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Gulliver's Travels

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Gulliver's Travels: Introduction

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Historical Context of Gulliver's Travels

Other books related to gulliver's travels.

• Full Title: Gulliver’s Travels , or, Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships
• When Written: 1720-1725
• Where Written: Dublin, Ireland
• When Published: 1726
• Literary Period: Augustan
• Genre: Satire
• Setting: England and the imaginary nations of Lilliput, Blefuscu, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the land of the Houyhnhnms
• Climax: Gulliver’s decision to reject humankind and try his best to become a Houyhnhnm
• Point of View: First person

Extra Credit for Gulliver's Travels

By Gulliver, About Gulliver. Although contemporary editions of Gulliver’s Travels have Jonathan Swift’s name printed as author on the cover, Swift published the first edition under the pseudonym Lemuel Gulliver.

Instant Classic. Gulliver’s Travels was an immediate success upon its first publication in 1726. Since then, it has never been out of print.

Gulliver’s Travels

Introduction to gulliver’s travels.

A very popular satire as well as one of the favorite children’s books, Gulliver’s Travels, is widely taught in schools and colleges as a syllabus book across the globe. Gulliver’s Travels was written by Jonathan Swift , an Irish author. This satirical travelogue was first published in 1726 and hit the headlines at that time for its biting satire and hidden attacks on the politicians, religious clergy, and a plethora of travelogues appearing at that time. The book has achieved the status of the classics of the English language, has impacted the world, specifically the children. Robert McCrum has considered it one of the best 100 novels during his calculated assessment of the best 100 novels in 2015.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels

The story starts with the self-revelatory letter of Lemuel Gulliver, an English surgeon, who takes to navigate seas to lift his spirits after a business failure. However, the story goes in a linear fashion in that he goes from one place to another and narrates important happenings in an impassioned tone .

One of the first travels is to the world of Lilliput, the land of the small people in the size of 6 inches(15cm), where he lands after his ship is torn apart during a storm. He finds himself in the captivity of the little people who tie him with tiny threads and shots needle-like arrows at him when he tries to free himself. Soon he finds himself learning their language to converse with them. He finds them highly honorable people with traits of hospitality, though, a bit violent. He visits their land and joins them in everything until he differs from them in the matter of war with their neighbor, Blefuscu, though, he helps them bring the Blefuscu’s whole fleet singlehandedly. He also learns about their interesting politics, differences, creeds, and concepts about eating, breaking eggs, and superstitions in doing certain things. Despite providing great assistance and having such an understanding, he soon becomes a pariah for committing supposed treason of urinating on the regal palace that wants immediate assistance during the fire. Sensing a threat to his life, he flees to Blefuscu and sets sail back to England.

He stays with his family for a while and soon starts another voyage after being fed up with his stay. He soon finds himself coincidently landing in Brobdingnag, the land of the giants in comparison to which Gulliver himself looks like a Lilliputian. When one of the giants, working as a farmer, discovers him in the field, they are very surprised to look at such a small creature and play with Gulliver, while Gulliver minutely observes and records their social manners. Not only their giantess but also their social life where politicking is non-existent seems entirely different from the Lilliputians. The farmer and his daughter Glumdalclitch take care of him, also exhibited him for money. He was very exhausted and couldn’t perform anymore.

That’s when the farmer sells Gulliver to the Queen for ransom. Gulliver makes an exception of going to live with the Queen only if Glumdalclitch came with him as a caretaker. During his stay, he is abducted by a monkey, fights giant wasps when they entered the small house that is specially made for him by the Queen. However, finally, he leaves them when an eagle accidentally takes his cage and drops him in the sea.

During his next travel, he lands on the land of Laputa, a floating island, where intellectuals enjoy life. Despite their intellectuality, they wreak havoc . On the other land, Balnibarbi. The competitive scientific research going on both the lands is entirely insane as far as the welfare of the residents of both the lands is concerned. Their experiments were just a blind pursuit of science rather than to meet the practical ends like extracting sunbeams from cucumber, softening the marble in order to use as a pillow. This was a satire on Royal Society and especially Issac Newton on a professional as well as personal level.  Swift never really understood the purpose of Newton’s experiments and theories, also his stance on religion. The mention of rivalry between Laputa and Balnibarbi is in reality the power relations between British and Ireland. Laputa intimidates Balnibarbi into blocking the sun or rain or crushing their land by lowering Laputa. Mocking the threats from the English to the Irish.

From there Gulliver reaches Glubbdubdrib, where he meets and converses with historical figures from antiquity and the present time. He also visits Struldbrugs and Luggnag where he meets cynics and then visiting Japan, he comes back where rest is nowhere, for he again departs for the land of Houyhnhnms where horses are rational animals , while Yahoos are brute apes resembling the humans. Gulliver lives there for some time to exchange views about his world and their world. He even decides to spend the rest of his life with them as he appreciates their sincerity, hard work honesty, and simple life principles. Many months pass, Gulliver almost settles at the land of Houyhnhnms. After an unfortunate incident, however, Gullivers time with them comes to an end.

At the assembly of Houyhnhnms, Gulliver was ruled as a Yahoo who can’t live with his master anymore because it would a threat to civilization. His master gives him time to build a canoe to go back to his land and then returns. He is heartbroken but the master of  Houyhnhnms encourages him to find his destiny. When he boards a Portuguese ship, the borders are surprised when Gulliver expresses his disgust at the sight of Captain Pedro de Mendez who Gulliver thought of as yahoo but was a kind and wise man. He reaches England with the claim of having English rights on the lands he has visited. He couldn’t ingest the idea of him living with Yahoos, so he avoids his family and spends time in stables talking to his horses.

