Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel written by Jonathan Swift in 1726. The novel tells the story of Gulliver, a man who travels to different countries and experiences their cultures. However, Gulliver’s Travels is not simply a travelogue; it is a satire that uses Gulliver’s experiences to comment on the politics and society of the time.
For example, Gulliver visits Lilliput, a country where the people are incredibly small, and he is able to manipulate them easily because they are so small. This allows Swift to comment on the British government at the time, which was very small and controlled by a few powerful people. Gulliver’s Travels is full of satire like this, and it makes for a very interesting read.
The Reformation Period was a period of transition in England during which Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels. This book’s structure implies some of the political themes from that era, such as the famous lampooning. Throughout Gulliver’s Travels, these issues are observed and even occasionally analyzed today’s society.
For example, Gulliver’s Travels satirizes the British government and their colonial ambitions. This is evident when Gulliver visits Lilliput, where he is a giant among the tiny people and they are in awe of him. Gulliver takes this opportunity to exhibit his power over them by doing things such as making them bow down to him and forcing them to sign a treaty. Swift is critical of the British government by using this fictional country to represent Britain.
Similarly, Gulliver’s visit to Brobdingnag serves as a satire of the British public. Gulliver is disgusted by the way they live and the way they treat each other. For instance, he is disturbed by the way they use each other as objects and how they are not interested in intellectual pursuits. Swift is commenting on the state of the British public during his time period.
Gulliver’s Travels also critiques European society as a whole. Gulliver visits several European countries, and in each one he finds something to be critical of. For example, in Laputa, Gulliver criticizes the intellectuals who live there for being out of touch with reality. He mocks them for their impractical ideas and for wasting their time on useless things.
Swift was likely critiquing the intellectuals of his time period, who were often seen as being disconnected from the everyday problems of society. Gulliver’s Travels is a satire that is still relevant today. The issues that Swift addresses in his book, such as government corruption and the problems with European society, are still prevalent today. Gulliver’s Travels serves as a reminder that we need to be vigilant against these problems and work to fix them.
In the book Gulliver’s Travels, there are numerous examples that it was written during the Restoration Period. The clothing, language, government, and, of course, the lack of technology are just a few of the ways you can tell. However, these factors do not imply that the book was created during this period.
Any writer from any time period after the Reformation Period could write a book similar to Gulliver’s Travels, which was set in the Reformation Period. What sets Swift’s masterpiece apart and actually proves it was written in the time when many things were changing is the use of satire and political ideas relating to the era.
Satire is a technique that Swift uses throughout Gulliver’s Travels to make fun of the people and events in the book. For example, when Gulliver is first in Lilliput, he is tied down by the tiny people because they think he is a threat. Swift makes fun of this event by saying: “The emperor’s courtiers came in their coaches to see me. I was carried out of the woods on men’s shoulders, and brought to the empress, who was then at dinner with her ladies”.
By making fun of this serious situation, Swift is able to criticize the courtiers for being so gullible and show how absurd the whole situation is. This type of satire is common throughout Gulliver’s Travels, and helps to show that the book was written during a time when people were starting to question everything around them.
In addition to satire, Gulliver’s Travels also contains many political ideas that relate to the time period it was written in. For example, when Gulliver is in Lilliput, he talks about how the government is run. He says: “The Lilliputians have an ambassador residing permanently at the court of Blefuscu; and Gulliver himself had been three times sent thither on public business”.
This shows how even though the two countries are at war, they still have diplomatic relations with each other. This would have been a new concept for people in the Restoration Period, who were starting to think about how different countries worked together. Gulliver’s Travels is full of these types of ideas, which help to show that it was written in a time when people were beginning to question the world around them.
The first culture that Gulliver encounters is represented by the first culture he encounters. The Lilliputians are the personification of England during Gulliver’s time period. The Lilliputians are tiny people who dominate Gulliver through intimidation. “When in an instant I felt above a hundred arrows shoot into my left hand, which pricked my skin like so many needles; and besides they fired another flight into the air, as we do bombs in Europe”.
Gulliver is also subjected to imprisonment and torture. Gulliver then escapes, but not before taking the Chief Minister hostage. Swift’s satire is biting and critical of Enlightenment Era thinking. It was written as a commentary on English society and politics of the time.
Gulliver’s Travels may be seen as a critique of colonialism and its effects on indigenous cultures. Swift was an Irishman, and there may have been some personal bitterness in his writing as well. Satire is often used to expose the flaws of society or individuals in order to bring about change.
In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift uses satire to critique various aspects of 18th century European culture and politics. He mocks the Enlightenment ideal of Reason and the belief that humans are capable of perfecting society. He also satirizes the English obsession with military power and their treatment of the Irish. Gulliver’s Travels is a classic work of satire that still has relevance today.
