Gulliver's Travels

1. Significance

This book was originally written as a political satire on English politics. It is about a man named Gulliver who is shipwrecked many times in distant, strange lands. One land is the flying island of Laputa who are so taken up by their own thoughts you have to hit them so they will notice you. They are very advanced in science and music and cared for nothing else. Gulliver leaves and enters a mysterious and dangerous land. 

2. Perspectives

Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland in November 1667. He was very interested in politics, and used this book to criticize all he thought was unfair in English politics.

Swift died on October 19, 1745

3. Evidence

Swift's many arguments against old English politics and humans in general, is this: Humans believe themselves to be superior to everything and everyone else, yet they are so far from anything close to perfection. The evidence is the talking horses and the yahoos. The yahoos symbolize humans. They are barbaric and savage. The talking horses, the Houyhnhnms, symbolize perfection. These two creatures are very, very different from each other. Humans are as bad as yahoos are.

4. Connection

Lilliput symbolizes England in the story and Blefuscu symbolizes France. The book compares these two countries in that way. In Brobdingnag the king shows dislike to the English government showing we are not perfect. The king in these exact words said "I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth." This book shows in the real world only imaginary creatures like the Houyhnhnms can be perfect.

5. Supposition

I think this book could be improved if it weren't so boring at times. Sometimes it went 0n about things that didn't really matter at all for the purpose of the story. I also think Jonathan Swift could have put Gulliver's travels into one. Gulliver returned home after every adventure. To me it seemed a bit too lucky to return home after being in a magical land three times. Otherwise I think Jonathan Swift was very excellent at getting his very strong point across.