Major Themes in Gulliver’s Travels

• Human Physical Condition: The mention of diminutive human beings, then giants, and then of different shapes in different voyages Gulliver comes across show the main thematic strand that runs throughout the book. In the voyage to Lilliput, he sees Lilliputians, and in the voyage to Brobdingnag, he comes across giants. He also meets different people of different shapes, sizes, and different mental capacities during his voyages to Glubbdubdrib and the land of Houyhnhnms where he meets brutish apes as well as rational horses. These are different physical conditions of human beings that demonstrate the deep observation of the author as pointed out through Gulliver’s experience.
• Importance of Education: Gulliver has stressed the importance of education in the very early pages of his voyages, declaring that most of his leisure is spent reading. His encounter with the Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians makes him aware of different types of knowledge being pursued by these creatures. However, it is quite contradictory that creatures, like human beings such as Yahoos, run away from knowledge, while the Houyhnhnms are pursuing knowledge and education as sane creatures.
• Narrow-Mindedness and Enlightenment: In the first voyage Gulliver observes shrewdness, judging nature, violence, and the narrow-mindedness of the Lilliputians. He also witnesses the enlightenment during his other voyages and makes the readers aware of how political situations turn from good to bad and from bad to ugly just over the petty issues of breaking eggs and urinating, though, it might be a benign purpose. Even his journey to the land of Houyhnhnms and Glubbdubdrib makes certain points about this narrowmindedness as well as enlightenment that even the horses are able to be rational when Yahoos want to stay in the darkness of life as well as mind.
• Otherness: The thematic strand of otherness emerges when Gulliver could not merge in the Lilliputians due to his physique as well as manners and understanding of the culture. What he thinks of their narrowmindedness is their cultural politics and antagonism against the Blefuscudians. The same goes for his other voyages including his voyage to Brobdingnag and Glubdubdrib where he is unsuitable and unfit among the natives; he is either too small, too clever, or to dunce to mix up with them. This is actually the cultural otherness that he could not merge in any of these lands nor did the locals consider him a local person.
• Perspective and Relevance: The individual perspective and its relevance to the culture is another theme that runs through the book. It happens that he is a Mountain Man in Lilliput but a human specimen in Brobdingnag. Not only does the perspective about his physicality change but also the relevance of the perspective changes from land to land and people to people. When he meets Houyhnhnms in their land, he comes to know that even animals could be rational when their perspective and relevance changes. His final arrival to the United Kingdom opens up new vistas of life for him to understand.
• Travel: Travel is another major theme of the book as it is actually a travelogue and tells its readers that they learn new things and new perspectives during travels, which eventually becomes an adventure too. Gulliver comes to know about the existence of new people, along with their strange and odd customs and conventions such as Lilliputians even fight on the breaking of eggs and urination, while the Brobdingnagians do not see such things from this perspective. Had Gulliver not traveled so far, he would not have come to know such things. Moreover, it also sheds light on the spirit of that time about travel and exploration.
• Question of Truth: Man has always been in search of truth and reality and nature of truth. The question of truth looms large in the background of Gulliver’s travels. Even Gulliver as a narrator is not a reliable person as the readers question his authenticity on account of the fantasies he has weaved and the chances he has taken to travel to these far-off lands, for every reader knows that such lands do not exist. However, Jonathan Swift has done every effort to make the story feels true.
• Moral versus Physical Power: The theme of moral and physical power emerges when Gulliver faces the dilemma of attacking the Blefuscudians at the behest of the king of Lilliput and he knows if he does not use his physical power, he is liable to face consequences. Therefore, he uses moral power but faces consequences. He also learns that every land has its own ethical framework regarding the use of physical power such as the Brobdingnagians do not use physical power so often as the Lilliputians.
• Governance: The issue of government also comes up during different travels; somewhere it is rational and despotic while at some other places it is democratic and rational such as in the land of Houyhnhnm, while the Lilliputians are despotic.

Major Characters in Gulliver’s Travels

• Lemuel Gulliver : Despite being the main narrator and protagonist of the book, Gulliver is neither heroic nor legendary but an ordinary human being due to the misanthropy he demonstrates by the end of the book. However, his observations of human nature, if it is small like the Lilliputians and giant like that of the Brobdingnagians and wily or cruel like that of the Yahoos, show that he has uncovered a secret to understanding the human soul better. However, despite his love for Houyhnhnm and his spite for the Yahoos, he does not leave human society and ultimately returns to England to live and demonstrate his hatred for the man. With some of the best traits, Gulliver also shows that he is gullible as well as a non-savvy person who shows what he comes across during his travels.
• The Emperor of Lilliput: Lilliput, the land of small people, is ruled by the emperor, who like all other Lilliputians, is just six inches in height. However, the powers that he wields over their lives are limitless yet to Gulliver he seems quite a sinister character who is not only an expert in politics but also adept in strategy. Gulliver learns about the frightening aspects of his personality through the harsh punishments he awards to his subjects over minor mistakes or crimes and that too in politics. However, his traits of hospitality and culinary tastes rather amaze Gulliver.
• Brobdingnagian Queen: The queen is another important figure in the text who comes across Gulliver during his voyage to the land of Brobdingnag. She falls in love with him as she keeps him with her to play with the little man as he is compared to their giant statures. During his stay at the palace, he feels safe and satisfied with her but also his interaction with her becomes significant, belittling other living or dead characters, even his wife to some extent.
• Lord Munodi: Although Lord is not a significant character in the text, he wins the attention of Gulliver on account of his being the governor of the land of Lagado who is still interested in Gulliver about knowing him and informing him of his land where he rules supreme amid the theoretical delusions of its intellectuals. Isolated in his own estate, Munodi suffers from acute alienation that seems similar to Gulliver, showing him that human predicaments are not different whether it is the far-off land or England.
• The Farmer: The importance of farmer from the land of Brobdingnag, is the first person who comes into contact with Gulliver when he accidentally lands there. Gulliver comes to know about his rationality and his credulity that he also believes that tiny creatures like Gulliver, too, could be rational. He uses Gulliver as an object of entertainment to earn money by using him as labor. His greedy and simplemindedness costs Gulliver very dearly which shows the trait of the few Brobdingnagians’ greedy nature but is non-violent.
• Reldresal: Reldresal is the aide of the king of Lilliput. As his principal secretary, he acts as an intermediary between the king and Gulliver and exploits things to make Gulliver understand the situation. He communicates with Gulliver and makes arrangements for his stay and also for his services to the land of Lilliput.
• Glumdalclitch: Gulliver’s first caretaker in the land of Brobdingnag is the farmer’s young daughter, Glumdalclithc, a nine-year-old, who is almost a kid if measured from the age of Gulliver’s world yet very young to seem to take care of Gulliver. She cared for Gulliver in the land of giants where a minor mistake could cost his life. Later, when royalty comes to know about the absence of good caretakers for Gulliver, she again finds herself in the court to continue to protect Gulliver until the bird picks him up.
• The King: The Brobdingnagian king is comparatively generous and liberal when he demonstrates when meeting Gulliver. He prefers peace over war and shows his intellect and his expertise in political science and other statecrafts. His erudition displays itself during his political debate with Gulliver about English history and politics.
• Yahoos: The importance of Yahoos lies in their humanlike shapes that they keep themselves unkempt and illiterate and behave like animals without giving a second thought to their actions. Their hairy bodies cripple their mental faculties, too, making them subservient to Houyhnhnms, ironic governance that runs contrary to what Gulliver has been experiencing in England. Their worst impact on Gulliver is that he considers himself one of them.
• Houyhnhnms: These creatures are horses in shapes but highly rational in thinking and dealing with Gulliver, as they display all moral traits necessary for good human beings. Their rationality and association with socialism what Gulliver likes the most.

