ipl-logo

Gulliver's Travels Satire

895 Words4 Pages

Q. Other than the fact that Gulliver’s Travels is a satire and a fantasy novel, what else does it represents?
Gulliver’s Travels is an indictment on political systems, follies of human learning, scientists, philosophers and the nature of English people in general. Swift satirizes various aspects of English society by fanaticizing Gulliver’s visit to the land of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa and Houyhnhnms. Swift compares the way of humanity in England with several other ways of living. Gulliver’s Travels is a satire and a fantasy novel however it also represents the genres of comedy, science fiction and travelogue.
Gulliver’s Travels is a comedy because human flaws and the society are exaggerated by providing funny scenes in the story. Gulliver’s …show more content…

. In his adventurous journey to the floating island of Laputa, Gulliver says that the inhabitants of that land are enamored of mathematics, music, experimenting and astronomical predictions however, they have poorly structured houses with no right angles (Higgit, 2013). People of Laputa are worried that the sun might go out which is unlikely to happen. Laputians have to pay attention to any person they are speaking to and if they fail, they are being hit by flappers and such punishments doesn’t exist at present. Gulliver’s visit to the Grand Academy of Lagado, he finds the scientists trying to extract sunlight from cucumber, turning feces into food, making gun powder from ice and endeavoring to hire the spiders as weavers are futuristic. The governor bringing back the life of Alexander the Great and parade of another famous person and Gulliver speaking to famous people like Homer, Aristotle and Descartes are all work of fiction. The children of Struldbrug being immortal are also unreal. Thus, the places Gulliver visited and the way of living of the people makes Gulliver’s travels a work of science

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Devices In Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal

    983 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mohammed Ismail AP Language Composition Lyons, William December 9, 2014 Rhetorical Devices Used in Jonathan Swifts Modest Proposal The essay Modest Proposal, written by Jonathan Swift perhaps known better for his novel Gulliver’s travels wrote this piece, because during his time he addressed solutions to many contemporary social issues by writing them on pamphlets. Swift’s main purpose in writing this essay is to avert children from being less of a problem to their parents and the public. The author tries not addressing his subject directly, children, instead Swift introduces the concept of a market, livestock, breeders, etc., to address the overcrowding and poverty stricken children in Dublin, Ireland.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of A Modest Proposal

    633 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the use of satire, rhetorical tropes and political implications, Swift is able to create a convincing proposal to persuade his audience to his idea of a perfect world. This can be exhibited through the first few sentences where Swift uses melodramatic phrases through describing how he has “been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts” (Swift)

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Essay: A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

    576 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay: A Modest Proposal Dr. Jonathan Swift places himself as a villain who is willing to do evil deeds to answer hard questions. What pushes Swift to write the essay “A Modest Proposal” is Ireland's economic and social problems. In this satirical essay Swift highlights the problems in Ireland and gives a sarcastic solution to make people feel guilt. Swift’s use of dehumanizing language is used to make the reader oppose Swift’s modest proposal.

    Read More

  • Parallel Structure Of A Modest Proposal

    647 Words  | 3 Pages

    The essay” A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift was a controversial one during its time. The essay was written in response to the great possible the Irish kingdom had which was poverty. He wrote the essay to address it in his own way. This angered and disgusted the upper class who were being targeted. Swift makes an insightful argument with an abundance of satire, uses a parallel structure and a problem solution model to subtly put his point across Swift uses sarcasm as his main medium to communicate his idea while also utilizing other aspects of satire.

    Read More

  • Medieval Satire In Monty Python And The Holy Grail

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    Medieval romance novels revolve around knights who follow a code of chivalry and courtly love as well as embark on a perilous quests. Medieval romances typically do not include farce or satire. Farce is a type of comedy which includes exaggerated humor and mockery. Satire is the use of irony and ridicule to criticize or point out various aspects of society. Monty Python and the Holy Grail mocks the characteristics of a medieval romance such as the quest, knightly chivalry and courtly love through the use of satire and irony.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

    1163 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ever thought about consuming a one-year-old baby with nice plump features? Most people will not consider such an immoral act; however, desperate times may force people to make difficult choices. This is the case in Dublin, Ireland in the late 1720’s. The attainment of human rights in the fullest sense cannot be achieved so long as hundreds of millions of poverty-stricken people lack the necessities of life. As a call to reform, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal.”

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In A Modest Proposal

    1413 Words  | 6 Pages

    1729, a Papist infected Ireland was being devoured by the taxes that the British placed on them. The taxes were turning into what once was a glorious place into ruins. Jonathan Swift, an Englishman and Irish sympathizer, realized that someone had to do something to wake up the British. This lead to the creation of A Modest Proposal, a pamphlet heavy with irony and juvenalian satire, which was how Jonathan Swift planned on compelling the British to do something about the poor situation in Ireland. His use of rhetorical devices gets his point across in an effective and powerful way.

