Azhar tanim thesis

THESIS PAPER
Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of his
contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels
Course Code: ENG-450
Submitted By
Azharul Islam Bhuiyan
ID: 1603030011
Department Of English
Britannia University, Cumilla
Bangladesh.
This thesis paper has been submitted to the Department of English,
Britannia University, Cumilla as a part of the requirements for the degree
of BA (Hons.) in English.
Date of Submission: January 4, 2021

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Dedication
First of all I would like to dedicate my thesis to my beloved father Shakhawat
Hosen Bhuiyan and mother Aysha Noor who gave me happy childhood,
allowed me liberty of thoughts and taught me the meaning of caring, sharing
and serving in a global community and still now support and inspire me to go
ahead in building up my prosperous and peaceful life.
Finally, All Martyrs of Bangladesh-Who laid down their most valuable lives in
1971 for our liberty and always dreams to build up a happy, prosperous and
peaceful Banglades

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Declaration
I, do hereby declare that this thesis work on the “Jonathan Swift satirizes the
follies and vices of his contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels” reported in
this paper has been performed by me to submit to the Department of English,
Britannia University (BU) Cumilla in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of B.A (Hon’s) in English.
It is a kind of original and independent research work prepared by me, under the
guidance and supervision of an amazing supervisor Abdulla Al Marof,
Lecturer of Department of English at Britannia University, Cumilla. This
paper has neither been submitted nor accepted elsewhere for any purpose.

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Certification
This is to certify that the thesis paper entitled “Jonathan Swift satirizes the
follies and vices of his contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels” has been
prepared under my supervision and submitted to the Department of English,
Britannia University(BU), Cumilla as a partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English from this University, is
hereby accepted. It is a record of genuine work carried out successfully under
my constant supervision.
…………………………………….
Abdulla Al Marof
Lecturer
Department of English
Britannia University, Cumilla
BANGLADESH

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EVALUATION SHEET
Obtained Marks:
Obtained GPA:
Obtained Grade:
Examined by:
……………………………………..
Signature of the Examiner

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I want to thank my Almighty Allah .Without His blessings It would
not have been possible for me to complete my paper. Throughout my thesis
Allah gave me strength and patient to work properly and complete my thesis
paper as well as to submit the thesis for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in
English, Britannia University, Cumilla. I heartedly Acknowledge my gratitude
to my veteran teacher Abdulla Al Marof, Lecturer, Department of English,
Britannia University, Cumilla for his sustained Guidance, constructive criticism,
suggestions and encouragement throughout the conduct of the study. He spent
long hours refining my research study. Actually without his help it would not
have been possible for me to accomplish this thesis paper successfully by the
department stipulated time frame.
Last of All, I convey my supreme gratitude and deepest appreciation to my
beloved parents for their ever ending prayer, encouragement and dedicated
efforts during the time of preparing my thesis.
Last but not the least, I am thankful to all the authors from home and abroad
whose studies helped me a lot to design the research precisely and with strong
foundation.
I am solely responsible for errors and omissions in this study, if there be any.

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Chapter –One
1.1 Dedication 1
1.2 Declaration 2
1.3 Certification 3
1.4
Evaluation Sheet
4
1.5 Acknowledgement 5
1.6 Table of content 6-7
1.7 Abstract 8
1.8 Introduction 9-13
1.9 Significance of the study 14
1.10 Objectives of the study 15
1.11 Limitation of the study 16
1.12 Scope of the study 17
1.13 Hypothesis 18
1.14 Problem Statement 20
1.15 Research Question 21
1.16 Research Methodology 22
1.17 Literature Review 23-25

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Chapter –Two
Why does Swift use satire in his
novel?
26-27
Chapter –Three
How does Swift’s Satire vices and
evil of a modern society in
Gulliver’s Travels?
28-41
Chapter –Four
What does Swift want to teach by
Satirizing his contemporary
society?
42-45
Chapter –Five
Conclusion 46-47
Chapter –Six
Reference 48

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Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of his
Abstract
Most works of literature contain the writers' ideas; often including their social criticism. One
of the most prominent forms used to bring reform or change in the society or in individuals
is that of satire. Satire can be considered as an essential device to bring out the author’s
thought. This thesis concerns with the study of satire in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's
Travels. Through Gulliver's Travels, Swift attempted to satirize the proud eighteenth century
population, who were too proud of the rapid scientific progress. Through my thesis, I am
trying to show how Swift uses Gulliver to satirize the society in the eighteenth century
England and beyond. In showing Swift's satire of the social condition, the discussion of
Lemuel Gulliver's voyages to four different lands becomes symbolic and significant. By
doing this study, I want to show the way Swift uses Gulliver in satirizing the society and the
objects of his satire. Gulliver’s first voyage is to Lilliput, the land of little people, in which
Swift satirizes the littleness of human beings; the second to Brobdingnag, the land of giants,
is the satire on the meanness of humanity; the third, to the flying island of Laputa, is a satire
on scientists and philosophers; and the final journey to the strangest land of all, that of the
Houyhnhnms, is the satire on the denunciation of human species. Thus these four voyages of
Gulliver represent Swift’s criticisms of and concerns about his own time and the future of
humanity.
This thesis takes a look at the follies and vices involved in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s
Travels and compares events in the story to events in contemporary British history of the late
seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It discusses why the story of Gulliver’s travels
has been enjoyed by generations of readers and if it has relevance to today’s society. The
thesis focuses on Swift’s own political views and what it is that he is writing about and
criticizing. Some events and their significance are inspected as well as some of Swift’s
peculiar inclusions in the book and its appeal. The last chapter takes a look at the political
significance of the book and how it reflected actual events in British politics at the time.
Keywords: Satire, Vices , Follies, Four Voyage

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Introduction
Jonathan Swift, one of the greatest satirist that the world ever saw, produced such
literature where “every line and every detail is vivid by a humor which consists in presenting
the most improbable extravagance with an imperturbable gravity and procures belief for
them”; comments Émile Legouis, the author of A History of English Literature. Swift was a
man of piercing intellect and this intellect showed the chaos, confusion and corruption of the
eighteenth century England. He saw the folly and the iniquities behind the facade of reason
and common sense. Swift’s sharp intellect was able to perceive evil in all its forms and areas
of existence and he could not tolerate the absence of reason in any aspect of human life.
Displeased with the ways of the world, Swift felt responsible to try to reform it. Religious
corruption was highly and strongly attacked along with the useless application of scientific
knowledge in his works. Swift felt that man could never achieve perfection. He often
assumed a ‘mask’, hiding behind which, he was free to satirize whomever and whatever he
aimed at. This wonderful craft used for constructive criticism of the world is perhaps what
fascinated me and I decided to write my thesis on Jonathan Swift; and no other work of his
could be chosen before his masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels, which is the summation of all
his talent and discontentment.
Swift mastered the genre of satire, a technique used to expose and criticize
foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society through the use of humor, irony,
exaggeration or ridicule. A mixture of dramatic irony and parody gave new heights to Swift’s
genius in writing satires. Satires intend to correct individuals, countries or even the world by
criticizing their follies and foibles and are usually meant to be funny. Its greater purpose is
often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon and as a tool to draw attention to
both particular and wider issues in the society.
There are three main types of satire: Horatian, Juvenalian, and Menippean. Horatian
satire gently mocks, Juvenalian aims to destroy and to provoke; and Menippean spreads its
internal attacks at a wide number of targets. As Horatian satire is the gentlest of all the types
of satire, it is done from an affectionate point of view. The emphasis is put on humor, where
the subject of fun can be social vices; through which, an individual's follies are teased. A key