Writing Style of Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver’s Travels is written in the first-person narrative . The presentation and commentary are through Gulliver’s experience of whom he meets and what he sees during his voyages. The presentation occurs in a very simple and direct language that shows that Gulliver knows how to reach his audiences . Most of the words have been coined as they do not exist in English or any other language. Generalization has been used to make them common for the readers to understand. Since then, the words have taken meanings of their own, specifically, Lilliput, Yahoo, and Houyhnhnms. The sentence style is quite simple but sometimes becomes very intricate and complex when Swift becomes philosophical and comments on the politics and culture of the land Gulliver visits. Swift turns to irony , satire, hyperbole , and metaphors to highlight thematic ideas.

Analysis of the Literary Devices in Gulliver’s Travels

• Action: The main action of the text comprises different voyages that Gulliver undertakes to escape the humdrum of England. The falling action occurs at several places in travels such as when he is awarded a death sentence in Lilliput or when he falls down from the grip of an eagle in Glubbdubdrib. However, rising action occurs when he comes to the point that human beings are not worthy creatures to stay on the face of this earth blessed to them by God.
• Allusion : The book shows good use of different allusions as given in the below examples, i. Although Mr Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire , where his Father dwelt, yet I have heard him say, his Family came from Oxfordshire ; to confirm which, I have observed in the Church-Yard at Banbury ,* in that County, several Tombs and Monuments of the Gullivers . (The Publishers to the Reader) ii. For it was ever my Opinion, that there must be a Balance of Earth to counterpoise the great Continent of Tartary ; and therefore they ought to correct their Maps and Charts, by joining this vast Tract of Land to the North-west Parts of america ; wherein I shall be ready to lend them my Assistance. (Chapter-4) iii. This Academy is not an entire single Building, but a Continuation of several Houses on both Sides of a Street; which growing waste,*was purchased and applyed to that Use. (Chapter-4) iv. The Continent of which this Kingdom is a part, extends itself, as I have Reason to believe, Eastward to that unknown Tract of america , Westward to California , and North to the Pacifick Ocean. (Chapter-7) The first example shows the reference to England and different places, the second to an old race and a place, the third to Aristotle’s academy, and the last to America .
• Antagonist : Although it is a book of travelogue and not a novel that Gulliver presents few antagonists in the first 3 parts. However, in the 4th adventure by the end, he comes to know that by sketching Yahoos as the most detestable characters, Gulliver wants to say that we human beings are enemies of ourselves. Therefore, apart from the Lilliputian kingdom, the jealous courtier in Brobdingnag kingdom, the mindless scientists in Laputa and neighboring kingdoms, Yahoos are the true antagonists of this travelogue.
• Conflict : The text shows both external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is going on between Gulliver and his views about different societies that are also an internal contact. That is why he paints the detestable picture of Yahoos in the last voyage.
• Characters: The text shows both static as well as dynamic characters. The young man, Gulliver, is a dynamic character as he shows a considerable transformation in his behavior and conduct by the end of the book when starts hating the people. However, all other characters are static as they do not show or witness any transformation such as Reldresal, the Lilliputians, and even Gulliver’s own family members.
• Climax : The climax in the text occurs when Gulliver starts loving the land of horses and horses in return to hating human beings after painting them dirty creatures, equating them to vermin.
• Foreshadowing : The text shows many instances of foreshadows as given in the following examples, i. I laid them out in learning Navigation, and other Parts of the Mathematicks, useful to those who intend to travel, as I always believed it would be some time or other my Fortune to do. (Chapter-1) ii. I had been for some Hours extremely pressed by the Necessities of Nature; which was no Wonder, it being almost two Days since I had last disburthened myself. (Chapter-2) The mention of travel and Necessities of Nature shows the writer is fond of traveling and that he is going on some travel very soon. Both of these points foreshadow of the coming events.
• Hyperbole : The book shows various examples of hyperboles such as, i. I felt something alive moving on my left Leg, which advancing gently forward over my Breast, came almost up to my Chin; when bending mine Eyes downwards as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human Creature not six Inches high,* with a Bow and Arrow in his Hands, and a Quiver at his Back. (Chapter-1) ii. The Dog following the Scent, came directly up, and taking me in his Mouth, ran strait to his Master, wagging his Tail, and set me gently on the Ground. (Chapter-5) iii. Having a Desire to see those Antients, who were most renowned for Wit and Learning, I set apart one Day on purpose. I proposed that Homer * and Aristotle might appear at the Head of all their Commentators; but these were so numerous that some Hundreds were forced to attend in the Court and outward Rooms of the Palace. (Chapter-8) All of these examples show that Swift has used far-fetched ideas that could only be hyperboles. There cannot be six inches high men, or dogs carrying a man in his mouth and classical figures making their presence felt in this age, or even in the 17 th century.
