Dr. Seuss essay about biography "Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel"
...n his class of 387. As he was asked what his plans after college were by his father, Ted responded that he was awarded a fellowship to Oxford University, when in actuality, he was rejected. Meanwhile, his father reported the good news to newspapers in Springfield. Ted eventually confessed that it was a lie, and because of pride, his father made sure to get the funds necessary to send his son to Oxford. At Oxford, Ted would meet his future wife and make a choice that would change his career. Ted Geisel owes much of his success to luck, but his hobbies, unassuming personality, and his belief that everyone should strive to be better also contributed to his literary achievements. When he first entered Oxford University, Ted’s goal was to become a professor, because he knew of nothing else he could do with an Oxford education. But while in a class, he met another American student named Helen Palmer. Helen caught a glimpse of some of Ted’s doodles and suggested that Ted pursue a career being an artist. He took her advice, and soon one of his submissions was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Later, Ted was offered a job as an advertiser for Standard Oil’s Flit, a pesticide, where he worked for almost fifteen years. Ted eventually became more and more interested in writing and wrote a children’s book he called, A Story That No One Can Beat. Ted submitted his work to many publishing companies, all of which rejected it. One day, he learned of a twenty-seventh rejection. Feeling dejected, Ted walked to his apartment with the manuscript under his arm, ready to burn. Along the way, Ted ran into Mike McClintock, a friend from Dartmouth who worked at Vanguard Press. McClintock published the book after the title was changed to, And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Another lucky break came in 1955, when Rudolf Flesch wrote a popular book called, Why Johnny Can’t Read. In this book, Flesch comments on the “imaginative geniuses” like Dr. Seuss. Ted Geisel worked diligently on all of his books, but without the lucky opportunities before him, the world’s children may have never had the delight of learning to be better readers with Dr. Seuss. Although he helped many children with their reading skills, Ted never had any children of his own. He was married, though, first to a woman by the name of Helen Palmer. Ted met Helen at Oxford University in one of their classes together. There, she encouraged him to become an artist after seeing his doodles. Helen died in 1967, and the following year Ted married again, to Audrey Dimond, a friend long before the marriage. After the marriage to Audrey, Ted became more social and more active in the community. His interest in travel was also triggered; for example, he took a trip with Audrey on a safari in Africa. With his social outburst came a creative outburst, as well. Some of Dr. Seuss’s best works were written during this time, such as The Lorax, You’re Only Old Once!, and The Butter Battle Book. Ted Geisel enjoyed theatre since he was a teenager, and always enjoyed art. He doodled constantly over notes he took in school and he painted. Painting relaxed Ted, and he took it seriously. He badly wanted critical recognition for his paintings, but never received it and never tried to sell any paintings for fear of rejection. While Ted feared re...