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Here is the transcript - NOT AN OUTLINE- A TRANSCRIPT
“The
Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss” Transcript
His words echoed
through our childhoods: “I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you,
Sam-I-Am!”
His characters
played in our imaginations: Horton the elephant, Yertle the turtle, the Cat in
the Hat, the Lorax. And his books connected us to a whimsical world of color
and creativity. He is the great doctor, whom you know as Seuss.
At the time of
his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss had published forty-four children’s books. Perhaps
more than any other author, he captured our childlike wonder and inspired the
imagination of generations.
Today, let us
return to some of his stories—not to remember them, but to honor the man behind
them—Theodor Seuss Geisel, whose activist spirit, focused determination, and creative
genius made him the one and only Dr. Seuss. From working on student newspapers
to creating advertisements to crafting humorous essays, Geisel possessed an
activist spirit long before he became famous as Dr. Seuss.
During World
War II, he illustrated training videos to help inspire the troops in the field.
He also drew political cartoons that featured the same rhythmic cadence that
readers have long admired—a cadence much like the march of soldiers overseas.
Eventually,
Geisel would bring the same cadence and spirit to his books. The Lorax—my personal favorite—was so
controversial because of its negative portrayal of the logging industry that
some towns tried to ban it. But Geisel knew he needed to make a statement for
the environment: “I repeat,” cried the Lorax, “I speak for the trees!” . . . “which
you seem to be chopping as fast as you please!”
Coupled with
Geisel’s activist spirit was a focused determination. His first published work,
To Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street,
was rejected by publishers more than twenty times. But Geisel pressed on and
the book appeared in 1937 to critical acclaim.
Determination
was also central in the creation of The
Cat in the Hat. Geisel’s publisher challenged him to create a story that
would introduce young readers to more than 200 new vocabulary words. Geisel met
the challenge and he put the words together in the story of a boy, a girl, a
fish, a cat, a hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2: We looked! Then we saw him appear on
the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat!
Ultimately,
what stands out most about Geisel is his creative genius. With pleasing rhyme
schemes, memorable characters, and instantly recognizable art, he created not
just brilliant books but new realities. He created the Grinch, the green menace
who stole Christmas. He created Horton, the elephant who helped hatch an egg. And
he created Yertle, the turtle king who took a long fall.
Geisel’s
creative genius turned story time into a time of imagination, play, and
insight: And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, Is King of the
Mud. That is all he can see. And the
turtles, of course . . . all the turtles are free. As turtles and, maybe, all
creatures should be.
From Seuss’s
activist spirit, focused determination, and creative genius came the words,
characters, and books that shaped our youth. No less important, it was Seuss
who gave us a sense of optimism and possibility when facing the world. As he
told us in Oh, the Places You’ll Go: You have brains in your head. You have
feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
“Make a Wish” Transcript
It was the thrill of her life-a vacation to
Walt Disney World. For any five-year-old, it would have been a dream come true,
but for this particular five-year-old, it was much more.
It was the first time in two months she had
been able to leave the Children’s Hospital for more than a few hours. She met
Mickey Mouse, who placed a crown on top of her little bald head. She rode the
spinning teacups, which helped her forget the upcoming bone-marrow transplant. And
she stepped inside Cinderella’s castle, where she felt like a princess, if only
for a day.
This little girl’s name is Trisha, and Trisha
is my little sister. She has acute lymphoblastic-leukemia, a life-threatening
form of cancer. Trisha was able to visit Disney World because of a remarkable
organization, the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Established in 1980, its mission is to grant
“the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and to enrich
them with hope, strength, and joy.” Here is an organization that deserves our
recognition because of its generosity, its selflessness, and its ability to
heal through hope.
First, generosity. The Make-A-Wish Foundation
grants all wishes at no expense to the families. The trip to Disney World
included Trisha, our parents, and me. The Make-A-Wish Foundation took care of
everything. How can it do that? Through the generosity of its donors.
Seventy percent of the foundation’s revenue
comes from donations; the rest comes from business partners and
philanthropists. For children, for families, for those that need hope, Make-A-Wish
spends $140 million a year making dreams come true. That’s generosity.
Second, selflessness. Make-A-Wish Foundation
needs people to help grant wishes as much as it needs money. It finds these
people in the form of selfless volunteers. From celebrities like Taylor Swift
to wrestler John Cena to presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Make-A-Wish
relies on people who have been given much and who want to give back.
But the volunteers aren't just politicians and
superstars. They’re the people behind the scenes orchestrating the visits and
vacations. They’re the counselors who help these kids identify their most
heartfelt wishes. They’re the office workers who enter data, answer phones, and
finalize details. Make-A-Wish has 25,000 active volunteers who give their time
to help kids like my sister. That’s selflessness.
Finally, healing. From something as simple as
lighting a Christmas tree to becoming a police officer for a day to receiving a
visit from stars at Nickelodeon, Make-A-Wish finds a way to help children
escape the reality of their illnesses. Not only does this put a smile on their
faces, but it gives them hope, and hope can be a powerful thing. It can even
pave the road to recovery. Just ask my sister.
Today she’s sixteen years old and in her
junior year of high school. Her cancer is in remission. She’s on the dance
team, she spends way too much time shopping, and she sends more text messages
in a day than I can believe. If you ask her what her turning point was, it was
her trip to Disney World. That’s healing.
Trisha, my parents, and I will always be
grateful to the Make-A-Wish Foundation—for its generosity, its selflessness,
and its ability to heal through hope. Make a wish, because dreams really do
come true.
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