• Imagery : Gulliver’s Travels shows the use of imagery as given below, i. I likewise felt several slender Ligatures across my Body, from my Armpits to my Thighs. I could only look upwards; the Sun began to grow hot, and the Light offended mine Eyes. I heard a confused Noise about me, but in the Posture I lay, could see nothing except the Sky. In a little time I felt something alive moving on my left Leg, which advancing gently forward over my Breast, came almost up to my Chin; when bending mine Eyes downwards as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human Creature not six Inches high. (Chapter-1) ii. 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. Their outward Garments were adorned with the Figures of Suns, Moons, and Stars, interwoven with those of Fiddles, Flutes, Harps, Trumpets, Guittars, Harpsichords, and many more Instruments of Musick, unknown to us in Europe . (Chapter-2) These two examples show images of size, color, sound, and shapes.
• Metaphor : Gulliver’s Travels shows excellent use of various metaphors as given in the below examples, i. Answers I have with much Pains wringed and extorted from you; I cannot but conclude the Bulk of your Natives, to be the most pernicious Race of little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth. (Part-2, Chapter-6) ii. The King was struck with Horror at the Description I had given of those terrible Engines, and the Proposal I had made. He was amazed how so impotent and groveling an Insect as I (these were his Expressions) could entertain such inhuman Ideas, and in so familiar a Manner as to appear wholly unmoved at all the Scenes of Blood and Desolation. (Part-2, Chapter-7) iii. But my Wife protested I should never go to Sea any more; although my evil Destiny so ordered, that she had not Power to hinder me; as the Reader may know hereafter. In the mean Time , I here conclude the second Part of my unfortunate Voyages. (Part-2, Chapter-8) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the text such as the first shows the king comparing the English people to vermins, the second shows Gulliver comparing himself to an insect and the last one shows him comparing his destiny to a devil.
• Mood : The book shows various moods. It starts with a jolly mood of a traveler but becomes unconvincing when it enters the second part of the travel to Lilliput and becomes highly satiric and ironic when it ends after different travels.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the text are foreign languages, travels, excrements, and islands.
• Narrator : Gulliver’s Travels is narrated from the first person point of view , who happens to be Gulliver.
• Personification : The book shows examples of personifications such as, i. The Emperor, and all his Court, came out to meet us; but his great Officers would by no means suffer his Majesty to endanger his Person by mounting on my Body. (Chapter-1) ii. The Ship came within half a League of this Creek, and sent out her Long-Boat with Vessels to take in fresh Water (for the Place it seems was very well known) but I did not observe it until the Boat was almost on Shore; and it was too late to seek another Hiding-Place. (Chapter-11) These examples show as if the court and the ship have emotions and lives of their own.
• Protagonist : Gulliver is the protagonist of the text. The travelogue starts with his entry into the world of voyages and moves forward as he goes from one land to the other.
• Satire : The travels of Gulliver show the use of satire on religion, political ideas, living style, and above all the whole Western culture during the early 18 th
• Setting : The setting of the text is some islands and lands that Gulliver visits during his different voyages.
• Simile : The book shows good use of various similes such as, i. They climbed up into the Engine, and advancing very softly to my Face, one of them, an Officer in the Guards, put the sharp End of his HalfPike a good way up into my left Nostril, which tickled my Nose like a Straw, and made me sneeze violently: (Chapter-1) ii. I viewed the Town on my left Hand, which looked like the painted Scene of a City in a Theatre. (Chapter-2) iii. He put this Engine to our Ears, which made an incessant Noise like that of a Water-Mill. (Chapter-2) These are similes as the use of the word “like” shows the comparison between different things. Whereas the first example shows the comparison like the tickling of the nose with some straw, the town like a scenic picture and noise like that of a water-mill.

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• Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift

• Literature Notes
• Swift's Satire in Gulliver's Travels
• Book Summary
• About Gulliver's Travels
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Part I: Chapter 1
• Part I: Chapter 2
• Part I: Chapter 3
• Part I: Chapter 4
• Part I: Chapter 5
• Part I: Chapter 6
• Part I: Chapter 7
• Part I: Chapter 8
• Part II: Chapter 1
• Part II: Chapter 2
• Part II: Chapter 3
• Part II: Chapter 4
• Part II: Chapter 5
• Part II: Chapter 6
• Part II: Chapter 7
• Part II: Chapter 8
• Part III: Chapter 1
• Part III: Chapter 2
• Part III: Chapter 3
• Part III: Chapter 4
• Part III: Chapter 5
• Part III: Chapter 6
• Part III: Chapter 7
• Part III: Chapter 8
• Part III: Chapter 9
• Part III: Chapter 10
• Part III: Chapter 11
• Part IV: Chapter 1
• Part IV: Chapter 2
• Part IV: Chapter 3
• Part IV: Chapter 4
• Part IV: Chapter 5
• Part IV: Chapter 6
• Part IV: Chapter 7
• Part IV: Chapter 8
• Part IV: Chapter 9
• Part IV: Chapter 10
• Part IV: Chapter 11
• Part IV: Chapter 12
• Character Analysis
• Lemuel Gulliver
• The Lilliputians
• The Brobdingnagians
• The Houyhnhnms
• Character Map
• Jonathan Swift Biography
• Critical Essays
• Philosophical and Political Background of Gulliver's Travels
• Gulliver as a Dramatis Persona
• Full Glossary for Gulliver's Travels
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Swift's Satire in Gulliver's Travels

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 — that is, politicians, scientists, philosophers, and Englishmen in general. Swift was roasting people, and they were eager for the banquet.