    Read More

  • Satire In Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal

    805 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the time when Swift’s proposal was made, Britain’s dictatorial reign in Ireland had left the nation in poverty and disarray. Criticising a nation was much easier to do in a joking tone or be harder to read rather than direct and upfront. Swift wanted to discuss these issues and found by writing in satire he could have the readers’ attention in way that a seriously written piece could not reach. Satire is present when Swift convinces the audience that he is an empathetic individual introducing the proposal with a sophisticated and compassionate manner beginning in the sentence, "I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (1)," luring the reader into a sense of false trust as he begins the descriptions of the poor in Ireland. The reader is led to believe at first that this is a serious essay however it is not until deep into the proposal the reader can see how Swift uses satire to propose his thoughts found in the sentence, “a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled;” continuing on that, “no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust (1).”

    Read More

  • British Society In Gulliver's Travels

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”. This quote is perfect for this novel because Gulliver’s Travels judges the British society of the particular time period through the heart and soul of the main character Gulliver. Gulliver’s Travels makes many annotations on British society of their particular time period. As Gulliver visits different islands at the time he discovers many different societies and their people. All the societies that Gulliver discovers are used as a comparison to British society of the time period throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Use Of Satire In A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

    739 Words  | 3 Pages

    In literature, the element of satire is employed to illustrate or exploit the corruption of a society by means of exaggeration, black humor, highbrow wit, or mockery. The writer's intent is to make permanent change for a problem or fight a cause in a society that otherwise looks away in ignorance. In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift spins a web of masterful satire to propose a grisly solution to the problem of poverty, which mocks the folly of the 18th century socially elite and puts the blame on the greed of the wealthy for the sickly state of the nation. The Restoration and the 18th century for the British was a time of great commercial and economic prosperity, and the Anglican Church remained closely tied with the governmental power

    Read More

  • Why Does Jonathan Swift Use Of Satire

    631 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this selection, A Modest Proposal written by Jonathan Swift, he uses a great deal of satire throughout his essay to prove his point and get people to thinking. Satire is a great tool especially in real-world issues, it is a very clever way to inform people while also challenging them to reflect and maybe even reconsider popular or even not so popular ideas. Jonathan Swift exemplifies his usage of satire in his essay to address social and government issues, lower class abuses, this was a way to prevent the children of the poor from being a burden to their parents and/or country and making them beneficial to the people of the country. An example of Swift's usage of satire is when he makes an extravagant claim to reveal and explain to the

    Read More

  • A Modest Proposal Satire Analysis

    834 Words  | 4 Pages

    Swift’s satire consisted of many “modest theories.” For example, you may have heard people talk about overpopulation. You may have your own theories about it, but what about eating children? In this instance, Jonathan Swift used his form of humor, also known as satire, to get his point across, in which wrote a pamphlet called “A Modest Proposal,” a mockery for the ideas of how to deal with overpopulation. “Satire is a technique employed by writers to

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift is a satire that proposes an ironic solution to Ireland 's suffering problem with poverty and overcrowding. Swift proposes the solution of selling children to wealthy families or taverns to be cooked and served. This unrealistic solution shows how absurd of an idea was needed to get the attention of the government. The main purpose of writing his satire was to bring attention to the horrendous conditions that poverty ridden families were suffering from in Ireland during the 1700s.

    Read More

  • The Use Of Satire In The Canterbury Tales

    588 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perks of Sarcasm (Chaucer 's Use of Satire to Reach Intended Audience) Geoffrey Chaucer, also known as, “The Father of English Literature,” uses satire in his stories to influence his intended audience. Satire is the use of humor or irony to reveal a person 's stupidity. Considering Chaucer 's stories are legendary, he never fails to through some satire into his writing. With that being said, using it while writing a story is one of the most effective ways of writing.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    First, he presents a problem, along with facts and calculations. Like for example when Swift discusses the “prodigious number of children” that were causing an “great additional grievance” especially in the “present deplorable state of the of the kingdom” (Swift 1200). He reels the reader in by describing images of extreme wretchedness and utter hopelessness, then he employs the use of rationalism to play down the reader’s moral considerations. He successfully uses logic to get the audience to subconsciously lower their moral defenses and seriously consider his proposal. Jonathan Swift’s use of sarcastic irony confuses the reader as to the essays true purpose, effectively causing them to put down all guards so that they will have no safeguards when he aims his penetrative

    Read More

More about Gulliver's Travels Satire

Open Document