The Use of Satire in Gullivers Travels - 903 Words

Satire is a literary work that uses humor, hyperbole, and derision to ridicule the human behaviors and customs. Rather than being judgmental, many writers utilize satire to convey their innovative ideas to change certain aspects of society. From the many writers that used satire to condemn the actions of society, Jonathan Swifts, Gullivers travels, stands as one of the best satirical work in human history. Published in 1726, Gullivers travels is an adventure of Lemuel Gulliver whose voyage turns into a series of disasters to various strange islands where he lives with humans and animals of various sizes, behaviors, and philosophies. Through the usage of extended metaphor and symbolism, Swift brings to light numerous religious and†¦show more content†¦They are mean, cruel, and morally corrupt. Filled with greed and ingratitude they shoot at Gulliver with their small weapons that seem only to tickle Gulliver. After they notice that his not looking for trouble, they offer him food and grant him citizenship in their land. By making the Lilliputians small, powerful people, Swift satirizes the attitude of the English Government at the time. To effectively satirize the politics of England, Swift uses various political parties to convey his message. In Lilliput, there are two political parties; The Trameckson—who are also known as the high heels, and the Slamecksan, who are also known as low heels. Swift uses the trameckson and the Slamecksan to satirize two of the two most powerful English Parties. (Bullit) The Tramecksan Party is mostly conservative and supports the ancient constitution of Lilliput. (Ewald) The emperor of Lilliput, however, favors the slamecksoan and allows only low heels into the administration. â€Å"The animosity of these two factions runs so high that they will neither eat, nor drink, nor speak to each other.†(Swift chap. iv) Moreover, by characterizing the Lilliputians as morally corrupt, Swift satirizes the political as pect of the English Society. For example, Swifts model for Flimnap was Robert Walpole, the leader of the Whigs and Englands first prime minister in the modern sense. (Soens) By making Flimnap, the most skillfully rope dancer, Swift demonstrates howShow MoreRelatedEssay on Use of Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels729 Words   |  3 PagesEffective Use of Satire in Gullivers Travelsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; Jonathan Swifts story, Gullivers Travels, is a very clever story. It recounts the fictitious journey of a fictitious man named Lemuel Gulliver, and his travels to the fantasy lands of Lilliput, Brobdinag, Laputa, and Houyhnhmn land. When one first reads his accounts in each of these lands, one may believe that they are reading humorous accounts of fairy-tale-like lands that are intended to amuseRead MoreSatire In Gullivers Travels1455 Words   |  6 Pagesforms and use many different elements in their works. One of these elements that writers use is called â€Å"satire.† This element is used to make fun of something that the author disapproves of in a comical but hidden way. Widely considered as one of the greatest satirists to ever live, Jonathan Swift used satire in his works to express his disgust in society and the British Monarchy during the 18th century. One of the greatest satires ever written by Swift was Gulliver’s Travels. In Gulliver’s TravelsRea d 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 awkward process of identifying with the loathsome YahoosRead MoreSwifts ‘Gullivers Travel’ and Voltaires ‘Candide’ Essay663 Words   |  3 PagesSwift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travel’ and Voltaire’s ‘Candide’ Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travel’ and Voltaire’s ‘Candide’ are typical literature works during the Enlightenment period. Both authors use satire in their works. Satire is literary form which means irony. Therefore, they have some similarities. They both want to expose human vices through satiric tone. Due to different personal styles, there are many differences between two novels. Two novels use satire to criticize human weakness. In ‘Gulliver’sRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Narrators in Gullivers Travels and Frankenstein, the Narrative Methods, and the Effects of These Different Ways of Telling a Story in Gullivers Travels and Frankenstein.1595 Words   |  7 Pagescontrast the narrators in Gulliver’s Travels and Frankenstein, the narrative methods, and the effects of these different ways of telling a story in Gulliver’s Travels and Frankenstein. Ravee Chen S2 English H Dr.Freisen 8 April 2010 Word count: 1491 Why do authors use different types of narrators? Jonathan Swift and Mary Shelly have both chosen a first-person narrator in their novels Gulliver’s Travels and Frankenstein. In Gulliver’s Travels the narrator is GulliverRead MoreThe Satirical Transformation Of Gulliver Essay1154 Words   |  5 PagesSatirical Transformation of Gulliver Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is difficult to come to terms with for a multitude of reasons. The most immediate problem is that of genre. How may Gulliver’s Travels be categorized? It’s a fiction; it’s written in prose; it’s a children’s tale; it’s a comedy; it’s a tragedy; however, to say this is to say very little. Clearly it’s satirical, but that is not to say it’s a satire. Arther E. Case, for example, thinks that it’s not a satire: â€Å"it would be more accurate and moreRead MoreAnalysis Of Jonathan Swift s Gulliver s Travels1439 Words   |  6 PagesJonathan Swift, well-known for his stark works of satire, uses his novel Gulliver’s Travels to mock his society and culture and in doing so, he addresses the flaws in man-kind as a whole. He always tried to give his readers a different perspective on current political and social issues through the pages and chapters of his books. The people w ho weren’t appalled by his views happened to appreciate his plain way of speaking on actively-discussed topics. While his writing had been relatively eminentRead MoreComparison of Gulliver’s Travels and Haroun and the Sea of Stories583 Words   |  3 PagesHaroun and the Sea of Stories is an allegory of the problem’s posed in the societies of the author’s days. It is similar to Gulliver’s Travels as both are allegories of our world, and both main characters are in similar situations; both find themselves in a new land, and are confronted with many unfamiliar problems. â€Å"Gulliver’s travels† is a story based upon England at the time when Jonathan swift lived. This was in the 17th century. Also, there are definite correlations between particular charactersRead MoreDramatic Irony In Gullivers Travels813 Words   |  4 PagesGullivers Travels reflects conflicts in British society in the early 18th century. By narrating Gullivers adve ntures 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 makesRead MoreJonathan Swift s True Purpose1067 Words   |  5 Pageswonderful children’s book, filth, and absurd were just a few words that people during the 17th century used to describe Gulliver’s Travels. During the 17th century there was a period of new ideas and creativity; that period was called the Reformation. The Reformation period was a time of change for how people interpreted the world around them. The opinions of Gulliver’s Travels were based off of interpretations of the book, the interpretations were not always correct; therefore, the opinions were