Swift himself admitted to wanting to "vex" the world with his satire, and it is certainly in his tone, more than anything else, that one most feels his intentions. Besides the coarse language and bawdy scenes, probably the most important element that Dr. Bowdler deleted from the original Gulliver's Travels was this satiric tone. The tone of the original varies from mild wit to outright derision, but always present is a certain strata of ridicule. Dr. Bowdler gelded it of its satire and transformed it into a children's book.

After that literary operation, the original version was largely lost to the common reader. The Travels that proper Victorians bought for the family library was Bowdler's version, not Swift's. What irony that Bowdler would have laundered the Travels in order to get a version that he believed to be best for public consumption because, originally, the book was bought so avidly by the public that booksellers were raising the price of the volume, sure of making a few extra shillings on this bestseller. And not only did the educated buy and read the book — so also did the largely uneducated.

However, lest one think that Swift's satire is merely the weapon of exaggeration, it is important to note that exaggeration is only one facet of his satiric method. Swift uses mock seriousness and understatement; he parodies and burlesques; he presents a virtue and then turns it into a vice. He takes pot-shots at all sorts of sacred cows. Besides science, Swift debunks the whole sentimental attitude surrounding children. At birth, for instance, Lilliputian children were "wisely" taken from their parents and given to the State to rear. In an earlier satire ( A Modest Proposal ), he had proposed that the very poor in Ireland sell their children to the English as gourmet food.

Swift is also a name-caller. Mankind, as he has a Brobdingnagian remark, is "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth." Swift also inserted subtly hidden puns into some of his name-calling techniques. The island of Laputa, the island of pseudo-science, is literally (in Spanish) the land of "the whore." Science, which learned people of his generation were venerating as a goddess, Swift labeled a whore, and devoted a whole hook to illustrating the ridiculous behavior of her converts.

In addition, Swift mocks blind devotion. Gulliver, leaving the Houyhnhnms, says that he "took a second leave of my master, but as I was going to prostrate myself to kiss his hoof, he did me the honor to raise it gently to my mouth." Swift was indeed so thorough a satirist that many of his early readers misread the section on the Houyhnhnms. They were so enamored of reason that they did not realize that Swift was metamorphosing a virtue into a vice. In Book IV, Gulliver has come to idealize the horses. They embody pure reason, but they are not human. Literally, of course, we know they are not, but figuratively they seem an ideal for humans — until Swift exposes them as dull, unfeeling creatures, thoroughly unhuman. They take no pleasure in sex, nor do they ever overflow with either joy or melancholy. They are bloodless.

Gulliver's Travels was the work of a writer who had been using satire as his medium for over a quarter of a century. His life was one of continual disappointment, and satire was his complaint and his defense — against his enemies and against humankind. People, he believed, were generally ridiculous and petty, greedy and proud; they were blind to the "ideal of the mean." This ideal of the mean was present in one of Swift's first major satires, The Battle of the Books (1697). There, Swift took the side of the Ancients, but he showed their views to be ultimately as distorted as those of their adversaries, the Moderns. In Gulliver's last adventure, Swift again pointed to the ideal of the mean by positioning Gulliver between symbols of sterile reason and symbols of gross sensuality. To Swift, Man is a mixture of sense and nonsense; he had accomplished much but had fallen far short of what he could have been and what he could have done.

Swift was certainly not one of the optimists typical of his century. He did not believe that the Age of Science was the triumph that a great majority of his countrymen believed it to be. Science and reason needed limits, and they needed a good measure of humanism. They did not require absolute devotion.

Swift was a highly moral man and was shocked by his contemporaries' easy conversion to reason as the be-all and end-all of philosophy. To be so gullible amounted to non-reason in Swift's thinking. He therefore offered up the impractical scientists of Laputa and the impersonal, but absolutely reasonable, Houyhnhnms as embodiments of science and reason carried to ridiculous limits. Swift, in fact, created the whole of Gulliver's Travels in order to give the public a new moral lens. Through this lens, Swift hoped to "vex" his readers by offering them new insights into the game of politics and into the social follies of humans.

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Gulliver’s Travels, Essay Example

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Introduction

This paper explores the novel of Gulliver’s Travels and in particular Part 1: A Voyage to Lilliput.  We examine the authors use of satire and in particular how the novel satirizes the court of King George 1st of England.  The comparison of the Court of Lilliput to the English court is both compelling and profound and illustrates the literary skills of Jonathon Swift (author) at this time.  The story tells of the traveller “Gulliver” who becomes shipwrecked and washed ashore on the strange kingdom of Lilliput.  He awakes on the beach only to find that he has been captured by a race of midgets 1/12th the size of a normal human being.  The people are inhabitants of neighbouring rival countries of Lilliput and Blefuscu.  Once Gulliver assures the people of his good intentions and that he wishes them no harm he is released.  He later becomes a favourite of the King and court of Lilliput and the book focuses mainly on his observations of the court.

Gulliver assists the Lilliputians with their conflict against the Blefescuans and manages to steal their fleet of ships. The King then wants Gulliver to help enslave his enemies and make them a province of Lilliput.  Gulliver refuses to take this additional step which earns him the displeasure of the King.  The King tells Gulliver that he is treasonous and sentences him to be blinded.  With the help of a good friend Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu and it is here where he locates and retrieves an abandoned boat.  His voyage into the ocean sees him rescued by a passing boat and safely returned to England.

