RS039:KLX

Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School

“I do not like that Sam I am…”: Self-Deception and the Acceptance of Truth in Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” 1

Trey Jardee ENG4U Mr. Justanfair January 23, 2018 2

1 The title of the essay should be original, and should both suggest the direction of the essay and introduce the main subject of the essay. In this case the author has used a quotation from the book. The author has also introduced the subject of the essay, “Green Eggs and Ham”. 2 The title page should also include the student and course information that is required by the teacher. Note that this page is not numbered.

“The lie is the spirit committing treason against itself.”

-Martin Buber 3

In her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, author Stephanie Ericsson carefully explores the nature of lies as they emerge in our day-to-day lives. She suggests that there are “many, many ways to tell a lie” and that the “ways we lie” tell us much about ourselves (Ericsson 121). Ericcsson quotes Martin Buber towards the end of her essay as she makes the point that lies are an act of “treason” against oneself and suggests that we need to be ‘less tolerant of the lies told…every day’ (Ericsson 129). 4 This is essentially the theme of many great works of literature, including Sophocles “Oedipus Rex” and William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and it emerges in the modern classic “Green Eggs and Ham”, written by Dr. Seuss. Through dismissal, facades and delusion, Dr. Seuss illustrates that the main character surrounds and protects his interests with lies rather than facing and accepting the truth. This flaw removes him from society, and he is unable to see the consequences of this withdrawal. Fortunately for this character, the persistence of his friend Sam brings about a moment of anagnorisis 5 before it is too late, and the narrator escapes a tragic fate. In the end “Green Eggs and Ham” celebrates community and the triumph of truth over ignorance. A liar is often a person who is confined by the scope of his or her own ignorance, and suffers as a result. 6 This ignorance often takes the form of dismissal, which Ericsson defines as “the slipperiest of all lies” refers to “dismissing feelings, perceptions, or even the raw facts of a

3 Adding an epigraph to the front of an essay is a form of allusion. It can serve to set up some of the parameters that you lay out in the introduction. 4 If you use a quotation to set up your introduction, it is a good idea to refer to it in the opening. 5 Italicize foreign or technical terminology. 6 The first body paragraph needs a strong topic sentence to set the direction.

situation.” (Ericsson 127). In the case of Seuss’ narrator, his irrational hatred and dismissal of

“Sam-I-am” affects his judgement to the point where even his physical health suffers: “That Sam -I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!” (Seuss 1). 7 This repetition drives home to the reader that Seuss’ narrator is preoccupied by his dislike of Sam. 8 The immediate result of the narrator’s irrational hatred of Sam-I-am is that it is transferred to other figures in the story, and even effects basic physical behaviour such as eating. The narrator is offered “green eggs and ham” by Sam and rather than taking him up on the offer, or even politely declining, he reacts with hostility:

I do not like them in a house I do not like them with a mouse I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. (Seuss 4) 9

As Shakespeare’s Hamlet finds himself railing against the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (III.i.59) 10 -- those circumstances which have placed him as the heir to the throne in a prosperous European Kingdom -- so too does Seuss’ protagonist over exaggerate the effects of his situation. It is not enough for him to simply decline the opportunity to eat green eggs and ham; he has to verbally confront Sam. Seuss’ suggestive use of exclamation points in the following passage indicates the irrational state of rage that has consumed the narrator: “Not in a

7 Always cite the source for your quotation. If the quotation is not indented, then it must remain in quotation marks, and a period comes after the citation. 8 Always refer back to the quotation in your explanation. The reference to the repetition here reminds the reader why the quotation is significant. 9 Here the quotation is indented and offset from the text of the essay because it is longer than three lines. Note that there are no quotation marks around it, and that there is no period after the citation. 10 When citing a line from a Shakespearean play, simply reference the Act, scene and line numbers. You do not need to include the author or play’s name if it is implied in the context established for the quotation.

train! Not in a tree! Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!” (Seuss 8). The narrator’s obtuseness calls to mind the arrogance of Oedipus from Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”, arrogance directed at the reasonable, and in the end prophetic, statements of the blind seer Tiresias. Oedipus explains that Tiresias “shall not escape if [he] injure [Oedipus] so again”, (Sophocles 11). This is an example of dismissal on the same scale as the anti-green egg narrator of Seuss’ story. This is the narrator’s hamartia, and has the potential to be his undoing. A liar’s downfall often appears in the form of ignorant dismissal, but it is the extent to which the liar stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the truth and puts on the façade of belief that the true damage is done. Ericsson suggests that facades “can be destructive because they are used to seduce others into an illusion” (Ericsson 122). At some point, however, facades also deceive the person who wears the façade; they are a form of self-deception. The point at which a character realizes that others have been victimized by his or her façade is the moment when the true nature of self –deception often emerges. 11 In the case of the narrator of “Green Eggs and Ham”, his dislike of Sam-I-am, and the belligerent façade that he assumes in his dislike of the meal referenced in the story’s title, leads

him to disassociate himself from other figures with potentially disastrous results. 12 Throughout the course of the story, he declines opportunities to dine “with a mouse” (Seuss 2), “with a fox” (Seuss 4) and “with a goat” (Seuss 9). This façade of not caring for the feelings of the other citizens of this society echoes the final wish of Oedipus to be “far from this land” (Sophocles 42) so that he cannot associate with the citizens of Thebes and his children. The omnipresent Sam-I

11 Here’s a new thing! This is something called a transitional paragraph; its purpose is to establish and explain the logical connection between what has been discussed in the previous paragraph and what will be discussed in the next paragraph. 12 This topic sentence includes a transitional reference to the previous paragraph.

