Caroline Jarvis

4/27/15
4A
The Lorax Allusions
In The Lorax, Doctor Seuss made multiple allusions to real world problems that still happen in
todays world, rather than just when he wrote the book. The main problem of the story was that
the Once-ler was chopping down all the Truffula trees, destroying the environment that the Lorax
and his friends inhabited. The Once-ler started off by chopping down one or two trees, claiming
that they would be great for making Thneeds and everyone needed a Thneed. The Lorax tried to
warn him that it wasnt an intelligent decision and that there would be repercussions for his
actions, but the Once-ler ignored his wise words.
[In the story,] The Once-ler brought all of his aunts, uncles, and family members to come and
help him mass produce more Thneeds, creating machines and factories in order to produce as
many as they could. Their actions, however, majorly damaged the ecosystem around them. The
air was being polluted by the smog coming off of the factories, making it difficult for the Lorax
and his swan friends breathe and sing. They continued chopping down the Truffula trees,
reducing the amount of Truffula fruit for the animals to eat, which they needed to survive.
The Once-ler majorly affected the environment by chopping down the Truffula trees that once
made the area beautiful, and kept animals content and healthy. After he chopped down all of the
trees, the area was a barren wasteland, with nothing but dead grass, tree stumps, sludge ponds,
and smog in the air. It wasnt a place that was suitable for anyone to inhabit.
The Lorax had the right to be angry about the Once-ler destroying the environment, although the
Once-ler never seemed to care until the Truffula trees until there were none left. I feel like if the

boy uses the seed that the Once-ler gave him, another man stricken with greed will try to destroy
the habitat for future generations to come.