Dr. Seuss: Literary Genius
            
             I know what you are thinking, a college level essay attempting to purport the superior wordsmithery of a children's author? Admittedly, you are reading the work of someone who hails Bert and Ernie as the greatest comedic duo of all time. However, I assure you this is more than just a feeble attempt to regress to my carefree childhood days of make-believe and afternoon naps. While Dr. Seuss is seldom regarded with such high prestige as fellow litterateurs Ernest Hemingway or Charles Dickens, few authors can claim to have captivated such a diverse audience which transcends generations. From the giddy simplicity of The Cat in the Hat, to the tongue-twisting text of Fox in Socks and the climactic cliffhanger of The Butter Battle Book, countless children have been introduced to the wonders of reading through the wubbulous world of Dr. Seuss.
             Seuss is worthy of the title genius for more than the simple fact that his works appeal to nearly everyone. His true brilliance lies in his ability to manipulate words, to originate his own words where the English language falls short, and to make sense out of nonsense. His works for beginning readers, such as Go Dog, Go and Hop on Pop elevate the Dick and Jane see spot, see spot run, formula to a whole other stratosphere. Readers progress from the fragmented, monosyllabic lines such as "Hop/Pop/We like to hop/We like to hop on top of pop," to the more structured stanzas of Seuss gems The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham ("Hop" 40). Few people, whether young or old, can resist their catchy anapestic tetrameter rhythm that has become Seuss's calling card.
             Despite the merriment of the floating trees and flying cars of And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street and the lunacy of Fox in Socks' tongue-tying "Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew/While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew," there is a ...