How did Swift use Gulliver to use the Court of Lilliput as a satirical example of King George 1sts Court ?  How was the author perceived at the time ?  What political points was Swift attempting to make in Gulliver’s travels ?  It is first necessary to understand the background of King George 1st and his court.

The Court Of King George 1st

King George 1st was a Saxon King and reigned in England from 1660 to 1727.  King George spent much of his time away from England presiding over his vast Hanoverian Estates in Germany. It was during his time that the power of the monarchy in England declined and towards the end of his reign the first real parliament was formed with a Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. It was perhaps fitting that King George eventually died on his native soils of Hanover.  King George was ridiculed by his British subjects and intensely disliked because of his inability to speak the English language.  It was later discovered that in addition to speaking fluent German, French , Dutch and Italian, he actually did speak English and was able to write equally well.  He avoided this because of his disdain and contempt of his court and the people.  King George only came to Britain at 54 years of age because he was invited. He was always a King of Hannover and the people jeered and reviled him because of this.  ” In the satiric work of Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” and George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” both authors make a distinction between country vs. court or in Orwell’s case, country (people) vs. government.” (Anon).

Gulliver’s Travels demonstrates  the  satire of the country vs. court distinction by comparing English government to Lilliput.  At this time the English Government were controlled by the Whigs political party . Gulliver was illustrated as being a Tory, and the Lilliputians as being power-hungry Whigs. Cleverly he used the  heels of their shoes in order to identify both parties. In Lilliput the High-Heels represented the Tories and the Low-Heels represented the Whigs.  George I was known to favour the  Whigs, so the Lilliputian emperor favoured the Low-Heals. But the Prince of Wales favoured both parties, and thus the Lilliputian heir to the throne wore one High-Heel and one Low. In other words he was in decisive and could not make his mind up, thus bending with what ever wind prevailed at the time.  In learning about the Lilliputian Government Gulliver spotted  that their government officials were chosen by rope dancing. To Gulliver and the reader these practices seem ridiculous and idiotic, but to the Lilliputians they see these practices as normal. “Swift uses this scene to satire the British government at this time. The British government also elected their ministers in a same foolish manner.”  (Anon)

These political satires also need to be put in context with the Author who was born in Ireland  and gained an MA from Oxford University and later became an ordained  Minister in the Church of Ireland.  He had a profound dislike of the English political system and ” how British economic policies are keeping Ireland in a state of underdevelopment and poverty.”  (Fonseca).  The concept of the “absent landlord king” further frustrated him as the politicians’ had free reign over the political aspects of Ireland.  Swift was seen as a staunch supporter of the Whigs, however as the party started to distance itself from the Church, he conducted a pamphlet campaign against them  which they described as treasonous.  This moved Swift firmly over into the Tory party. With the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the Tories fell from favour and Swift  quickly returned to Ireland.  Swift served as  Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin for the remainder  of his life.  He was particularly bitter for 7 years until 1720 when he went on the offensive for several years before his death in 1745.

The Satricalwit of Swift

Throughout all four parts of Gulliver’s Travels the author demonstrates his mastery of the use of satire.  He demonstrates the use of all eight types ranging from parody, understatement, irony, hyperbole, sarcasm, invective, inversion and wit. ” In Gulliver’s Travels , Swift satirises monarchs, wars and political quarrels, which were all based on actual events of the early eighteenth century. Eventually, Gulliver comes to observe all of human nature as deplorable. Throughout his travels Gulliver represents the common man, which enables the reader to relate to him. He is often bemused by the strange customs and petty grievances which may be familiar to a contemporary reader.”  (Markham).

In the Voyage to Lilliput Swift uses satire to ridicule elements of British Society. Satire being defined as ‘ mock or exaggerated humour to slyly ridicule faults etc, adding a tone of sarcasm to the text. Here Swift uses this to great effect ridiculing British Society.  In particular focusing upon the triviality of war, a fickle government and an ungracious human society.  In the trivialisation of war  he depicted how both the British and Lilliputian engaged in warfare for the most petty of reasons. In Lilliput this is explained when Gulliver obtains his freedom; he explains the meeting between himself and Redresal.  Redresal, the Principle Secretary of Private Affairs tells Gulliver about the great war raging between the two nations of Lilliput and Blefuscu and the argument over which one shall break an egg before it is eaten.  The comparison of wars between Britain and European nations and the bitterness between England and Ireland, all fought over similar petty reasons.

Swift used Gulliver’s travels to explain another train of British Society, namely  humanity’s ingratitude.  An example of this in a  “A voyage to Lilliput” was where the Emperor’s wife’s apartment catches on fire.  Gulliver is aroused from sleep by the Lilliputians and asked to extinguish the fire.  In his keenness to assist he departs leaving his coat behind.  When at the fire he finds that the Lilliputians buckets of water are useless and without his coat to extinguish the fire he simply urinates on the fire.  Shortly after this incident he  leave Lilliput and travels to Blefuscu.  Upon arrival he is called upon by  a court official, and is told that he is charged with treason.  Further he is presented with details of his execution  (blinding); the charges being made for his display of public urination.  An incredible act of ingratitude from the  Lilliputians, which in turn satirizes and shows Swifts’ disgust at the way the aristocracy in British Society behaved.  Obviously influenced here by the treatment of the English towards the Irish people and George 1st disdain for the people of Britain.

