Friday, January 16, 2009

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Marvin K. Mooney; Unwanted Politician
The definition of the word Metathesiophobia is “the fear of change”. In Dr. Seuss' book Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now!, the character Marvin K. Mooney is simply asked to leave. The course of the book consists of a voice repeatedly commanding him to go. However, no matter the [plausible options presented for him, Marvin remains static, an expression of displeasure on his never changing face.
Marvin K. Mooney symbolizes unwanted politicians throughout history, such as Richard M. Nixon, Hillary Clinton, George Bush and Steven Harper. These figures had drawn out their duties, and though they once did great things and had potential, became unpopular. The public asked to leave by any means necessary, and yet they continued to overstay their welcome. Like Marvin K. They only depart when forcibly dismissed or after humiliation that could have easily been avoided. This essay will discuss the parallels between Seuss' allegory and real life political and social issues.
One such example of Marvin K. representing a political figure is Richard Nixon. Nixon was a corrupt politician. He eventually resigned his position of president after several trials proving he knew of the Watergate scandal. The Republican party (Nixon's) was literally spying on the Democrats through means of sound-recording devices. Nixon knew of his fellow party members crimes, and being the paranoid individual that he was, allowed them to pass. He eventually stepped down, otherwise he could have easily been impeached.
Nixon and Mooney are clearly similar. Nixon became extremely unpopular toward the end of his term, the public felt he should step down. The following quote further supports our thesis:
“My good friend Dr. Seuss wrote a book a few years ago titled “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!” He sent me a copy the other day and crossed out “Marvin K. Mooney” and replaced it with “Richard M. Nixon.””
Seuss lived during Nixon's time, and being interested in politics as he was, would know about the Watergate scandal. The above quote concretely demonstrates our thesis of Marvin K. Playing the allegory for unpopular politicians, and ultimately, an unwanted figure.
Metathesiophobia is a fear of change. [Not quarters, dimes, etc.] It's a common if irrational fear of change and of the unknown. While all humans are afraid of what they dont know, Metathesiophobia is, like all fears, occurs when the mind attaches emotions to a situation and then tries to prevent them from happening again. Some symptoms include nausea, shaking, hart palpitations, or anxiety attacks. So maybe Marvin K. Mooney is suffering from a fear of change. This fear affects people into not taking risks and not let their lives and progressing past the safe and the known.
Some people simply lack the ability to accept change and move past what they know to try new experiences. [I.e., leaving home, the end of a relationship, getting fired from a job, etc.] While fear of the unknown is basic human nature, there are also those who simply do not know when they need to step down.

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