Citation

West AD. J. Crim. Justice Educ. 2005; 16(2): 340.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (U.S.A.), Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10511250500082302

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It is fairly well known that Theodor Geisel (“Dr. Seuss”) often used art and storytelling as political and social commentary, but no one has attempted to interpret his work through the lens of sociological/criminological theory. This paper argues that several of his tales can be used as aids in teaching the basic principles of many sociological/criminological theories. The author analyzes several of his works and uses one, Horton Hears a Who to illustrate his subtle but powerful commentary on the creation and application of laws, the impact of social stratification, the pervasive and dangerous influence of social and political power derived from economic power, and the nature of crime, punishment, and rehabilitation. The author describes how to create a classroom exercise to teach theory using this particular Seuss story.

1 A version of this paper was presented to the American Society of Criminology, Denver, Colorado (November 2003).

1 * A version of this paper was presented to the American Society of Criminology, Denver, Colorado (November 2003).