

Can pursuing success be a good thing? If so, when?.Is the Once-ler’s success a good thing? Why or why not?.He sells lots of Thneeds and he keeps growing his business, bigger and bigger. The Once-ler’s Thneed business is very successful. Would it be okay for him to cut down the trees? Why or why not? Imagine if the Once-ler didn’t harm any animal by cutting down the Truffula Trees.Is it a good reason for factories to be careful about pollution?.Is how the Swomee-Swans and the Humming Fish are affected by the factory’s pollution a good reason to not have a Thneed factory? Why or why not?.Is how the Brown Bar-ba-loots are affected a good reason not to cut down the Truffula Trees? Why or why not?.How did the Once-ler’s Thneed factory affect the animals? The Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish had to leave.Would it be wrong to cut all of them down? Why or why not? Imagine that cutting down one tree is okay.Now that the Once-ler is cutting down lots of trees, is this wrong?.Is it wrong to cut down the tree if the Thneed is useful? Imagine he’s wrong: the Thneed is useful.Is it wrong to cut down the tree if the Thneed is useless? The Lorax thinks that it was wrong for the Once-ler to cut down the tree to make a Thneed because he thinks the Thneed is useless.Was it harmful when the Once-ler cut down the first tree? If so, who, or what did it harm? If not, why not?.When the Lorax first appears to speak on behalf of the trees, the Once-ler claims he is doing no harm by cutting down Truffula Trees to make Thneeds. Questions for Philosophical Discussion Environmental impacts In the process they are able to reflect on the concepts of guilt and restitution. He has done wrong, but now what? Children can be asked about unintentional wrongdoing, recognition of culpability, and what to do about it. The final set of questions focuses on the Once-ler’s culpability. They are also encouraged to imagine what a responsible Once-ler might’ve done instead.

Children are encouraged to imagine what drives the Once-ler to bigger, bigger, bigger his Thneed business and the impacts of doing so on others and himself. The next set of questions allow students to explore the complexities of success and ambition, the fine line between unfettered ambition and a more responsible quest for success. What is the moral difference between cutting down one Truffula Tree and cutting down all of them?

Children can think about why they should care about the environment and the importance of considering and evaluating the impacts of their own actions on it. The first set of questions challenges children to consider specifically who the Once-ler wronged and how: the Truffula Trees, the Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, the Humming Fish, himself? These are important considerations as the Once-ler’s actions bring about different outcomes for different species. The Lorax raises ethical issues regarding the environmental impacts of our actions, the moral implications of success, possible dangers of ambition, and the proper way a culpable person reacts and attempts to make amends.

Read aloud video by Danny DeVito Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion The story is also a hopeful account ending with the possibility of environmental restoration when the Once-ler accepts responsibility. The environment is completely decimated before the Once-ler realizes the harm he caused. He tries to convince the Once-ler to stop, but to no avail. The Lorax represents the interests of all the creatures whose lives are affected negatively by the environmental degradation. Seuss introduces the Once-ler, a reckless Thneed entrepreneur whose unfettered ambition leads to the destruction of the immediate environment. The Lorax is a cautionary tale primarily about a person’s responsibilities to the environment. Seuss story addresses one’s impact on the environment, complexities surrounding success and ambition, and taking responsibility. Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary This Dr.