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element of Horatian satire is that the audience is also laughing at themselves as well
as at the subject of mockery. One of the most popular Horatian satires, the Part I of
Gulliver’s Travels, “A Voyage to Lilliput,” was even turned into a children’s book due to its
readability and humour appreciable by all age groups.
Juvenalian satire, in contrary, is the harshest type of satire, and it does not hold back
in its hurtful lacerations of its targets. It targets social vices, individuals, companies, and
organizations. The purpose of such invectives is to provoke an angry reaction from the
audience aimed at the subject. As a result of this intention, humor is put into the background
and biting social criticism and polarized opinion come to the forefront. The first example of
a Juvenalian satire that comes to the mind of an English reader is perhaps Swift’s “A Modest
Proposal,” attacking the English rule in Ireland. The grotesque and dark imageries used in
this essay horrify its readers and forces them to consider Ireland’s desperate condition during
the colonial days.
Menippean satire resembles Juvenalian ideas on satire; however, it lacks the focus of
a primary target. Rather than a single target, it takes a scattergun approach that aims
poisonous prongs at multiple targets. It does not follow a sustaining narrative and being more
rhapsodic, Menippean satire is also more psychological. 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. Swift, through Gulliver, referred to
the Lilliputians as insignificant corrupt politicians, to Brobdingnagians as epitome of moral
giants, lived in the land of utopia where human pride was insignificant, to Laputians as the
mad scientists and lastly, Houyhnhnms were animals and they represented ‘the perfection of
nature’. Gulliver considered them as his masters. Man was the Yahoo, who processed an
ugly body and mind.
In my thesis, I intend to analyze the multi-faceted satiristic approach of Swift in
Gulliver’s Travels as a commentary on the eighteenth century England and beyond. Thus I
want to explore the appropriateness of the genre in addressing these issues and show how a
reading of this novel can give its readers a comprehensive critical analysis of Swift’s time
and context. Gulliver was continuously observing the matters of the Court of Lilliput, which
was the main part of the political satire. He compared the political situation of England with
the country of Lilliput perhaps. Voyage to Brobdingnag attacked human ‘pride’ and

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compared the truly moral man to the representative man. Swift was keen to make
such comparisons and reversed the situation in the Lilliputians where Gulliver was a
Lilliputian in Brobdingnag. At the Grand Academy of Lagado, great resources and
manpower were employed on researching completely ridiculous schemes such as extracting
sunbeams from cucumbers, softening marble for use in pillows, and he was uncovering
political conspiracies by examining the excrement of suspicious persons. In the land of the
Houyhnhnms, there were savage human-like creatures called Yahoos for which Gulliver
conceived a violent hatred, and a race of horses, Houyhnhnms, meaning ‘the perfection of
nature’. Gulliver became a member of a horse's household and adopted their lifestyle and
rejected the Yahoos. After his return to England from his forth voyage, Gulliver spent much
to his time in his stable conversing with the horses. He was so disappointed after all his
adventures into different lands and among different people that he rejected the whole of
mankind and chose horses as company.
The first part began in the style of books of the time, with a short introduction of
Lemuel Gulliver, who gave a brief history of his life before his voyages. He enjoyed
travelling and adventures. Gulliver was washed ashore, during his first voyage, after a
shipwreck and found himself a prisoner of a race of tiny people, less than 6 inches tall, who
were the inhabitants of the island country of Lilliput. His good behavior got him a residence
in Lilliput and he became a much loved member, especially in the court. He was also given
the permission to roam around the city on a condition that he must not harm their subjects.
Gulliver assisted the Lilliputians to suppress their neighbours, the Blefuscudians, by stealing
their fleet. But, he refused to conquer the whole of Blefuscu for Lilliput, thus displeasing the
King and the court. Gulliver was charged for urinating in the palace, though he was putting
out a fire and saving countless lives. He was convicted and sentenced to be blinded. With
the assistance of a kind friend, he escaped to Blefuscu. He retrieved an abandoned boat and
sailed out. He was back in England.
In Part II, the adventure was blown off by storms and Gulliver was forced to sail for land in
search of fresh water. Gulliver was deserted by his companions and was found by a farmer,
who was 72 feet (22 m) tall; the scale of Brobdingnag was about 12:1. The farmer brought
Gulliver to his home and his daughter took care of Gulliver. The farmer exhibited him for
money. As Gulliver fell sick, and the farmer sold him to the queen of Brobdingnag. The
farmer's daughter was brought to the palace to take care of Gulliver. Since Gulliver was too

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small to use their huge chairs, beds, knives and forks, the queen ordered for a small house
'travelling box' to be built for him, so that he can be carried around in it. Between small
adventures being carried to the roof by a monkey, the dwarf, and the bird, he discusses the
state of Europe with the King. The King was unhappy with Gulliver's accounts of Europe,
especially upon learning of the use of guns and cannons. On a trip to the seaside, his traveling
box was seized by a giant eagle which dropped Gulliver and his box into the sea, where he
was picked up by some sailors, after which he returned to England.
In Part III, Gulliver's ship was attacked by pirates near India. He was rescued by the
flying island of Laputa, a kingdom devoted to the arts of music and mathematics, but was
unable to use them for practical world. Laputa had a custom of throwing rocks down at
rebellious cities on the ground conceived as a method of rivalry. Gulliver toured Laputa as
the guest of a low-ranking courtier and saw how ruin was brought about by the blind pursuit
of science without practical result. This was a satire on bureaucracy and on the Royal Society
and its experiments. At the Grand Academy of Lagado, great resources and manpower were
employed to research on outrageous and ridiculous schemes, which mock the manipulation of
power and resource in the name of research. Gulliver was taken to Balnibarbi and then taken
to Japan. Gulliver took a short side-trip to the island of Glubbdubdrib, where he visited a
magician's dwelling and discussed history with the ghosts of historical figures, the most
obvious restatement of the "ancients versus moderns" theme in the book. In Luggnagg, he
encountered the struldbrugs, who were immortal. They did not have the gift of eternal youth,
but suffer the infirmities of old age and are considered legally dead at the age of eighty. After
reaching Japan, Gulliver met the Emperor. Gulliver returned home, determined to stay there
for the rest of his days.
In Part IV, Gulliver returned to the sea as the captain of a merchantman, where his crew was
working against him. He was abandoned in a landing boat, where he came across a race of
hideous, deformed and savage human-like creatures called Yahoos, for which he conceived a
violent hatred. Shortly afterwards he met a race of horses, who call themselves Houyhnhnms,
which in their language meant ‘the perfection of nature’. Gulliver became a member of a
horse's household and adopted their lifestyle and rejected the Yahoos. An Assembly of the
Houyhnhnms commanded that Gulliver, a Yahoo with some semblance of reason, was a
danger to their civilization, and expelled him. He was rescued by Captain Pedro de Mendez,
a Yahoo, who was a wise, courteous and generous person. He returned to his home in
England, but he was unable to reconcile himself to be living among Yahoos and so he

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remained in his house. He largely avoided his family and his wife, and spent several hours a
day speaking with the horses in his stables; and in effect, became insane.
In my thesis, I look at each of these parts of Gulliver’s Travels to analyze every bit of
satire and mockery present in them. I show how this book is the epitome of Swift’s social
and political criticism and reveals most of Swift’s despises against and concerns about
humanity in general.

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Significance of the Study:
a) This research will help us to understand the vices and follies of British
people
b) This research will help us to understand the how Swift uses satire as a way
to protest the developments of modernity that had taken place in the
seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
c) This research will show us the impact vices and follies
d) This research will also open new horizon for further study on this topic

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Objectives of the Study
There is not that much recent study on the Jonathan Swift satires the Vices and
Evils of his contemporary society in his novel Gulliver’s Travels. Apart from
that I will try to discuss the analysis regarding the main satiric elements in
Gulliver’s Travels. Some objectives are:
a. To find out the Satires in Gulliver’s Travels.
b. To find out how Jonathan Swift satires the Vices and Evils of his
contemporary society in his novel Gulliver’s Travels
c. To find out how Swift uses satire as a way to protest the developments of
modernity that had taken place in the seventeenth and early eighteenth
centuries.
d. To contribute in the field of English literature.