Swift also introduces us to satire in his depiction of the arbitrary ways of the government.  He demonstrates this  in showing the manuscript when the Emperor entertains Gulliver, with particular reference to the  performance of “Rope Dancing.”  ” Rope Dancing is the Emperors method of selecting government officials.  The applicants must dance and jump on slender threads that are suspended a mere two feet above the ground.  Whichever dancer jumps the highest receives the position.”  (Dreaming).   This satirizes the arbitrary ways so typical of those positions bestowed in Britain.  Such positions all so often rewarded in accordance with social standing, favours to the aristocracy and in return for pecuniary benefits.  These unfortunate arbitrary  ways of the British government are successfully satirized in “A Voyage to Lilliput”, with the entrance test of rope dancing and the similar treatment or performance of acts in Britain.

The use of satire in  “Gulliver’s Travels” highlights a number of  faults with British Society at this time.   The first of these being the trivial and petty nature of warfare, explained by Swift in the dealings of the manuscript  where a war breaks out over which end an egg shall be broken .  This can be related to the war between Ireland and Britain, which was fought over religion. In fact the context may be further explored over the wars in Europe where religious interests were at the core of the argument.  The second concept relates to human beings lack of gratitude.  In “A Voyage to Lilliput”  where  Gulliver is charged  with urinating in public, despite the fact that this saved the Lilliputians by putting out the fire.  Finally, government positions were granted in Lilliput other than a meritorious process.  This can be related to the existing ways one may have obtained a government position at the time in Britain.  ” Swift certainly appears to be dealing with themes of a very adult nature. For example, he is questioning the inherent corruptibility of human beings. He is also examining the religious leadership and governments of European states. With this in mind, there are parallels to be drawn between Gulliver’s Travels and Voltaire’s   Candide , which was written some thirty years later. Both Voltaire and Swift have the same gritty satire and cynicism of human nature. ”  (Markham)

Conclusions

In telling the saga of Gulliver’s Travels Swift clearly elucidates in his satire the  social behaviour, pretensions and  societal behaviour patterns of the English aristocracy ” Ewald states that, “As a satire, the main purpose of Gulliver’s Travels is to show certain shortcomings in 18th century English society…”  (Galloway) . Most of the first voyage lampoons court intrigue and the arbitrary fickleness of court favour. The rank and favour of the Lilliputian ministers being dependent on how high they can jump over a rope literally illustrates this figurative point.

Gulliver falls out of favour  owing to the fact that he does not align himself with the Kings longing for more power.  The two political parties rivalry is  differentiated by the height of their heels.  Thus illustrating how little substantive difference there was between Whig and Tory.   “Swift also highlights the pretensions of politics by informing the reader of some of the laudable and novel ideals and practices of Lilliputian society such as rewarding those who obey the law, holding a breach of trust as the highest offense, and punishing false accusers and ingratitude, but shows that, like humans, even the Lilliputians do not live up to their own standards when they exhibit ingratitude for Gulliver’s help and accuse him of high treason. ”  (Markham)

Works Cited

Anon. Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” and George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” . 2009. 11 12 2009 <http://www.e-scoala.ro/referate/engleza_orwell_satire.html>.

Dreaming, Alaiya. An alalystical essay featured on the satire found in “A Voyage To Lilliput”. 24 11 2000. 11 12 2009 <http://mb.sparknotes.com/mb.epl?b=468&m=17675&p=2&t=49960>.

Fonseca, Gonalo. Jonathon Swift. 2008. 11 12 2009 <http://homepage.newschool.edu/het//profiles/swift.htm>.

Galloway, Shirley. Swift’s Moral Satire in Gulliver’s Travels. 1994. 12 12 2009 <http://www.cyberpat.com/shirlsite/essays/gulliv.html>.

Markham, Smantha. Jonathan Swift’s Tale of Incredible Voyages . 12 6 2009. 11 12 2009 <http://victorian-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/gullivers_travels>.

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Learning Lessons from Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” Essay

Introduction.

There are many reasons for people to open the book Jonathan Swift and read his famous Gulliver’s Travels. It is not only interesting from the point of view of literary devices and techniques. The story of Lemuel Gulliver is not simple, and some readers could find the four books controversial and hard to realize. On the one hand, the man cannot accept Lilliputians’ greed, corruption, and avarice. On the other hand, he ignores his shortages during his meeting with the giants. In the third book, Laputians promote recognizing the power of knowledge and the balance between life and education, while the fourth book introduces the Houyhnhnms, who share a clear and rational idea of existence. It is impossible to bring a comprehension of Gulliver’s Travels to one particular subject. Thus, the analysis of the character’s transformations will be developed through the prism of individualism in society, the importance of true understanding, and the burden on power.

Swift properly develops the theme of individualism in society by using different communities and the presence of the same person there. It is not enough to say that Gulliver travels in different worlds and learns from his mistakes to conclude that “nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison” (Swift 78). His intention to compare people is explained by the necessity to observe and reflect on what is given with dignity in a short period. Human actions always have some background, and Gulliver knows that his task is not to lose his individuality in that variety of things. People like to think that their decisions and statements are correct because they are based on experiences and knowledge. While reading the chapters, the transformations of the main character are evident. He sees “how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavour doing himself honour among those who are out of all degree of equality or comparison with him” (Swift 112). However, he is not desperate in his findings but mature enough to choose the right path and enjoy the opportunities that turn out to be available with time.

Another important aspect in reading Gulliver’s Travels is related to the obligation to strive for knowledge and a true understanding of the world around. Each travel is characterized by a specific discovery of new facts and factors that affect the progress of human life. At the end of his voyage to Laputa, Gulliver strengthens his awareness of “changes in customs, language, fashion of dress, dyet and diversions” (Swift 195). He also reveals that all these acquirements create “a living treasury of knowledge and wisdom” to make him “the oracle of the nation” (Swift 195). It seems that Gulliver does not get a clear idea of what he has to do with all that experience and knowledge, but his goals are already high and magnificent. As a result, his success is a questionable issue within the chosen Swift’s context. It is necessary to identify what contributes to the right choice, fair understanding, and morally correct behaviors. Multiple deceptions challenge Gulliver, but his honesty with personal values makes him strong enough. With each page turned, Swift’s book brings new lessons and additional perspectives of how people organize their lives and follow orders.

