The Lorax

Philosophy on Thursday 25th October as part of our inquiry into survival.

Here are some of the children’s initial responses.

• I’m sad because all the animal were in the country and they chopped down all the trees so they had nothing to eat and they couldn’t breathe very well because they made all that pollution in the air and I feel for them, for the animals. 
• It made me think that when he plants the Truffula trees he should put electric fences around so the axes can’t cut it down. 
• It made me inspiring by trees and I’m also sad about when people thrown rubbish away because it could blow onto trees or into the Merri Creek or into the river and animals might eat the rubbish and die and as soon as they choke other people could be throwing more rubbish and sticks. 
• I think it’s nice of the Lorax to care about nature. 
• I feel sad for the Lorax because he had too much pollution in the air and he put smog and he nearly killed all the animals so he sent them away so they could find a better place to live and have a happier life. 
• If they cut down all the trees the wind won’t be able to blow the trees and if the wind doesn’t blow the trees we will miss the sound of the wind blowing the trees. 
• I like the Lorax because he cared about nature. 
• I think that the Lorax was good ‘cause he told the man not to chop the trees down but the man didn’t listen. If I was the man, I would have listened. 

The following week we revisited The Lorax, focussing on the points of view of each of the characters.

The Lorax He was sad because the Once-ler cut down all the trees then all the animals had to go away.  He was feeling sad because the trees got chopped down and he didn’t want them to and the Once-ler didn’t listen.	The trees More than you can even say sad. When they got cut down they felt dead.
The boy, ‘Ted’ He was feeling sad because he might have felt sad because might have wanted to look at the trees and how the days were at that time but now he can’t see them because there was only black.	The animals The animals felt sad because they had to leave and they loved that place. They were thinking that he doesn’t care about anyone or anything.
The Once-ler He wanted to make that stuff, he didn’t care about nature. He cared about making the Thneeds. He just wanted more and more money and he just wanted to get richer so they could live for more longer and buy more food. He just wanted to get a tree because there were so many trees in one place, but not in another.  At the end when he’s finished, he does care about Truffula trees and he gave him a seed to protect. (He cared at the end) because he just thought that they were nature and nature helps people live, then he became friends with nature and also wanted more nature. Also, he thought that nature could keep us alive for five billion years or more. He didn’t listen to the Lorax because he was just caring about himself. He wasn’t caring about anything or anyone.  Why did the Once-ler care about the trees at the end when he didn’t used to care? Why might he have change? Because he missed the animals. Because he wanted the trees back because he missed them because he cut them all down. Because he wanted air, maybe. Because they might be the specialist trees in the world. He felt sad because he missed the trees and the bright sky.

This prompted a discussion about why sometimes we don’t listen to other people and why they may not listen to us.

• Some people don’t listen to you because they’re concentrating on something else and they maybe aren’t listening and they just want to do what they want to do and they just listen to themselves and their friends.
• Some people don’t listen to you because they don’t care about what you say because it doesn’t really matter to them.
• I agree with (child) because last time I was finishing off mummy’s birthday card and she was really annoying. She just wanted to annoy me.
• Sometimes when people are not listening to you, you should just not listen to them when they don’t listen to you once, then when they’re trying to talk to you, you shouldn’t listen to them; because one trick deserves another.
• I don’t agree with (the previous child) because if you do it again then they’ll do it again and it’ll go on and on and there will be more people going to reflection and soon they’ll have to start a new one because all the books are full.
• If you don’t listen to them, they won’t listen to you. And also, if you annoy them, they will just do something bad like not listen to you.
• When it’s silent reading or personal writing and someone’s speaking to you, that’s why they’re not listening – because it’s silent.
• Well, sometimes in the yard, (child) is shouting at people and I tell him to stop and he doesn’t because he just wants to shout at people when people are doing something that he doesn’t want him to do. But they can do their own things in the yard – they’re not doing dangerous things.
• I agree with (another child) because my brother annoys me because he just wants to annoy me ‘cause he thinks it’s fun.
• I think people don’t listen to you because they’re not your friend and because they’re a bit shy.
• Sometimes in silent reading when other people are talking, I don’t say no, but I do the signs and other people just keep talking.