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Limitation of the Study
The paper is not limitation free. It has some limitations. As part of my research I
need to evaluate and collect the information on Gulliver's Travels Side by side I
had to study some critical books on concerned topic. As it is a mini research or
academic research involving very short period of time to analyze this vast topic
it would be very difficult to go into the depth of knowledge .
Further research is need at different settings and with more elaborate
instruments, further research can be carried out in this topic. In this way a more
reliable and generalize result may emerge. During the time of preparing this
thesis paper. I had to face a lot of challenges because in library there is very few
numbers of books on this subject, So I had to sum up the books in for collected
and thus prepared this paper. The number of research on this topic is very poor
had to study the historical background of English Literature for collecting core
information on Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of his

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Scope of the study
This study focuses on “Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of
his contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels”. As such it shows the a critical
study of the society of Gulliver. This paper will identify the areas of Jonathan
Swift satirizes. Further study in this field is require to find out the similarities
between the society of Gulliver and other societies around the world.

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Hypothesis
a)Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of his
contemporary society
b) His actual target was the than England and its political
incidents
c) He also satirized Human for their actions in this world

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Problem Statement
After going through scholarly articles, journals, thesis papers and documents related to the
topic, I have found that, less work is done on the topic of “Jonathan Swift satirizes the
follies and vices of his contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels”. The researchers and
scholars basically focused on the character analysis of the protagonist, his causes of change.
But I have found very less work done directly or indirectly on my topic.
This research will help us to understand the vices and follies of British people .This research
will help us to understand the how Swift uses satire as a way to protest the developments of
modernity that had taken place in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.This
research will show us the impact vices and follies. Further research is need at different
settings and with more elaborate instruments, further research can be carried out in this topic.

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Research Gap
After going through scholarly articles, journals, thesis papers and
documents related to the topic, I have found that, less work is done on the topic
Jonathan Swift satirizes the follies and vices of his contemporary society in
Gulliver’s Travels. The researchers and scholars basically focused on the
character analysis of Gulliver’s Travels directly. But I have found very less
work done directly or indirectly on my topic. For this reason I have chosen this
topic

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Research Question
1. Why does Swift use satire in his novel?
2. How does Swift’s Satire vices and evil of a modern society in Gulliver’s
Travels?
3. What does Swift want to teach by Satirizing his contemporary society?

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Research Method
Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the
research problem. It is an indispensable part of research. Basically there are
many kinds of methods and techniques to undertake research work. But to speak
the truth I have chosen both descriptive and analytical method to finish my
thesis work. Basically 80% of this research paper based on descriptive research
and rest of the part is based on analytical research. It can be explained as a
statement of the are present with the researcher having no control over variable.
Descriptive research may be characterized as simply the attempt to determine
descriptive studies are closely associated with observational studies.
The main method in this thesis is Secondary method of Jonathan Swift satirizes
the follies and vices of his contemporary society in Gulliver’s Travels
.

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Literature Review
1.In his thesis paper titled “Swift's Gulliver's Travels Vs Modernization
(Philosophical Satire)” published in academia.edu , on 24/10/2015, Daniyal
Wali of University of Karachi, a Department Member, said that Jonathan
Swift is responding to the “Modern Revolution” in western thinking . Swift
uses satire as a way to protest the developments of modernity that had taken
place in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Swift does so in
deference to an older tradition, one reaching back to Socrates and Plato. Our
weakness in terms of virtue and reason is seen in sharp contrast with these
ancient models.
2.In his thesis paper titled “The Politics of Gulliver's Travels” published in
Sydney Studies in Society & Culture - 8, on 1993, Michael Wilding , M.
A. (Oxon), D. Litt. (Sydney), emeritus professor at the University of Sydney,
said that In his first three travels Gulliver never encounters primitive peoples.
The only people he communicates with or spends time with are all members of
highly developed societies. They are all political societies. From the beginning
Gulliver's presence in Lilliput presents political problems and he becomes the
focus of political intrigue: 'It seems that upon the first Moment I was
discovered sleeping on the Ground after my Landing, the Emperor had early
Notice of it by an Express: and determined in Council that I should be tyed in
the Manner I have related ... ' (I.l; 1 0). The immediate notification of Gulliver's
arrival to the King, the summoning of a council, stress the fact that Lilliput is
from our first encounter with it to be envisaged as a political world. The
political events and political practices of Lilliput have been related to the
political history of England during 1708-1715 by Firth, Case and others. But
the power of the book is not just restricted to these particular political allusions:
the general satire of the methods of promotion to ministerial office in Lilli put

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is parodic of the attitude of mind behind and nature of such procedures in any
political society.
3. In his thesis paper titled “The Body in Gulliver's Travels” published in
academia.edu, Arunima Bhattacharya, a graduate student of Lady Shri Ram
College For Women said that, in this text, Swift problematises the dichotomy
between the mind and body in order to shed light upon the limitations of
Enlightenment theories that were prevalent in the 18th century.The body, thus,
not only becomes a trope that enables the author to show how the physical
aspects of human existence could not be ignored or belittled in order to create a
simplistic notions about the nature of existence. Swift’s aim is to prove that man
is not a rational animal, but, at best, is capable of reason.
4. In his thesis paper titled “Parody, Satire and Sympathy in Don Quixote and
Gulliver's Travels” published in academia.edu on 2002, David Fishelov,
Faculty Member, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said that The relationship
between fiction and reality is different in Gulliver's Travels. Excessive reading
does not excite Gulliver's imagination. In fact, Lemuel Gulliver is portrayed as
an average Englishman and there is no indication that he had even read More's
Utopia or any other work pertaining to the tradition of literary utopias (e.g.
Bacon's New Atlantis). His imagination is stimulated not by books but by a
possible realization of a perfected society. If Cervantes had created an
imaginary world in which giants and magicians truly existed and Don Quixote
was fascinated by the conduct of such characters in such a world, we would get
something like the situation presented by Swift.
5. In his thesis paper titled “Gulliver as Orator: A Study of Rhetoric in
Gulliver's Travels” published in academia.edu on , Marjorie

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Schulenburg,Retired English Teacher and Academic, Aspiring Theologian said
that When we consider Gulliver’s Travels as a whole, we can see that the
changing relation of the Gulliver-persona to the people he visits, on one hand,
and to the reader, on the other, is intricately involved with the sub-theme of
successful rhetoric. Gulliver first goes to a land where he relates, in terms of
oratorical skill, to the inhabitants, certainly an ironic situation in terms of their
physical disparity. In Brobdingnag his very success in the realm of rhetoric
becomes a vehicle for diminishing him in a moral sense as he holds forth with
his skill on the questionable achievements and characteristics of his native
country, much to the skepticism of the king. When he comes to Laputa in Book
III, Gulliver’s rhetorical skill only accentuates his remoteness from the
inhabitants who, in their bizarre preoccupations, are beyond the possibility of
communication, and that most especially with regard to forms and decorum.
Finally, the Gulliver of Book IV is made to face a moral predicament in which
he must relinquish the rhetorical mask or be alienated completely from his
fellow men: by this time he is too inflexible to change and must be imagined as
hypocritical. The reader leaves Gulliver, then, not so much as a misanthrope
perhaps as a comic figure, ossified in his commitment to forms of speaking and
behavior and who yet, when confronted with the issue, would no doubt be like
forebear in oratory, from Hamlet “Madame, I swear, I use no art at all.”

