Question

write a note on Gulliver's Travels as a satire

Answer 1

Gulliver's Travels reflects conflicts in British society in the early 18th century. By narrating Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and Houyhnhnm, the novel reveals and criticizes sins and corruption of British ruling class and their cruel exploitation towards people of Britain and neighboring countries in the capital-accumulation period of British history. Gulliver is treated differently in different countries. The author depicts every situation at great length, which makes readers feel like experiencing them personally. The greatness of the work lies in the author's proficient application of bitting and profound satires. Swift makes satirical effects to the fullest by using techniques of irony, contrast, and symbolism. The story is based on then British social reality. He not only satirizes on then British politics and religion, but also, in a deeper facet, on human nature itself. Swift's superb rendering of satires leads Gulliver's Travels to becoming a milestone looked up to by future literary persons in satirical literature.

There are at least three types of satirical technique presented in Gulliver's Travels: verbal irony, situational irony and dramatic irony. First, verbal irony means using words in an opposite way. The real implied meaning is in opposition to the literal meaning of the lines in verbal irony. In other words, it uses positive, laudatory words to describe evidently ugly and obnoxious matters in order to express the author's contempt and aversion. The book carries verbal irony from the beginning to the end of the story. Second, situational irony occurs when there are conflicts between characters and situation, or contradiction between readers' expectation and actual outcomes of an event, or deviation between personal endeavors and objective facts. In Gulliver's Travels, the plot development is often the opposite of what readers expect. Third, dramatic irony is when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not.

Swift also uses contrast as a rhetorical device to construct satirical effects. In order to reach the purpose of satire, he puts contradictory subjects together to describe and compare. There are at least three evident pairs of contrasting subjects. First is Gulliver and Lilliputians. They differ hugely in figures and in characters. The height of Gulliver's body exceeds Lilliputians' in the proportion of twelve to one. As to character differences, Gulliver is kind-hearted and grateful with a sense of justice, whereas Lilliputians are more cunning. They want to make full use of Gulliver in the war fought with its conflicting country: Blefuscu. He helps them against invasion from it but refuses to serve for them in their invasive territory expansion. Second, in Part II, figures of the citizens and Gulliver's again form a stark contrast. In Brobdingnag, he is put in a carriage and carried to the marketplace to perform his "tricks". He tries to please those giants by showing them his little coins and perform "tricks" with his sword. He comes into conflict with the Queen's favorite dwarf and they scheme against each other. On the other hand, the erudite King of Brobdingnag governs his country with reason, common sense, justice and mercy. The political system in Brobdingnag is very ideal and orderly, in which law guarantees freedom and welfare of the nationals. Gulliver introduces to the King England's society and political system and embellishes the truth. He describes how great England is, how judicious the politics is and how just the law is. However, he could barely defend himself facing the King's question. Besides, the comparison between the King's liberal governance and rule under England's bourgeois class reveals corruption of its politics. Third, the ruling class of the country of the Houyhnhnms are horse-like beings of reason, justice and honesty, whereas the ruled class (yahoos) are heinous, greedy and pugnacious creatures. The contrast between the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos is extreme. The horses are clean and sweet-smelling; their diet is temperate and vegetarian. Their habits constitute the temperance that the eighteenth century thought characterized reasonable man. The Yahoos, on the other hand, are human in form and feature. They are filthy and they stink. They are omnivorous but seem to prefer meat and garbage.

Answer 2

Note on Gulliver's Travels as a satire

Explanation:

Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1.2329–2473) is a masterpiece of satire, employing a range of satiric modes against a wide variety of targets.

In Part 1, dealing with Lilliput, the satire is chiefly political. The Lilliputians' bitter political controversies unmistakably mirror those of the British ruling class.

Gulliver's Travels, as a whole, qualifies as a Menippean satire as it satirized various aspects of the society all at once, having no fixed target. The persona of Gulliver exposed all of Swift's intentions and concerns the best, in the four parts of Gulliver's Travels.

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