Free Essays on Satire In Gullivers Travels

SATIRE OF GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose, Gulliver’s Travels, is the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take this tale to be simply a fantastic narrative of a common man and his encounters with unusual locations and people through several journeys, further inspection reveals Swift’s true purpose of creativitysatire. Using the contemporary style of the Travel Narrative, Swift is able to insert his own personal criticisms of modern life into the experience of Gulliver. Swift focuses entirely on satirizing humanity in Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, representing a common man, encounters a wide variety of characters along his travels, each representing a subject Swift wishes to criticize. His satire ranges from relatively simple political criticism in his experiences in Book I and II to a socio-political criticism in Book III, to the social, philosophical criticism of man in Book IV. If Book IV is read literally, with no knowledge of satire, it appears to be another bizarre journey of Gulliver, no more unusual than his other travels. It is obvious, however, that Book IV criticizes the nature of man as a rational being. Of interest to the readers of today is Swift’s choice of creatures inhabiting this land; There is a barbaric, man-like creature dubbed the Yahoo and the civilized, good-natured horse-like creature, the Houyhnhnms. â€Å"Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy† (IV,193). His opinion of the Yahoos contrasts with his opinion of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms think Gulliver is another Yahoo capable of outstanding intellect, but Gulliver is offended that they want to classify him as a Yahoo. â€Å"I expressed my Uneasiness at his giving me so often the Appellation of Y... Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift’s standard satirical technique of irony is best exemplified with the use of vivid, nameless descriptions. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift sets out describing something, neglecting to bestow a name on it, purposefully trying to create a vivid picture in your head. Once his description reaches its apex, and you truly believe you know what he is talking about, he names it something completely different. A perfect illustration of this is seen when the Yahoos are first being introduced in chapter 1. Swift writes, â€Å"Their heads and breasts were covered with a thick hair†¦ they had beards like goats, and a long ridge of hair down their backs, and the foreparts of their legs and feet†¦.† His vivid description continues on, further cementing a picture in your head of a wild, repugnant animal. In a pure ironic fashion, he waits until the middle of chapter 2 to let you know that this detestable animal most resembles a human being. Another depiction of this technique can be found in chapter 12, when he writes about inhabitants of a land being massacred by groups of men looking for their gold and jewels. You are led to believe he is talking about ruthless men, pirates for example, but you soon find out he is describing the divine act of colonialism. Swift’s use of irony is highly affective as a means to a satiric end, because of its shock effect. He takes mankind’s virtues, like the moral excellence we attach to our governmental practices, and turns them into vices. He causes you to stop, examine, and rethink all your old assumptions. For further debunking of man’s vices and follies, Swift turns to the fantastic Yahoos and Houyhnhnms. He use these two characters, each positioned completely on opposite ends of the rational spectrum, as a means for showing the fault of man when he is governed by either pure emotion or pure reason. The Yahoos, although human in form, are savage animals in character; they serve as a depictio... Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels SATIRE OF GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose, Gulliver’s Travels, is the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take this tale to be simply a fantastic narrative of a common man and his encounters with unusual locations and people through several journeys, further inspection reveals Swift’s true purpose of creativitysatire. Using the contemporary style of the Travel Narrative, Swift is able to insert his own personal criticisms of modern life into the experience of Gulliver. Swift focuses entirely on satirizing humanity in Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, representing a common man, encounters a wide variety of characters along his travels, each representing a subject Swift wishes to criticize. His satire ranges from relatively simple political criticism in his experiences in Book I and II to a socio-political criticism in Book III, to the social, philosophical criticism of man in Book IV. If Book IV is read literally, with no knowledge of satire, it appears to be another bizarre journey of Gulliver, no more unusual than his other travels. It is obvious, however, that Book IV criticizes the nature of man as a rational being. Of interest to the readers of today is Swift’s choice of creatures inhabiting this land; There is a barbaric, man-like creature dubbed the Yahoo and the civilized, good-natured horse-like creature, the Houyhnhnms. â€Å"Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy† (IV,193). His opinion of the Yahoos contrasts with his opinion of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms think Gulliver is another Yahoo capable of outstanding intellect, but Gulliver is offended that they want to classify him as a Yahoo. â€Å"I expressed my Uneasiness at his giving me so often the Appellation of Y...