Seamus Sullivan
Professor Finck
ENG220.01
23 Monday 2015
Gulliver’s Travels The Encyclopedia Britannica considers Jonathon Swift as the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He is the author of many different works such as A Tale of a Tub and A Modest Proposal. Swift’s work Gulliver’s Travels contains three main themes throughout the work that point out the importance of moderation. These include whether strength or morals are more important, explores individualism, and the limits of human intelligence. Jonathan Swift was born after his father 's death in Dublin on November 30, 1667. He was the son of Jonathan Swift and Abigaile Erick. Even though he was born and raised in Ireland, Swift did not consider himself an Irishman …show more content…
Gulliver experiences both the power of having physical strength, where he is a giant among the Lilliputians, and also being a tiny being among the Brobdingnagans. Each of Gulliver’s travels to a new country immediately exposes him to the abuse that can happen with physical strength. The Lilliputians tie him down. He is initially a slave to the Brobdingnagans and also witnesses the abuse that the Houyhnhnm’s inflict upon the Yahoos. Despite all the abuse throughout his travels that seems to be inflicted by physical might, Gulliver also details other injustice that is caused by moral correctness. Gulliver is dragged into a war that the Lilliputians have started with the nearby Blefuscu (Chudgar). The Lilliputians have determined that their interpretation of a holy book’s instruction on how to crack an egg differs from the Blefuscu. Swift parodies the justifications used by cultures such as during the Crusades to war with another people. The Houyhnhnms seem to be the biggest perpetrators of this thinking. They see themselves as the smarter and more dignified people compared to the Yahoos. Therefore they keep the Yahoos chained up and use them as slaves. The Laputans keep the lower land in check with the use of force. They tend to think of themselves as the more logical people compared to the Balnibarbi. Gulliver tends to paint a different …show more content…
These include self-knowledge and theoretical knowledge. The Laputans regard theoretical knowledge above all else. They despise those that are not completely devoted to study and theorizing. The Balnibarb are likewise dedicated to practical knowledge. Swift parodies this knowledge, as almost every discovery is quite useless (Swift). The Balnibarbi have been able to extract sunlight, turn excrement into food, and build houses from the roof to the foundation. All of these discoveries though are quite impractical (Stallcup). In contrast, the Houyhnhnms and the Brobdingnags have almost no such knowledge. Yet, they are able to live harmonious and fulfilling lives. Gulliver is shocked when he hears that the prosperous kingdom of the Brobdingnags is governed by a king who understands little about political science. The Houyhnhnms pursue only the knowledge that benefits them and their well-being. Any higher knowledge would only interfere with their happiness. Gulliver seems to lack both of these and comes to the conclusion at the end of the novel that he is a Yahoo (Swift). This causes Gulliver to hate himself at the end of the novel after spending most of it with no feelings or emotions whatsoever. Swift uses Gulliver to warn that there are limits to both self-knowledge and theoretical knowledge and pursuing either might interfere with the ability to live happily
Professor Finck
ENG220.01
23 Monday 2015
Gulliver’s Travels The Encyclopedia Britannica considers Jonathon Swift as the foremost prose satirist in the English language. He is the author of many different works such as A Tale of a Tub and A Modest Proposal. Swift’s work Gulliver’s Travels contains three main themes throughout the work that point out the importance of moderation. These include whether strength or morals are more important, explores individualism, and the limits of human intelligence. Jonathan Swift was born after his father 's death in Dublin on November 30, 1667. He was the son of Jonathan Swift and Abigaile Erick. Even though he was born and raised in Ireland, Swift did not consider himself an Irishman …show more content…
Gulliver experiences both the power of having physical strength, where he is a giant among the Lilliputians, and also being a tiny being among the Brobdingnagans. Each of Gulliver’s travels to a new country immediately exposes him to the abuse that can happen with physical strength. The Lilliputians tie him down. He is initially a slave to the Brobdingnagans and also witnesses the abuse that the Houyhnhnm’s inflict upon the Yahoos. Despite all the abuse throughout his travels that seems to be inflicted by physical might, Gulliver also details other injustice that is caused by moral correctness. Gulliver is dragged into a war that the Lilliputians have started with the nearby Blefuscu (Chudgar). The Lilliputians have determined that their interpretation of a holy book’s instruction on how to crack an egg differs from the Blefuscu. Swift parodies the justifications used by cultures such as during the Crusades to war with another people. The Houyhnhnms seem to be the biggest perpetrators of this thinking. They see themselves as the smarter and more dignified people compared to the Yahoos. Therefore they keep the Yahoos chained up and use them as slaves. The Laputans keep the lower land in check with the use of force. They tend to think of themselves as the more logical people compared to the Balnibarbi. Gulliver tends to paint a different …show more content…
These include self-knowledge and theoretical knowledge. The Laputans regard theoretical knowledge above all else. They despise those that are not completely devoted to study and theorizing. The Balnibarb are likewise dedicated to practical knowledge. Swift parodies this knowledge, as almost every discovery is quite useless (Swift). The Balnibarbi have been able to extract sunlight, turn excrement into food, and build houses from the roof to the foundation. All of these discoveries though are quite impractical (Stallcup). In contrast, the Houyhnhnms and the Brobdingnags have almost no such knowledge. Yet, they are able to live harmonious and fulfilling lives. Gulliver is shocked when he hears that the prosperous kingdom of the Brobdingnags is governed by a king who understands little about political science. The Houyhnhnms pursue only the knowledge that benefits them and their well-being. Any higher knowledge would only interfere with their happiness. Gulliver seems to lack both of these and comes to the conclusion at the end of the novel that he is a Yahoo (Swift). This causes Gulliver to hate himself at the end of the novel after spending most of it with no feelings or emotions whatsoever. Swift uses Gulliver to warn that there are limits to both self-knowledge and theoretical knowledge and pursuing either might interfere with the ability to live happily