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Discussion and Findings:
Chapter –Two
Why does Swift use satire in his novel?
During the eighteenth century there was an incredible upheaval of commercialization in
London, England. As a result, English society underwent significant, “changes in attitude
and thought”, in an attempt to obtain the dignity and splendor of royalty and the upper class .
As a result, English society held themselves in very high regards, feeling that they were the
elite society of mankind. In his novel, Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes this
English society in many ways. In the novel, Swift uses metaphors to reveal his disapproval
of English society. Through graphic representations of the body and its functions, Swift
reveals to the reader that grandeur is merely an illusion, a facade behind which English
society of his time attempted to hide from reality.
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On his first voyage, Swift places Gulliver in a land of miniature people where his giant size
is meant as a metaphor for his superiority over the Lilliputians, thus representing English
society’s belief in superiority over all other cultures. Yet, despite his belief in superiority,
Swift shows that Gulliver is not as great as he imagines when the forces of nature call upon
him to relieve himself. Gulliver comments to the reader that beforehand he, “was under great
difficulties between urgency and shame”, and after the deed says that he felt, “guilty of so
uncleanly an action” (Norton,2051). By revealing to the reader Gulliver’s shame in carrying
out a basic function of life, Swift comments on the self imposed supremacy of English
society. By humbling their representative, the author implies that despite the belief of the
English to be the most civilized and refined society, they are still human beings who are
slaves to the same forces as every other human being regardless of culture or race.
On the second voyage, Swift turns the tables on Gulliver and places him among a race of
giant people, the Brobdingnagians, where Gulliver is viewed as the inferior. Due to his
miniature size, Gulliver is able to examine the human body in a much more detailed manner.
Upon witnessing the undressing of the Maids of Honor, Gulliver expresses his aversion to
their naked bodies. They were, “very far from being a tempting sight”, and gave him, “any

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other emotions than those of horror and disgust”, because of the acuteness to which he was
able to observe their, “course and uneven , so variously colored” . Gulliver also talks of their
moles, “here and there as broad as a trencher, and hairs hanging from (them) thicker than
pack-threads” (Norton,2104). Earlier in the novel, upon witnessing the suckling of a baby,
Gulliver tells the reader that upon seeing the woman’s breast he, “[reflected] upon the fair
skins of [his] English ladies, who appear so beautiful… only because they are of [his] own
size” (Norton,2088). In showing Gulliver’s disgust at the sight of such prestigious and
beautiful women of Brobdingnag, Swift again comments on English society through a
graphic portrayal of the human body. Swift uses the Maids of Honor as a metaphor to
comment on the women of England, whom, among eighteenth century English society, were
believed to be the most beautiful of all the world. Showing that despite their apparent beauty,
they are not perfect, and suffer the same flaws and imperfections of appearance as any other
women.
At one point during Gulliver’s stay in Brobdingnag, Swift comments almost directly on his
distaste for the self imposed supremacy of English society over all other cultures. It happens
when the King of the land, his Majesty, comments on, “how contemptible a thing was human
grandeur, which could be mimicked by such diminutive insects as [Gulliver]”(Norton,2097).
Here, Swift bluntly criticizes the attitude of English society for considering themselves to be
so high in rank and eminence, by implying that even the smallest and least civilized creature
could assume such a high degree of superiority.
Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel of the eighteenth century English society, a society with
superficial ideas of grandeur and nobility. Through clever representations, Jonathan Swift
successfully humbles this society’s pride and human vanity. He reveals the flaws it their
thinking by reducing them to what they are, human beings, which, like any other group of
human beings is able to do, have merely adopted a superficial self righteous attitude. In doing
so, Swift makes a broader statement about mankind today. Despite all the self acclaimed
advances in civilization and technology, we are still merely human; suffering from the same
forces and flaws, impulses and imperfections as everyone else.

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Chapter- Three
How does Swift’s Satire vices and evil of a modern society in
Gulliver’s Travels
 Political
 Religious
 Satire on women
 Science
 War
 Dual aspects of human nature
 Satire on overall modern society and shows how in the name of
modernity people corrupts

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Swift’s Political Satire :
Gulliver’s Travels has been described to be a great satiric masterpiece. The book was not
written to entertain but to indict politicians, scientists, philosophers and Englishmen in
general.In Book I and II, Swift’s satire is more toward individual targets rather than firing a
broadside at abstract concepts. In Book I, he is primarily concerned with Whig politics and
politicians, rather than with abstract politicians.Received with cordiality and hospitality in
Lilliput, Gulliver began to pass his days in peace learning the language of the Lilliputians and
their manners and politics. In chapter three of Book I, Swift describes some of the activities
of the Imperial Court. The activities including rope-dancing and leaping over or creeping
under sticks are obviously a satire on the way in which political offices were distributed
among the candidates by the English king. Flimnap, the treasurer of the Gout of Lilliput is Sir
Robert Walpole who was the Prime Minister of England from 1715 to 1717 and then again
from 1721 to 1742. Dancing on a tightrope symbolizes Walpole’s skill in parliamentary
tactics and political intrigue. Similarly, Reldresal represents Lord Carteret who was
appointed by Walpole to the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The phrase, “One of the
king’s cushions” refers to one of King George’s mistresses who played a vital role in
bringing Walpole into the king’s favor after his fall in 1717. The building where Gulliver
stayed during his stay in Lilliput is perhaps the Westminster Hall where Charles I was
executed.The search of Gulliver’s body by the Lilliputians may be the satiric representation
of the committee set up by the Whigs to investigate the conduct of the previous government
and especially of Oxford and Bolingbroke who were suspected of the treasonable relationship
with France and the old pretender. On the occasion of George I in 1714, the Whigs come to
power and a committee was formed, in 1715. Swift here seems to be satirizing the activities
of the Whig Committee. In a similar way, Skyresh Bolgolam has been identified as the Earl
of Nottingham. Swift satirizes him because he withdrew his support from the Harley
Government. The award of the titles of the winners of various contests has been attacked.
The three fine silk threads order of the thistle respectively.The satirical view is evident in the
account of the conflict between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians. This account is
actually a commentary on the history of religious controversy in England. It also shows a
characteristic example of Swift’s ability to ridicule hair-splitting theological disputes. The
high heels and the low hells refer to the political fractions in England at that time.The war
that ensued following the question of breaking eggs refers to the long-standing enmity

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between England and France. Politically, Lilliput stands for England and Blefuscu for France.
England was a country of Protestants and France was a Catholic country. Naturally, the two
countries were at daggers drawn and the Lilliputians knew Blefuscu to be the only country in
the universe. The reference to the grandfather of the present emperor, who cut his finger
breaking an egg, is to Henry VIII. Henry broke with Rome over the question of Papal
authority and also over the matter of Anne Boleyn.Gulliver’s Travels is an allegorical satire.
In it, Swift presents the picture of the current political situations in a most satirical way. In
the concluding book, he gives us a hopeless picture of mankind but in the first two books, his
satire is more genial and comic.In Book II, he elects the immoral Englishmen, rather than
abstract immorality. Swift, by his experience of the social and political conditions of his time,
had come to know of the hidden spring of political power in the country. Not only that, he
knew the court and its intrigue for power and the religious controversies among the different
sections of the communities over minor and trivial questions. During his time, the struggle
for power was a constant source of political unrest and consequently, peace was absent in the
country. Swift’s dislike of politics and politicians was the reason for his bitter attack.
War satire :
In Chapter 3 of Book I, Swift satirizes the war of the Spanish succession. Swift uses
Gulliver’s naval victory to represent the Troy claims. In Book II, Swift’s satire was directed
not against any particular political persons or parties but against the immoral Englishmen
and their political behavior. The king of Brobdingnag became astonished when he heard that
the Lilliputians of which Gulliver was one, had the king, queen, ministers, and official.
Under the description how members are elected to parliament, Swift presents a satire of his
own country’s political institutions. The king rejects the proposal of gunpowder to destroy
his enemies; he shudders and condemns his country as inhabited by little Varmus.This is
further developed in Part II where the satire gains considerably in depth and sharpness, in the
ironic dialogue between the King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, which reads as utterly
relevant to our own times. Take, for example, the theme of war. Gulliver is the ironic
spokesperson of progress - in truth the point of view of an aggressive, expanding bourgeoisie
- when he informs the king of the tremendous "Progress" made in Europe by the invention of
gunpowder. He offers him the "Secret" of this invention. The king, however, is "struck with

