1. Identify specific characters satirized in Gulliver’s Travels and determine the actual historical figures whom Swift had in mind for his satire. 2. View any of the film versions of Gulliver’s Travels (see the Resources section for information) and note differences in plot, settings, characterizations, and theme (satiric treatments) between […]
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1. Some would argue that Swift was a misanthrope and that Gulliver’s Travels proves his hatred of mankind. Agree or disagree with this assessment and support your opinion with examples from the text. 2. Explain how Swift makes use of the character of Gulliver. As you prepare your answer, be […]
Read more Study Help Essay QuestionsStudy Help Full Glossary for Gulliver’s Travels
aborigines of the land aborigines are the first or earliest known inhabitants of a region; here, meaning that the Yahoos were not native to the land of the Houyhnhnms — they came from some other location. accoutred outfitted; equipped. adamant a hard stone or substance that was supposedly unbreakable. ague […]
Read more Study Help Full Glossary for Gulliver’s TravelsCritical Essays Gulliver as a Dramatis Persona
Jonathan Swift is not, of course, Lemuel Gulliver; nor does Swift seriously use Gulliver as either a mask or a mouthpiece. This truism, however, is not as obvious as one might think. For too many years, critics of Gulliver’s Travels were infuriated with Swift. After they had finished the fourth […]
Read more Critical Essays Gulliver as a Dramatis PersonaCritical Essays Swift’s Satire in Gulliver’s Travels
Gulliver’s Travels was unique in its day; it was not written to woo or entertain. It was an indictment, and it was most popular among those who were indicted — that is, politicians, scientists, philosophers, and Englishmen in general. Swift was roasting people, and they were eager for the banquet. […]
Read more Critical Essays Swift’s Satire in Gulliver’s TravelsCritical Essays Philosophical and Political Background of Gulliver’s Travels
Swift has at least two aims in Gulliver’s Travels besides merely telling a good adventure story. Behind the disguise of his narrative, he is satirizing the pettiness of human nature in general and attacking the Whigs in particular. By emphasizing the six-inch height of the Lilliputians, he graphically diminishes the […]
Read more Critical Essays Philosophical and Political Background of Gulliver’s TravelsJonathan Swift Biography
Early Years and Education Jonathan Swift was born into a poor family that included his mother (Abigail) and his sister (Jane). His father, a noted clergyman in England, had died seven months before Jonathan’s birth. There is not much known of Swift’s childhood, and what is reported is not always […]
Read more Jonathan Swift BiographyCharacter Analysis The Yahoos
Yahoos are the human-like creatures that Gulliver first encounters in the Country of the Houyhnhnms. Not recognizing their link with humanity, Gulliver describes the Yahoos as animals: ” . . . deformed . . . . Their heads and breasts were covered with thick hair . . . but the […]
Read more Character Analysis The YahoosCharacter Analysis The Houyhnhnms
Gulliver’s description of the horses, the Houyhnhnms, is almost idyllic: “The behaviour of these animals was . . . orderly and rational . . . acute and judicious.” Indeed, it is a horse that rescues him from the Yahoos — not by any overt, physical action, but by simply appearing […]
Read more Character Analysis The HouyhnhnmsCharacter Analysis The Brobdingnagians
The Brobdingnagians are the epitome of moral giants. Physically huge — 60 feet tall — their moral stature is also gigantic. Brobdingnag is a practical, moral utopia. Among the Brobdingnagians, there is goodwill and calm virtue. Their laws encourage charity. Yet they are, underneath, just men who labor under every […]
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