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Joshua Jones Mrs. Paulk Honors British Literature October 21, 2010

Satire in Gulliver s Travel When negatively looking at a certain aspect of life one only envelopes the downfall, never acknowledging the positive parts. Jonathan Swift s novel Gulliver s Travels Gulliver has unfortunate ship problems which results in discovering remote lands filled with strange inhabitants. While learning all of the different languages, culture, and government which compared to his shows how hostile and negative humans are in every aspect. Through satirical writing Swift shows his discontent with the human life style and way of living. Throughout Gulliver s Travel Jonathan Swift reveals his discontent with humans by using satire to degrade the human species. When analyzing the women of Brobdingnag, This made me reflect upon the fair skins of our English ladies, who appear so beautiful to us, only because they are of our own size, and there defects not to be seen through a magnifying glass, where we find by experiment that the smoothest and whitest skins look rough and course, and ill colored (swift 117). Swift uses the people of Brobdingnag to illustrate how humans look if were to be put under a microscope and the same disgust Gulliver endured when examining the foreign creatures is exactly how humans look if given a chance to take a closer detailed look.

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The author is just revealing the physical imperfections of humans through the natives of the land. Additionally Blount also reveals Swift s enmity towards humans. While visiting the Houyhuhmms he uses animal disguises only to show the race to itself in caricature (Margaret Blount n.pag.). The horse which is the only animal that cannot be seen humanized in anyway shows how Humans are degrading like horses. Easily being compared to animals emblematizes Swift s disgust with the human species. In support Pencacke uses his knowledge to try and support the idea that swift does not appreciate Homo sapiens. On his travels Gulliver is true to his equine masters in seeking to rid his life of human contact (pencack n.pag). When returning from his voyages he could not stand to be in England any longer than he had to. Through his novel, Swift uses Gulliver to show how he would rather be in unknown places than to live with his own kind. Also he uses satire to degrade the government where Gulliver is from While using satire to show his disapproval with humans he also reveals how the government is of poor quality. Swift says He was perfectly astonished with the historical account I gave him of our affairs during the last century (164). When describing his government to the king he is so astonished in the details that he has learned. He purposely puts down the government that is established, which embarrassing, is compared to all the other places he has travels to. During his critic Pencack expounds how the government is unsatisfactory in that time period. Pencack is able to see the use of allusions in the novel it is corrupted in Lilliput with numerous allusions to early eighteenth century (n. pag.). Lilliput s government is so terrible that it is considered an allusion to English government in the way in which it is so eager to go to war with its neighbors. Lilliput s government is harsh and at times unfair especially with the dealings of Gulliver. In another critic which reveals government as a

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weak spot in humans culture. While having a discussion with the king of Brobdingnag about politics and how the people are governed he rebuttals you have clearly proved that ignorance, idleness, and vice are the proper ingredients for qualifying a legislator (Swift 156). The king is so disgusted over the tales he learns from Gulliver that he wishes he never knew of how much negativity is involved with a creature s way of governing. Government is looked down on and is not respected by other natives of other countries or even the writer of the novel. The yahoos are very similar to humans which degrade them even more. In Swifts satirical writing he imitates humans through the fictitious characters the Yahoos. Swift says, a creature he was pleased to call a yahoo to which I owned my

resemblance tin every part, but could not account for their degenerate and brutal raters (264). Denying the fact that humans are very brutal and negative people is reversed every time he gave account of his countries historical background shows how similar they really are. Gulliver is so nave and ignorant to the fact that the yahoo are very similar to humans that it shows how evil they are. In support venture supports with his critique on the novel. When analyzing The yahoos were know to hate one another more than they did different species of animals (venturo n.pag.). It is known that Homo sapiens hate each other more than any other animal which is exactly how yahoos are. Once again another text supports the idea that yahoos are meant to show how humans really are to the reader. When further evaluating Gulliver uses pride and rationalization not reason to deny his moral resemblance to the yahoos (venturo n.pag.). Gulliver intentionally tries not to believe that he is so similar in many ways to a group of creatures who are looked upon in a very negative way by people higher than them. Even though yahoos are negative creature s even humans can follow their footsteps without even

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coming to the realization that they are a walking model of them. Lilliput also represents the human culture Lilliput which is the first voyage Gulliver endures illustrates how their way of life is similar to Europeans. In an order that Gulliver must obey reads, sixthly, he shall be our ally against our enemies in the island of Blefuscu, and do his utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us (swift 68). The Europeans were very hostile people who always were in quarrel with one another which is exactly how the people of Lilliput are. Having the advantage is key in being superior over people which Europeans and also Lilliputians strive for. In addition Swift also comments saying, I felt above an hundred discharged on my left hand which pricked me like so many needles; and besides they shot another flight in the air, as we do bombs in Europe (Swift 46). The excessive violence demonstrated by the people of Lilliput is as intense as an army in Europe. Gulliver harmed no one and was attacked which is compared to attacks he is use to on his own native soil. In support the text also provides other instances in how his treatment was like being back in his country. Swift says the chains that held my left leg were about two yards long (52). Being held captive against his own will is very cruel and unfair which is very similar to the European government. In every way this country is similar to that of Gulliver s Throughout the novel swift continuously uses satire to show his disapproval with the human culture. Degrading was his main purpose in writing this novel and is very apparent and noticeable with all the satire he uses as well as the examples to directly compare his ideas.

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Swift truly shows the true human form and all its flaws that come with it not even mentioning any of the good things they have accomplish.

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Works Cited Blount, Margaret. "Four Satires." Animal Land: the Creatures of Children's Fiction. William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1975. 62-69. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. Houston, Chloe. "Utopia, dystopia or anti-utopia? Gulliver's Travels and the Utopian mode of discourse." Utopian Studies 18.3 (2007): 425+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. Orwell, George. "Politics vs. Literature: An Examination of Gulliver's Travels." Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1950. 53-76. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver s Travels. New York: Bantam Dell, 2005. Pencak, William. "Swift Justice: Gulliver's Travels as a Critique of Legal Institutions." Law and Literature Perspectives. Ed. Bruce L. Rockwood. New York: Peter Lang, 1996. 255267. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 126. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. Venturo, David F. "Gulliver's Travels: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2010.

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