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Horror" at its barbarity. The condition of England question is revisited in Part IV. In chapter
5, Gulliver informs the rational horse of the "State of England", the "Causes of War among
the Princes of Europe" and begins to "explain the English Constitution". Swift's criticism is
devastating - its principal object is the existence of war. The 'civilized' world is presented as
permanently at war, ruled by the wolfish principles of selfishness, lust for power and profit,
and aggression - the true motives and causes of war. The reference to Ireland again is
obvious:If a Prince sends Forces into a Nation, where the People are poor and ignorant, he
may lawfully put half of them to Death, and make Slaves of the Rest, in order to civilize and
reduce them from their barbarous Way of Living.
Satire on science:
Jonathan Swift, believed that the characteristics of man which make him distinct and superior
from lower animals are his rationality and reason. Therefore his perspective made him
skeptical about the newfound scientific theories that brought a radical change in man’s notion
about his place in the cosmos. As the revolutionary inventions of science along with the
pseudoscientific speculation about man’s future were replacing the aims and idea of religion
and were regarded by the common men as the emanation of truth, Swift felt, such attitude of
man was stripping him of human’s qualities and hastening the dwindling of his reason and
rationality. Swift violently opposed science and all abstracts learning, so he voices his protest
against the contemporary scientists and science which to the confused multitude was a great
progress but to Swift was only a part of their delusion, Gulliver’s Travels is Swift’s most
universal satire. He uses his satire as his logical weapon. As he laughs at scientific inventions
and scientists, he portrays them as ludicrous characters in his satire. He also exposes the
absurdity of the hollow and illogical scientific notions and speculations. Swift did not believe
that the Age of Science was the triumph through a great majority of his countrymen. To Swift,
science and reason need limits and they need a good measure of humanism they do not
require absolute devotion.Though Swift’s attack on science is direct, venomous, intensified
and hostile in Book III, his assault on contemporary scientists and the inventions and
interpretations can be marked in both Book I and II.In Book I, when Gulliver turns up his
pocket before the Lilliputian Emperor, the latter is surprised and confused at the variety and
the size of those objects. Flabbergasted by the function of Gulliver’s water, he asked the

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opinion of his learned man; but their interpretations were various and remote and never near
the truth. Here Swift expresses the fissure between the scientific interpretations of various
natural phenomena and activities. In Book II, scientists once again fall prey to the venom of
Swift’s satire where Gulliver with a comic vein describes the inability of the Brobdingnagian
scientists to classify the species of Gulliver and how they finally label him as a freak of
nature. Here Swift reflects Aristotle’s criticism of scientists who, he opined, spent usually
long time on trivial issues and whenever failing to resolve the conundrum (riddle) of the
occult, they usually misinterpret them and to find a subterfuge to disguise their ignorance.The
third voyage opens sensationally. Gulliver, after his primary misfortunes at the hands of
pirates, is startled and the readers with him by the appearance of the flying island of Laputa.
Obviously, the people of Laputa were scientifically more advanced than European scientists.
The astronomers of Laputa had also made greater discoveries than the European astronomers
because of the superiority of Laputan telescopes. However, it is more likely that Swift is here
making fun of the researches and experiments of the Royal Society of England.The interest
of other scientists of the time in the possibility of flying machines is ridiculed rather wrongly
in the massive proportion and complexity of this particular machine. But the sketch of its
employment as a coercive military weapon is in parts of uncannily prophetic. Laputa can
operate only within a limited distance of the terrestrial island Balnibarbi, in which the
controlling magnetic influence is concentrated. None the less, Laputans dominate the
inhabitants of the parent island.Swift fills his readers’ mind fall of reminiscence of scientific
speculations with the description of the island.. In his description of the Laputans, Swift
indulges his dislike for pure mathematicians. They are represented as hopelessly impractical
and the unhappy results of their applied mathematics of filling clothes.
Swift now moves Gulliver to Balnibarbi, where he more thoroughly satirizes science and
technological reasoning. In Balnibarbi, Swift discredits the king of intelligence that is
interested in the way things work without considering the ends. In chapter 4, 5, and 6 he
stigmatizes the moral of the engineers. All the projects that Gulliver describes are parodies of
undertakings seriously advanced by English scientists. To illustrate the engineering mentality,
Swift has all his experimenters reversing a natural process of all the Balnibarbians and the
host of Gulliver in Lagoda, alone is obedient to natural process. Those who listen to project
and scientific experimentations cause their land to become barren and desolate. Gulliver’s
visit to the academy of the projectors in London, the metropolis of Balnibarbians is a great
one. Gulliver watches one man trying to extract sunshine from cucumber while another is

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trying to reduce human excrement to its original food. Some attempt to make gunpowder
from ice and houses are built from roof to down and so on. All the projects fail and Swift
exposes them as pointless and useless. Each of the absurd projects that Gulliver reports in this
Book reverses a natural process.
Dual aspects of human nature
Gulliver's Travels is an anatomy of human nature, a sardonic looking-glass, often criticized
for its apparent misanthropy. 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.
On the subject of misanthropy Swift famously said,
“Principally I hate and detest that animal called man"
Swift called man not the "animal rationale" but only the "rationiscapax”, animal capable of
reason.
In a letter to Alexander Pope Swift wrote:
“I have ever hated all Nations professions and Communities and all my love is towards
individuals. . .Upon this great foundation of misanthropy the whole building of my travels
is erected”
He admits that the chief end of all his labour is “to vex the world rather than divert it”.
Swift so violently ‘vexed’ the world that different critics from his own time to this day have
bitterly criticized him.Gulliver’s Travel’s serves as a magnifying mirror to show us our faults
so that we can see how far we have strayed from reasonable behavior.In the first part of the
book, Swift takes us to the land of midgets, the “human creatures not more than six inches
high”. Lilliput is a miniature empire with a little monarch who entitled himself as "delight
and terror of the universe".In Lilliput, which is, quite literally, a microcosm, the vices and
follies not merely of England but of all mankind are epitomized. The human race viewed in

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miniature, at first seems rather charming; but the tiny creatures soon turn out to be cunning,
malicious, treacherous and revengeful. They are ready to sacrifice all humane feeling,
whether towards Gulliver or the Blefuscudians, to their own petty ambitions.
In Brobdingnag, however, it is as if we are looking at humanity through a magnifying glass.
Gulliver is often repulsed by both the size and coarseness of the physical bodies of the
Brobdingnagians. But Swift throws in a nice twist with the first two parts of Gulliver's
Travels. Though the Brobdingnagians are more repulsive physically because of their size,
they are categorized by Gulliver as "the least corrupted". When Gulliver gives brief
description of the political and legal institutions of England to
Brobdingnagian King, the King dismissively concludes:
"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."
Swift was certainly not one of the optimists typical of his century. He did not believe that the
‘Age of Science’ was a triumph. Science and reason needed limits, and they did not require
absolute devotion. In order to satirize mankind in general and science in particular, Swift
takes us to an imaginary floating island where the inhabitants were wholly engrossed in their
fruitless meditation.
"Their heads were all reclined either to the right, or the left; one of their eyes turned inward,
and the other directly up to the zenith.
”
As Gulliver reaches the land governed by philosophical horses Houyhnhnms, he is instantly
confronted with a pack of Yahoos which give him such an obnoxious and disgusting
treatment that he develops an intense hatred for them, owing to their vile physical appearance
and their filthy and mischievous way of life. Gulliver highlights:
“Upon the whole, I never behold in all my travels so disagreeable an animal, nor one
against which I naturally conceived so strong an antipathy.”
Gulliver’s epiphany occurs he identifies himself with the detestable Yahoos:
“My horror and astonishment are not to be described, when I observed in this
abominable animal, a perfect human figure.”

