How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Every year the same four things! I'm mighty tired of those old things! I want something NEW to come down!" (9)
Right from the get go, the King shows his complete misunderstanding of the world outside of himself—his folly, if you will (and we think you will). Doesn't he sound like a whiny toddler on the way home from a grocery trip where mom and dad wouldn't let him have that extra bag of Skittles just because it'd rot his precious baby teeth? Foolishness and folly lead to anger and frustration here, readily apparent in the use of exclamation points and all-caps. HE'S SHOUTING!
Quote #2
"The bigger the better!" laughed the King. "Oh, what a day! I'm going to make it a holiday! I want every man, woman and child in my kingdom to go out and dance in my glorious oobleck!"
"Out in that stuff…?" asked Bartholomew. "Do you really think it's safe, Sire?"
"Stop asking foolish questions!" snapped the King. (44-46)
What leader in his right mind would take one look at a bunch of radioactive mucus and then command his kingdom to dance in it without testing it first? And then he accuses Bartholomew of foolishness? That's a brilliant piece of manipulation, if we've ever seen one. Here's a question for you: do you think deep down the King knows when he's being foolish, and so he accuses other people first to avoid having to look inside himself?
Quote #3
"Stop them? Not for a ton of diamonds!" chuckled the King. "Why, I'll be the mightiest man that ever lived! Just think of it! Tomorrow I'm going to have OOBLECK!" (30)
Take a tip from us: keep this quote handy for moments when your child has their heart set on something completely foolish. Just look at how excited the King is. He wouldn't even stop the magicians if it meant receiving that other thing Kings love besides making everyone's life miserable: a ton of diamonds. He doesn't even know what oobleck is and here he is hollering its praises. Foolish, foolish, foolish.