Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift - 1526 Words

In the fourth book of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift uses satire to draw reader’s attention towards his concerns about humanity and uses irony to reveal his cynical views towards human kind. According to the Great Chain of Being, a term developed by the Renaissance that describes a divinely hierarchical order in every existing thing in the universe, human beings are placed a tier higher than animals (http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english /melani/cs6/ren.html). However, by comparing human traits with unpleasant qualities of animals, Swift blurs the definition of human being and questions the hierarchical place of human. In the fourth book of Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver starts his journey as a well-educated European person who is†¦show more content†¦In the perspective of a human, this is all reasonable and normal, but in the perspective of a Houyhnhnm, this concept is confusing because the Houyhnhnms are foreign to the idea of illnesses expect fo r physical injuries. Gulliver’s master states that he does not understand â€Å"that nature, who worketh all things to perfection, should suffer any pains to breed in our bodies (Swift 2436)†. Gulliver then tells his master that most of these diseases originate from the contradicting behaviours of human beings; â€Å"we ate when we were not hungry, and drank without the provocation of thirst; that we sat whole nights drinking strong liquors, without eating a bit, which disposed us to sloth, inflamed our bodies, and precipitated or prevented digestion (Swift 2436)†. In this quotation, Swift uses Gulliver’s innocence belief of normal human behaviour and presents it in a cynical fashion as a way of mocking the self-destructive ways of human. His master goes on to tell him that his description of diseases only occurs among the Yahoos. Gulliver tells the reader that indeed â€Å"Yahoos were the only animals in this country subject to any diseases; which howev er, were much fewer than horses have among us, and contracted not by any ill treatment they meet with, but by the nastiness and greediness of that sordid brute (Swift 2441)†. The stories told byShow MoreRelatedGullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift1367 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Jonathan Swift published his novel Gulliver’s Travels in 1726, it immediately became a success and continues to be popular even today. The range of different topics addressed in his sardonic novel allows readers to easily relate, as many of the issues of Swift’s time during the Enlightenment remain relevant issues. As Swift wrote in another satirical piece The Battle of the Books, â€Å"Satyr is a sort of Glass, wherein Beholders do generall discover every body’s Faces but their Own.† The EnlightenmentRead MoreGullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift940 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver is washed up onto a foreign land where he enco unters two species: Houyhnhnms, ruling intellectual horse-like species, and the Yahoos, brutish human-like animals. As a foreigner, Gulliver tries to integrate himself with Houyhnhnms community and through his attempts of communicating Gulliver ultimately fails due to his striking similarity to the brute Yahoos. Swifts juxtaposition of two different worlds, made extremely clear by both physical, physiologicalRead More Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift1756 Words   |  8 Pages In the cleverly written and witty story of Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, the reader is taken on a journey that targets the strengths of weakness of different societies. Swift ingeniously incorporates the use of the main character, Lemuel Gulliver, and his experiences through the discovery of several islands in order to relay messages about his own country’s system of politics, society, and use of scientists. The first voyage Lemuel Gulliver sets foot on is to the distant and strangeRead MoreGullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift521 Words   |  2 PagesSociety vs. Individuality In the novel Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, the influence that society has on Gulliver is very detectable in this book. Throughout the novel, Gulliver repeatedly, finds himself in predicaments because societal norms and the role of government in our society. Swift shows how the idea of who people are due to their position in society. Gulliver is an outsider to the society of Lilliput, he tries to fit into their world but fails, not only because of his size butRead MoreReview of Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift Essay1296 Words   |  6 PagesReview of Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift Gullivers Travels is a satirical novel. It was written for two different target groups; the first target group is a very young age range and it is a simple but still very exciting fairy tale, the second target group is for a lot older and more sophisticated group as it is a comment that is satirising the life, times and background of Jonathan Swift. An example of Swift making a comment on mankind is in the third part ofRead MoreSatire in Gullivers Travels Jonathan Swift Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesSatire in Gullivers Travels Jonathan Swift In Gullivers Travels, Jonathan Swift makes a satirical attack on humanity. In the final book, Swift takes a stab at humanity by simultaneously criticizing physiological, mental, and spiritual aspects of humans. Literary critics Ronald Knowles and Irvin Ehrenpreis both agree that the last book focused entirely on satirizing humanity. The Yahoo brutes that inhabit Houyhnhnm Land are a despicable species that have the physical appearance of humansRead MoreSwifts Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages Swifts Gulliver’s Travels enables us to critically and harshly analyse our world and encourages us to evaluate the customs of early 18th century English society in relation to an ideal humanity. In order to address the injustices prevalent in human constructs and behavior, Swift uses literary techniques to induce a state of extreme self-doubt. The satires assessment of humanitys positive and negative traits is developed through Gullivers a wkward process of identifying with the loathsome YahoosRead MoreSatire in Jonathan Swift ´s Gullivers Travels1944 Words   |  8 Pagesearly eighteenth-century, Irish writer Jonathan Swift produced one of the most printed novels known to date. The novel, Gulliver’s Travels, not only received recognition for being reprinted an immense amount of time, but also for the satire found within the novel. Swift intended his novel to be used as a scapegoat in which he would reveal his opinion on the English society. Swift was able to demonstrate this satire through the four part plot of Gulliver’s Travels. Each part of the novel told the journeyRead MoreMany Contemporary Issues Tackled in Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift894 Words   |  4 Pagestell us that nothing is great or small than by comparison. In the novel Jonathan Swift tackles many of the contemporary issues of his day. His portrayal of English society alludes to the fact that he perceived many evils in the str ucture of society. In the novel Swift puts focus on the issues of economy, government, war, mankind and plictic. As a result of his insightful perspective into the fabric of society, Gulliver’s Travels, is regarded by many as being one of the greatest satires in modern historyRead More Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide2292 Words   |  10 PagesNaivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A childs curious