Excuse Me
- Throughout this story, Yertle has done all that he can to assert his authority. He's stacked his fellow turtles to the sky. He's attached any adjective that means "great" to his name. He's reminded everyone about all the things over which he rules (or at least, that he thinks he rules).
- But what is it that shakes his throne?
- Mack, a "plain little lad."
- And a burp.
- Not a scepter or a dragon or a war plane. A turtle with gas.
- That's right. Mack burps, and Yertle's throne starts to shake.
- You can be sure Seuss didn't set things up this way by accident. It's his way of reminding us that, despite how he puffs himself up, Yertle is still human… um, turtle. He's just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Specifically, to burps.
- Who said you couldn't learn life lessons from potty humor?