"There will be blood. Oh, yes! There will be blood."-Jigsaw; "Saw II"
Weird Al Yankovick rocks! Have you heard WORD CRIMES? You have to see the video with it. It's my favorite!
share"Seuss' rhymes were weak and lame" ...
Why, thank you. That prize coming from you means SOOOOO much
shareI am a douche-bag?
Yes, I called people names, too. But, that was back in third grade.
And, no, the prize does not come from me. It comes from the majority of people out there.
You do realize that the vast majority of people would disagree with your statement that the rhymes of Dr. Seuss are "weak and lame" ... yes?
You do realize that your original statement was douchebaggery at its highest? Oh, that's right, you don't, because if you did, you wouldn't have said it.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.