Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Sourcing

* Simple plot, no sub-plot or complicated twists * It is Dr. Seuss’s guide to the journey of life, an inspirational book * Story that reminds us that we can be the things we want to be, with a little bit of work and will power * The book encourages the reader to go out there and make things happen * Success goes not to the strong, beautiful, popular ones, but to those who doesn’t just sit around waiting for good things to come to them
Plot
* Boy starts off on his journey to Great Places * Eager and excited to begin his adventure, knows nothing will stop him * Travels through several geometrical landscapes and places * Eventually encounters a place called “The Waiting Place” * Portrayed as a place where everyone is always waiting for something to happen * Implied that time does not pass in the Waiting Place * Book cheerfully concludes with an open ending
Theme (values) * Everyone is going to run into problems * The idea: no matter what downfalls you face, you can always pick yourself up and move forward * Dr. Suess stresses how smart and capable the boy is, and how we all are, but sometimes we ignore our feelings * The way you handle difficulties is what determines your future outcome - all about making good decisions * Each individual is in charge of his or her own destiny, no one else is
Character
* There is one main character that embodies the child’s emotions, concerns and viewpoint * The characters have well developed personalities that often show some evidence of growth and change cross the story * Small boy in yellow pajamas travelling across a fantasy world Textual * Rhyme * “bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you,” but in the end “kid you’ll move mountains!” * Dr. Suess does not give the character a name but refers to him simply as “you” * Written in second person and future tense: speaking directly to the reader and allowing them to imagine themselves in the boy’s place * Dr. Suess uses interesting words when rhyming his text * This provokes deeper thought when using words others are not familiar with *
Visual
* There