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The theme of Gulliver’s hatred of mankind is climaxed when he told he must leave
Houyhnhnmland. Thus Gulliver would rather die than live among his own race of Yahoos.
Nonetheless, he must leave. But he plans not to go home, but to find some small uninhabited
island so that he can, in solitude. Yet, fate would not allow it. He is discovered by Portuguese
Captain and seamen and is forcibly rescued and given passage to Lisbon. With the
short-sightedness of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver perceives only the Yahoo and is repelled by
Captain Don Pedro de Mendez’s clothes, food, and odour as he remarks:
“I wondered to find such civilities from a Yahoo. However, I remained silent and sullen; I
was ready to faint at the very smell of him and his men.”
Gulliver remains true to his gullible nature as he seems unable to discern the negative aspects
of the Houyhnhnms’ rational philosophy. Swift, on other hand, uses these quadrupeds to
show how reason untouched by love, compassion, and empathy is also inadequate to deal
with the myriad aspects of the human life.
Satire on religion :
According to the ‘Doctrine of Original Sin’ of St. Augustine, who has a great influence on
Christianity, human being is originally of sinful nature sharing the sin of Adam and Eve who
were ‘cursed’ and expelled from the garden of Eden. Again Adam and Eve felt ashamed of
their nakedness in front of God after experience of having the forbidden fruit. Same is the
case of Gulliver in front of the Master Houyhnhnm after his ‘original’ state having been
discovered. But the Yahoos of the land actually represent the pre-fallen or innocent state of
mankind. So they do not have any shame of nakedness.Therefore, from the theological point
of view, this can not have any satirical purpose, but just a religious interpretation That is, he
hates the ‘cursed’ race of ‘man of original sin’ , but loves some individuals. Swift is here
self-contradictory. Actually his “chief end … is to vex the world rather than to divert it”.
Moreover, having corrected his sins by keeping company with Houyhnhnms, now Gulliver
tries to keep himself aloof from the ‘cursed’ race of Yahoos, i.e. from mankind. But as far as
the Doctrine of Original Sin is concerned, how can he, being a descendant of Adam and Eve,
be apart from the basic fallen nature of human being?
Swift once said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us
love one another.” This idea is explicitly illustrated in his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels.

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Through Gulliver’s fantastic adventures in such countries as Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa,
and the country of the Houyhnhnms, Swift gives a devastating satire to society and human
foibles. Through this mirror, the evil and absurdities of the 18th century England are reflected
in an exaggerating manner: corruption in politics, evil in religion, impracticality of scientific
research, and human weakness such as greed, vanity, and sloth. In Liliput, a country of
people no taller than 6 inches, Gulliver talks about their troubles at home and aggression
from abroad. The government is divided into two parties: High Heels and Low Heels, and
their variances endanger the nation .Meanwhile, the religious discrepancy has dragged the
country into a war as long as 36 months – remember the entire history of the nation is but
6000 months. Upon that, the civil war has also led to a war with a neighboring country
Blefuscu.It began upon the following occasion. It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive
way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger end; but his present majesty’s
grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient
practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the emperor his father published an
edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their
eggs. Thepeople so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us, there have been six
rebellions raised on that account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown.
These civil commotions were constantly fomented by the monarchs of Blefuscu; and when
they were quelled, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire... During the course of
these troubles, the emperors of Blefusca did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors,
accusing us of making a schism in religion, by offending against a fundamental doctrine of
our great prophet Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral (which is their
Alcoran). This, however, is thought to be a mere strain upon the text; for the words are these:
‘that all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.The wars among these tiny
people remind us of the countless massacres and domestic disturbance in British history and
the lasting wars between England and France, triggered off by religious disagreement. When
we reexamine those bloody wars through the eye of Gulliver looking at the Lilliputians, the
bone of contention, which seems so vital, is actually as insignificant as from which end to
break an egg. However, just these trivial disputes cause such great disaster. What
unreasonable creatures human beings are!

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Satire on overall modern society and shows how in the name of
modernity people corrupts :
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
Moreover Swift wants to demonstrate that some people can abuse of power in society . The
Brobdingnagians could abuse of power if they want because they are physically superior to
Gulliver . The Lilliputians, conversely, abuse of power as taking advantage on the gullible
nature of Gulliver by holding him prisoner . Besides Swift also uses satire to show us a
contrast between his descriptions of bodily functions and the descriptions of rationality .
Swift wants to remind the society that underneath their pretention and rationality , they are
made of the same flaws . Through his satire, Swift wants to highlight that knowledge does
not mean wisdom . Lilliputians have knowledge but they just want to gain power . The
Brobdingnagians, conversely , don’t have knowledge but they are moral .
Gulliver describes his initial reaction to having numerous Lilliputians walking all over his
body. In this scene, Gulliver finds himself a prisoner in Lilliput, a nation of tiny people next
to whom he stands a giant. He manages to free one of his hands, so he naturally thinks about
harming his captors. Yet he restrains himself by remembering that they have already caused
him pain by shooting him with hundreds of tiny arrows and binding him with hundreds of
strings. He rationalizes his fear of them by telling himself his self-restraint represents his
honor. The standoff between Gulliver and the Lilliputians echoes the uneasy balance of
power between a single powerful ruler and his many subjects:

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I confess I was often tempted, while they were passing backwards and forwards on my
body, to seize forty or fifty of the first that came in my reach, and dash them against the
ground. But the remembrance of what I had felt, which probably might not be the
worst they could do, and the promise of honour I made them, for so I interpreted my
submissive behavior, soon drove out these imaginations.
Gulliver reflects on his perilous situation after washing ashore in Brobdingnag and coming
across the land’s enormous inhabitants. At first, he bemoans the loss of status his small
stature will entail. Then he realizes he should fear for his life. Having learned nothing from
his own previous experiences, Gulliver expects the huge barbarians to eat him. Gulliver’s
expectations arise from fear and prejudice: He assumes the capacity for cruelty to be
proportional to physical size. As he learns more about Brobdingnag, however, Gulliver puts
aside his prejudices and recognizes the admirable qualities of the country and government.
I reflected what a mortification it must prove to me to appear as inconsiderable in this
nation as one single Lilliputian would be among us. But this I conceived was to be the
least of my misfortunes: for, as human creatures are observed to be more savage and
cruel in proportion
to their bulk, what could I expect but to be a morsel in the mouth of the first among
these enormous barbarians that should happen to seize me?
Gulliver describes how the rulers on the floating island of Laputa control the land of
Balnibarbi, over which they rule. The king possesses the power to crush rebellion by crashing
the entire island onto a city, but by doing so he risks destroying the entire island. Thus the
king manages an uneasy balance of power. The reader recognizes a similar principle of
deterrence used in international relations. A person or government can use threats and attacks
to maintain power, but exercising power too harshly risks the rulers’ self-destruction:
And the King, when he is highest provoked, and most determined to press a city to
rubbish, orders the island to descend with great gentleness, out of a pretence of
tenderness to his people, but indeed for fear of breaking the adamantine bottom; in
which case it is the opinion of all their philosophers, that the loadstone could no longer
hold it up, and the whole mass would fall to the ground.
In this novel swift satires the corruption of government in modern world. Reldresal, the
principal secretary for private affairs at the imperial court of Lilliput, explains the political