-am and his green eggs and ham seem to have the same effect on the narrator of Seuss’ story, and the reader feels this character will also be forced to take dramatic action to alleviate the pressure of his all consuming hatred. As Hamlet feels that “all occasions do inform against [him]” (IV.iv.31), the protagonist of “Green Eggs and Ham” feels that there is no place where he might find refuge: “I would not like [green eggs and ham] here or there. I would not like them anywhere.” (Seuss 7). This façade of inflexibility does not fool Sam, but it comes close to being a self-fulfilling prophecy for the narrator. Ultimately, the downfall of the liar is determined not by the lie but by degree to which the liar is deluded by the lie to the point where it is believed to be true. Ericsson suggests that delusion “is the tendency to see excuses as facts” and to “support what [we] want to be the truth” (Ericsson 128). If unchecked, characters dominated by delusion tend to meet with catastrophic consequences, much like those the tragic heroes of Greek and Renaissance tragedy. Fortunately for the protagonist in “Green Eggs and Ham”, delusion is eventually conquered by the truth of the situation. 13 The mythic breakfast of green eggs and ham serves as the title phrase for Seuss’ book for a good reason; it represents the barrier between the familiar and unfamiliar that we all have to conquer at some point. 14 Those of us who refuse to cross this barrier will remain victims of delusion. While the narrator is certainly familiar with the concept of eggs and ham, it is the colour green which seems to set him off, and he lives with the delusion that prevents him from cementing his relationship with others in this place. The narrator is unable to believe that the “green eggs and ham” might be a positive experience, and consequently withdraws from those 13 Here is another transitional paragraph. Here the connection is to the final section of the essay. 14 Again, there is a transition in this topic sentence, but it is very subtle.

around him, as Hamlet’s distrust of Ophelia’s beauty causes him to believe that “the power of beauty will sooner/ transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the/ force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness” (III.i.141). This circular argument has the same effect as Seuss’ narrator’s assertion that he “does not” and “would not” (Seuss 3) like green eggs and ham, even though he has never tried them. The narrator’s deluded unwillingness to take a risk, to trust others, is on par with Oedipus’ distrust of Creon, and belief that he “desires to furtively creep about to overthrow [Oedipus]” (Sophocles 12); in both cases the conclusion is based on evidence that does not exist. 15 Ultimately, however, Seuss’ narrator finds redemption as he overcomes his delusion and commits himself to trying the green eggs and ham: “Sam! If you will let me be, I will try them. You will see.” (Seuss 10). Although this decision is based

primarily upon his need to rid himself of Sam and his incessant encouragement, the narrator does act decisively, and this action is his salvation. Not only does he discover the culinary joys of green eggs and ham, but in doing so he reintegrates himself into the society of his peers and, most significantly, finds it in himself to reach out to Sam-I-am:

So I will eat them in a box. And I will eat them with a fox. And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse. And I will eat them here and there. Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE! I do so like green eggs and ham.

15 This technique of using a semi-colon to add the explanation of significance to the independent clause containing the quotation, has been used a few times in this essay.

Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am! (Seuss 11-12)

In the end, the protagonist is able to step away from the lie and discover and embrace the truth; he is redeemed by his willingness to reach out. At this point, the spirit of the protagonist has stepped back from treason and is once again loyal to the truth. 16 Stephanie Ericsson’s exploration of the kinds and degrees of lies in our everyday lives raises some interesting questions. While Ericsson acknowledges that it is “not easy to entirely eliminate lies from our lives” she does suggest that our reliance on lies is a symptom of a “cultural cancer” which makes it increasingly difficult for us to distinguish what is true. Dr. Seuss’ portrait of an anti-social misfit in “Green Eggs and Ham” draws attention to the paralysis that can result when one uses lies to avoid engagement. Fortunately, the protagonist of Seuss’ book ultimately breaks free from convention, and realizes that his attempts to employ dismissal, façade and delusion to avoid taking risks are more trouble than they are worth. In essence, the moment of anagnorisis, which comes too late for tragic figures such as Oedipus and Hamlet, arrives just in time for Seuss’ protagonist, and offers hope to the reader that, for all of us, the truth can set us free. If it doesn’t, we have only ourselves to blame. 17

16 The final concluding sentence of the final body paragraph is important. It must suggest closure, and sound convincing. It doesn’t hurt if it echoes the language of the thesis paragraph. 17 Essentially, the conclusion should summarize the key ideas of the paper and remind the reader what the main point is. While a cheesy concluding sentence is not a requirement, the final sentence of the paper is an opportunity similar to the essay’s title: it is a chance to make the reader react.

Works Cited 18

19 Ericsson, Stephanie. “The Ways We Lie”. 20 In 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, edited by 21 Samuel Cohen, Bedford/St. Martins, 2001, pp. 120-129. Seuss, Dr. Green Eggs and Ham. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Penguin Books, 1974. 22

18 Centre the title. 19 Place the works in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. 20 Use quotation marks around all titles. 21 Indent the second and subsequent lines of each work. 22 Double space every line.