“Culture is the intersection of people and life itself. It’s how we deal with life, love, death, birth, disappointment… all of that is expressed in culture.” This quote from Wendell Pierce has much relativity to the essence behind Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver 's Travels. Culture and tradition are powerful forces that shape every society.
The main character in this novel is Lemuel Gulliver. He is a civilized individual who desires to travel to unknown places and completely immerse himself in unfamiliar cultures. Yearning to learn more about different societies and how they operate is the main drive behind Gulliver’s travels. Gulliver feels that in order to fully understand other cultures, he must venture there and experience it first hand. He …show more content…
He awakens in the country of Lilliput only to find himself bound by many tiny strings. He is taken prisoner by the Lilliputians however, his good behavior grants him residency and he stays for a while. Gulliver is later convicted of treason and escapes back to England. He stays there for two months with his wife and family.
His second voyage takes him to a land of giants called Brobdingnag. He meets the Queen and other giants who are more gentle than he’d expected. He is rather disinterested in their physical qualities as well as the rest of the animals and insects in Brobdingnag. Gulliver takes a trip with the royals but is picked up by an eagle that proceeds to drop him into the sea.
Gulliver returns to his home in England for a couple months before beginning his third voyage at sea. Not long after setting sail, he is attacked by pirates and ends up in a country called Laputa. Laputa is a floating island that controls the land below it called Balnibarbi. It is mostly inhabited by theoreticians and academics. Gulliver finds both the research and residents here to be impractical and deranged. He later visits the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs. These senile immortals show Gulliver that age doesn’t necessarily bring wisdom. He also travels to Glubbdubdrib and Japan before returning to England once …show more content…
It is ruled by intelligent horses called Houyhnhnms. They are served by humanlike creatures called Yahoos. Gulliver is treated kindly here and becomes enlightened by their rational, clean, and simple society. After staying with the Houyhnhnms for several years, Gulliver reveals to the horses that he is much like a Yahoo. As a result they tell him it’s time for him to leave. Upon returning back to England, he is unable to see humans as anything but shameful.
Gulliver also has very advanced linguistic skills which come in handy during his travels. These skills are especially useful because they allow him to learn new languages effortlessly. He learns the languages of the Lilliputians, the Brobdingnagians, and the Houyhnhnms from scholars and as well as native speakers. Once he has confidently learned a country’s language he visits the ruler to discuss politics. This grants him the understanding of new cultures quickly as well as being able to share his knowledge with
The main character in this novel is Lemuel Gulliver. He is a civilized individual who desires to travel to unknown places and completely immerse himself in unfamiliar cultures. Yearning to learn more about different societies and how they operate is the main drive behind Gulliver’s travels. Gulliver feels that in order to fully understand other cultures, he must venture there and experience it first hand. He …show more content…
He awakens in the country of Lilliput only to find himself bound by many tiny strings. He is taken prisoner by the Lilliputians however, his good behavior grants him residency and he stays for a while. Gulliver is later convicted of treason and escapes back to England. He stays there for two months with his wife and family.
His second voyage takes him to a land of giants called Brobdingnag. He meets the Queen and other giants who are more gentle than he’d expected. He is rather disinterested in their physical qualities as well as the rest of the animals and insects in Brobdingnag. Gulliver takes a trip with the royals but is picked up by an eagle that proceeds to drop him into the sea.
Gulliver returns to his home in England for a couple months before beginning his third voyage at sea. Not long after setting sail, he is attacked by pirates and ends up in a country called Laputa. Laputa is a floating island that controls the land below it called Balnibarbi. It is mostly inhabited by theoreticians and academics. Gulliver finds both the research and residents here to be impractical and deranged. He later visits the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs. These senile immortals show Gulliver that age doesn’t necessarily bring wisdom. He also travels to Glubbdubdrib and Japan before returning to England once …show more content…
It is ruled by intelligent horses called Houyhnhnms. They are served by humanlike creatures called Yahoos. Gulliver is treated kindly here and becomes enlightened by their rational, clean, and simple society. After staying with the Houyhnhnms for several years, Gulliver reveals to the horses that he is much like a Yahoo. As a result they tell him it’s time for him to leave. Upon returning back to England, he is unable to see humans as anything but shameful.
Gulliver also has very advanced linguistic skills which come in handy during his travels. These skills are especially useful because they allow him to learn new languages effortlessly. He learns the languages of the Lilliputians, the Brobdingnagians, and the Houyhnhnms from scholars and as well as native speakers. Once he has confidently learned a country’s language he visits the ruler to discuss politics. This grants him the understanding of new cultures quickly as well as being able to share his knowledge with