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situation in Lilliput to Gulliver. The passage satirizes the history of England, with its
numerous wars and rebellions fought over the Roman Catholic and Protestant religions.
Charles I lost his life in 1640 in the English Civil War, and James II lost his crown in the
Glorious Revolution of 1688. Both kings were charged with being secret Catholics. The
juxtaposition points out the tragic absurdity of fighting wars over religion. He said:
Whereupon the Emperor his father published an edict, commanding all his subjects,
upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly
resented this law, that our histories tell us, there have been six rebellions raised on that
account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown.
Again , Gulliver spends hours conversing with the king of Brobdingnag, a land of giants in
which Gulliver, despite his size, stands as a tiny stranger. With patriotic fervor, Gulliver
explains the government of England to the king, who remains unimpressed. In his questions
and observations about government, the king of Brobdingnag voices the political dissent of
the times in which the book was published. The existence of a standing English army in
Ireland was proof that Irishmen were not a free people governed by their own consent:
Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing army in the midst of
peace, and among a free people. He said if we were governed by our own consent in the
persons of our representatives, he could not imagine of whom we were afraid, or against
whom we were to fight; and would hear my opinion, whether a private man’s house
might not be better defended by himself, his children, and family, than by half a dozen
rascals picked up at a venture in the streets, for small wages, who might get an hundred
times more by cutting their throats.
Gulliver describes his observations of Balnibarbi, a land ruled from Laputa, a floating island
of abstract thinkers. The Laputan rulers established academies in Balnibarbi, all dedicated to
absurdly nonsensical projects like extracting sunshine from cucumbers or building houses
from the roof down. Gulliver accepts the science projects at face value but balks at the
schemes of the political school for a rational, humane government, too crazy even for the
ever-gullible Gulliver to believe:

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In the school of political projectors I was but ill entertained, the professors appearing in
my judgment wholly out of their senses, which is a scene that never fails to make me
melancholy. These unhappy people were proposing schemes for persuading monarchs
to choose favourites upon the score of their wisdom, capacity and virtue; of teaching
ministers to consult the public good; of rewarding merit, great abilities, and eminent
services; of instructing princes to know their true interest, by placing it on the same
foundation with that of their people.
Satire on Women:
Gulliver's Travels is a humorous and critical satire which attacks British and European
society . Swift criticizes women by focusing on the representation of their body . Their flaws
are magnified through Gulliver's point of view . It shows that all beauty is relative . Gulliver
is treated like a doll by the Maids of Honour and he is deprived of humanity . Gulliver is
exposed to many dangers such as the Linnet in the country of Brobdingnagians . Through
Gulliver's Travels , Swift depicts a satire of humanity and the English nation . Gulliver's
Travels is one of the most important satire in literature . Irony is one of the most considerable
weapons of satire . Swift criticizes the political life of his time, the monarchy, the courts, the
English nation and the European institution . Swift often uses irony to talk about human
nature . Swift uses irony in The Modest Proposal because he wants the readers to recognize
inhumanity of people when it is linked to social problems . Swift often uses irony to point out
problems in society so that the readers can become aware of them. It can be a satire of the
fragility of the human body . Gulliver is repulsed by women in the country of giants . The
disgust of women foreshadows his rejection of his wife . He physically rejected them so he
cannot past their physical being and see that they are highly moral than the English nation .
Swift uses exaggeration to criticize women . For example he said :
Their Skins appeared so coarse and uneven , so variously coloured when I saw near them
with a Mole here and there as broad as a Trencher , and Hairs hanging from it thicker
than Pack-Threads.
Swift wants to show us as horrible can be the human body by using exaggeration . The
satirical technique Swift uses is to attack modernity . He is concerned about the growing
power in Europe . He wants to tell the society what he really thinks of them . For example, in
the country of Brobdingnagians, he uses them because they show off by using Gulliver for

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entertainment . This reflects that people in society likes to show off .Swift is not a misogynist,
he does not despise the women kind rather he is simply presenting a witty exposure of the
dirty habits and lacks of good sense of certain types of women of his times. He does not
attack the whole female race , rather those who ate full of vanity relating their physical
beauty.

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Chapter –Four
What does Swift want to teach by Satirizing his
contemporary society?
Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, is the first-person account of Lemuel Gulliver,
an English surgeon and sea captain who visits remote regions of the world. A brief reminder
of Gulliver’s four trips is as follows: On his first adventure Gulliver ends up on Lilliput, a
captive of tiny people only six inches tall who are at war with another empire over which end
of an egg should be broken first when eating it. His second adventure is to Brobdingnag
where he is a tiny person in a land of giants many times bigger than him. He shares stories
about his country of England and the giants are appalled by many things including the idea
of gunpowder and, especially, that it would be used to hurt people. Gulliver’s third adventure
takes him to the flying island of Laputa where the people have interesting perspectives and
plenty of what we would consider eccentricities, like extracting sunbeams from
cucumbers.His fourth and final adventure takes Gulliver to a land of super smart horses,
called Houyhnhnms, and not so smart people, called Yahoos.The book is a fun read and I
particularly enjoyed reading the reactions of the people Gulliver met when he shared how
people from his home country viewed the world. The people Gulliver visited considered
many of the western customs (much of which we still follow today) as absurd and the reader
can easily grasp their perspective.As I recently finished re-reading Gulliver’s Travels, I
couldn’t help but think of three big lessons:Get out of your comfort zone – I know it is a
cliche, but the lessons Gulliver learned were a direct result of him getting out of his comfort
zone. My friend Michele Assad, who also happens to be an ex-CIA agent, says “nothing
impact happens in your comfort zone." Be a learner – Gulliver’s Travels demonstrates how
we can easily view other people’s perspectives as absurd while they simultaneously consider
our perspectives just as absurd. Very, very few people seek truth; most people seek
validation of what they already believe. I find it interesting during the current COVID-19
crisis to see how different people can look at the same exact data but make it fit into their
preexisting narrative of the crisis. The same thing happens in politics where people celebrate
something their politician did when they would condemn the same action if done by
someone from another party. It is way easier to be a “knower” than a “learner,” but the best
leaders are “learners;” they seek truth, not confirmation.Pride is powerful and negative -

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Swift ends the book with a speech by Gulliver decrying pride and the way it blinds people to
instruction. Pride is extremely dangerous because it keeps us from being a learner when we
really know very little. Several years ago, I read the book “Derailed” by Tim Irwin. In the
book Irwin reviewed the careers of several very successful business leaders who lost their
way. I remember thinking downfall ALWAYS comes back to pride. Every leader can be
more successful by understanding and embracing the importance of humility. One of the
reasons I love reading is that there is so much to learn and learning make us better, much
better. Even classic fiction like Gulliver’s Travels can open our minds to the possible and
catapult us to new and better ways of thinking.

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Findings
Gulliver's Travels is a satire on the vices and follies of contemporary society. He satire the
political condition of England Government and the vices and follies related to that. He brings
out the religious issues between Roman Catholics and Protestants . The political clash
between the Tories and the Whigs in British Parliament is depicted by the clash between
Tramecksan (High heel) and Slamecksan (Low heel).
Swift also lunched his satirical butt upon Women. He satires the ugliness of the female body
which women take pride of. He also attacks the female frivolousness and laziness. Gulliver in
Lilliput starts as a normal travel narrative with Gulliver describing himself and his life so far
to the reader. He tells us of his intention of travelling and how he got a position as a surgeon
on board ship. He sailed for a while before settling in London, marrying and starting a
business that ultimately failed. The failure of his business prompts him to return to the sea
where the adventure and real story begins. His ship sailed into a rock and sank while he got
away and finds himself shipwrecked on an island. Weary with battling the elements, Gulliver
falls asleep on the ground at the island only to awake to find himself tied up. He then sees
small figures all around him and realizes that his captors are small humanlike creatures.
Gulliver surrenders himself to them and the Emperor of the island has him moved to the
capital, where he is bound to an ancient temple which is only just big enough to house him.
The Emperor appointed teachers for Gulliver to learn the language which he slowly does.
Gulliver gets in the Emperor’s favour because of his manners and receives permission to
travel freely with some restrictions though, such as not to enter the city. He has multiple
conversations with the Emperor and the nobility and describes everything he sees with much
detail, comparing the differences with his native England. Gulliver goes on to describe his
stay on the island and what he does while he is there, how he prevents an invasion and a fire
by his sheer physicality, and is given the highest honour for this by the Emperor. He then
describes how he fell from favour with the Emperor and was impeached, so he makes his
escape to the neighbouring island of Blefuscu where he is celebrated. However, Gulliver has
growing doubts about these small people and wishes to get home. He gets lucky as a small
boat washes ashore and he makes his way from the Kingdom of Blefuscu. He had with him
some provisions and a few of the miniature cattle and is rescued at sea by a passing ship

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which in turn returns him to his native England. He then tells us that he made some money by
displaying his small animals from his previous journey and that he only stayed in England for
two months. He sells his cattle and heads out for another adventure. On his second journey,
the ship is carried off the intended course by a great storm. At last they see a land and
Gulliver is one of the people who go ashore for provisions. However, he is left behind when a
giant scares the others, who flee on the boat. Gulliver is captured and brought to a farmer
who takes him in. He gives descriptions of all the large things around him and his troubles
with it as well as battling with rats. The farmer’s daughter becomes fond of Gulliver and
teaches him the language and takes care of him. The farmer finds a way to make a profit of
displaying
Gulliver to his fellow countrymen and brings him on the road to small towns and to the
capital. The Queen of this land, Brobdingnag, learns of this peculiar being and has Gulliver
bought from the farmer. Gulliver is brought to the King and has conversations with him,
giving him great descriptions of his native England and Europe in hopes that the King can
utilize some of the knowledge from Gulliver’s society. Swift describes to the reader all the
things Gulliver witnesses in the country and the country’s political system compared to
England’s. He has several adventures, which he describes, most stemming from his littleness.
These adventures, such as quarrelling with the Queen’s dwarf, almost being squashed by an
apple, playing with boats and houses specially built for him and being carried off by a
monkey, are all described in detail. He also tells the reader how his relative size makes him
see the ugliness of many things from this perspective of being much smaller than usual and of
the many defects he can find with the Brobdingnagians. He grows homesick and as luck
would have it, he is carried away by a bird and dropped into the sea, where he is saved by a
passing ship. He returns to England and tells of his difficulty to adjust to normal sized society
again, shouting everything he says and finding everything very small, before telling us that he
is heading out for a third voyage.

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Chapter- Five
Conclusion
Gulliver's Travels had appealed to everyone; it was an interesting simple story for
children and a challenging satire for adults, complicated enough to confuse them. Jonathan
Swift, through Gulliver’s Travels, showed the need for reason in the political interactions
of England and Ireland during the reign of King George II. The ideas included the unjust
ways and actions the royalty and the privileged class took against the working and lower
class. Swift’s work became prophetic and implied for 18th
century England.
The first significant way in which Gulliver’s Travels’ satire engaged was the utopian
mode; second was its rejection of the ideal earthy society and with this denial, it reached to
the conclusion as Utopia22
. The satire of the utopian conventions in Gulliver’s Travels was
both general and specific. Swift’s tale shared with the utopian form, it used fantastic journeys
and shipwrecks, the naïve narrator, stories of new places and seemingly ideal societies,
according to Chloe Houston’s essay, “Gulliver’s Travels and the Utopian Mode of
Discourse.” There were the features which had led scholars to place it within “a canon which
included Plato’s Republic, Lucian’s True History, More’s Utopia, the works of Rabelais, and
Bacon’s New Atlantis,” whether it was indeed “utopian fiction or merely a Menippean
satire.” Jonathan Swift aimed to make people understand the actual situations using satire
and showed the people of that era that they should use their power of reason.
Swift was certainly an interesting and in some ways peculiar man. He was somewhat of an
opportunist, and he wrote of what he felt was needed. He criticized and satirized what he felt
was wrong in society and especially in politics. Swift had his own opinions and did not
blindly follow any party or social constitution. His views seem to have mellowed over the
years and not be as radical, arguably the reason being that the government was always
looking for dissenters and enemies to investigate or prosecute. Swift did not see members of
other political parties as enemies but only those who truly were corrupt and not fit to be in
charge.
He does not offer concrete answers to the things he is criticizing in his writing but rather
23points out what is wrong and what can be done better. He was an idealist, even though he
sometimes seems misanthropic towards the human condition and about people in general. He
felt that man is in his nature corrupt and those who get to power are often the ones who are

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the most corrupt. However, he seemed to hope to open people’s eyes and make them realize
this with his writing. It is admirable to see that Swift stood up for what he believed in and
tried to raise people’s awareness. He masterfully defied the government in such a way that
they could not impeach him since he was not breaking any laws or making direct accusations
or comparisons.
Swift intended Gulliver’s Travels to be a satire of eighteenth -century society in Europe, but
much of what he wrote is still relevant today. Of course his criticism of the Hanoverian
regime is aimed at British eighteenth century society, but the larger picture of being critical
of the government is still a real point of truth and relevance. Even though contemporary
scholars who analyse the book are mostly interested in the politics of the time, the book is a
timeless classic in many other aspects. Pointing out the government’s shortcomings and
corruption of values is a leading aspect of critical thinking regardless of the reader’s
nationality or culture. The morality of man is another element that we are constantly looking
at and judging and has a real relevance in today’s society.
Much of the books’ satire is, though, just reports of what Lemuel Gulliver sees and they
would doubtless have been a success even though it had only been accounts and reports of
the picturesque kingdoms which Gulliver came across during his travels. In fact countless
children’s versions of it have been made without saying anything on the moral or political
context. Much of its attractiveness was to come up with the story between the large people
and the small people but the books as they stands still owe most of their brilliance to their
satire and hidden messages. Swift achieves this by incorporating Gulliver in the story and not
making him a mere observer.
Much of what we see in Gulliver’s Travels is a child of its time, but still it is a timeless
classic in the sense that the real condition of man [‘la condition humaine’] is unchanging and
man is always struggling with the same elements or same kind of problems. Gulliver’s travels
to Lilliput and Brobdingnag are as much an account of the morality of man as well as his
politics, and these are, of course, intertwined in the morality of men in politics.

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Chapter- Six
References
1. Ellen Douglass Leyburn. Certain Problem of Allegorical Satire in “Gulliver’s
Travels” Huntington Library Quarterly, Vol 13, No 2 (Feb 1950) pp 161-189.
University of California Press. Web. 26 Dec..
2. Eugene R. Hammond. Nature –Reason-Justice in Utopia and Gulliver’s Travels, Studies
in English Literature, 1500-1900 vol 22, No 3, Restoration and Eighteenth century
(Summer 1982),pp 445-468, Rice University. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.
3. Frank Brady, Vexations and Diversions: Three problems in “ Gulliver’s Travels” Modern
Philology, vol 75, No 4 ( May 1978), pp 346-367, The University of Chicago Press. Web. 4
Jan. 2014.
4. Frederik N. Smith. The Genres of “Gulliver’s Travels “Eighteenth Century studies, Vol 24
No. 3 ( Spring , 1991) pp 378-381, The Johns Hopkins University press: American
Society for Eighteenth Century studies ( ASECS ). Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
5. J.A. Downie, Political Characterization in “Gulliver’s Travels” . The Yearbook of English
Studies, Vol 7 (1977), pp 108-120. Modern Humanities Research Association. Web. 3 Mar.
2014.
6. Miriam K. Starkman, “Swift’s Rhetoric: the ‘Overfraught Pinnace?’” South Atlantic
Quarterly, 68 (1969),
7. Raymond J. Smith, Jr., “The ‘Character’ of Lemuel Gulliver,” Tennessee Studies in
Literature 10 (1965)
8. W. B. Ewald, The Masks of Jonathan Swift (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1954)
9. C. J. Rawson Gulliver and the “Gentle Reader”:Studies in Swift in Our Time (London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1973)

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