Finally, understanding Gulliver’s Travels must be associated with power and how people use it, relying on their biased and sometimes distorted visions. In this book, the concept of power never possesses the same characteristics. It continues changing as soon as Gulliver enters a new world and meets people with their rules, preferences, and lifestyles. Some people are obsessed with their desire for wealth and power, titles and achievements, pity and anger (Swift 237). At the same time, power is a positive experience that helps characters resist problems. For example, in the island country of Lilliput, Gulliver sees that some liberty represents enough strength not to allow the empire to subdue individuals (Swift 65). Still, power is not always something abstract or invisible that endows with inspiration and motivation. It can be recognized through differences in height and weight, and the author teaches not to be confused with what is seen and what is felt. Power always goes hand in hand with responsibility and knowledge. Therefore, the three chosen topics promote a better understanding of Gulliver’s story and his adventures in different countries and explain the reader’s fascination.

In conclusion, Gulliver’s Travels is not just another story that must be read as a part of an academic course or a requirement to pass an exam. Swift’s work contains many interesting lessons that could help a real person re-evaluate this life and make some improvements. Sometimes a person cannot understand that change is required or a mistake occurs and needs analysis. There is always some confidence in each decision and activity, and this book aims at showing how to diminish self-centeredness without losing individualism in society. Through the years, physical and mental power and knowledge become priceless in human life, and this book shares a guide for properly implementing each quality.

Swift, Jonathan D. D. Gulliver’s Travels . Edited by Claude Rawson, Oxford UP, 2005.

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Understanding Culture Through Language in Gulliver’s Travels

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Gulliver's Travels

By jonathan swift, gulliver's travels essay questions.

Consider Gulliver's stated intentions in writing about his travels. What do the letters at the beginning of the work reveal about his character? What kind of a person is Gulliver? Why is he driven to the sea repeatedly even as his wife and children wait at home?

Answer: Gulliver repeatedly heeds the call to go off to sea. He claims that it is for commercial reasons, but Gulliver easily adapts to foreign cultures and usually does not mind seeing how another culture might be superior to his own. He is a reader and a traveler, not the kind of person who feels bound to traditional society.

Perspective and relativity are very important aspects of Gulliver's Travels. Compare Gulliver's experiences in the first and second parts of the novel. How does Gulliver act differently? How is he treated differently?

Answer: In the first part, Gulliver is the giant; in the second, everyone else is a giant. In both, he is the outsider and is treated as such. Consider the power relationships in each part and the ability of prudence and reason to overcome differences in perspective.

Bodily functions are described often and in great detail in the novel. Why is Swift so graphic?

Answer: Humanity's base functions comprise an important aspect of the novel? Swift pays great attention to the real world, the material world where people actually have to live their lives. In addition to the slapstick value of associating different things in the text with excrement, Swift reminds us that we are embodied mortals.

Is Gulliver a hero?

Answer: One may choose to compare Gulliver's actions and characteristics with other great characters such as Odysseus, who also has great sea adventures, or Jason and the Argonauts. Odysseus is crafty and strong, but Gulliver does not endure great hardships or overcome great enemies. This is a satire, not an epic, so we neither expect nor need a hero. Instead, Swift gives us a narrator who tells his own story as an everyman. The point is that he is not greatly different from an average human being, though he becomes much wiser and more thoughtful.

Is Gulliver a reliable narrator?

Answer: We generally trust his statements even though they are about fantastic beings and places. We do not need to believe that such things actually happened. Instead we should recall that Swift has important lessons to teach though the satire and the imaginary narrator of these fictional travels. Beyond that, we might trust Gulliver because of his thoughtfulness and prudence in some ways and because he is willing to relate good news and bad news, good and bad things about various kinds of people, in the same even tone.

Discuss Swift's connection to Gulliver.

Answer: The author need not share the narrator's opinions, but we always should keep in mind that it is Swift who has presented a narrator with certain opinions. Sometimes, Swift's joke is at Gulliver's expense. Also consider Gulliver's attack on humanity in Part IV.

What makes the Houyhnhnms' society ideal or a model for humans?

Answer: From Gulliver's perspective, the Houyhnhnms have established the ideal society. In fact, when he returns home to England, he cannot stand the sight or smell of humans and prefers to spend his time in the barn with his horses. The Houyhnhnms are more rational than the Yahoos and the other peoples in the novel. Note other ways that the Yahoos are unlike the Houyhnhnms.

How does Gulliver change as the novel progresses? For instance, at the end of the novel, when Gulliver is spending time in the barn with his horses, do we as readers identify with him, or are we repulsed?

Answer: Gulliver learns much about alternative ways of living and comes to appreciate the ways that various peoples have improved upon the ways that he knew in England. He also appreciates what it is like to be much larger or smaller, much better or worse, much more practical or less intelligent, than others. He has seen how what is an important difference within a culture seems petty to outsiders. Overall, he sees many things more objectively and has come to despise the usual ways of humans where he lives. The horses are not really like the Houyhnhnms, so we realize Gulliver's mistake, but we sense that Gulliver is better off with a lot of time to himself to contemplate his experiences and what they mean for living well.

Compare the satire in this novel with the argument in Swift's short essay, "A Modest Proposal," in which he declares that the Irish should eat their children in order to keep from starving.

Answer: "A Modest Proposal" purports to solve a number of problems with a simple but morally impossible solution. One's outrage at the proposed solution should be channeled into thinking about a real solution--including the moral elements of the solution. The novel takes on society and subgroups, and the ways we live, more than any particular problem, showing us more about human nature. This difference is in large measure a reflection of what can be done in an essay versus a novel.

Who is Swift making fun of and why?

Answer: A good answer will examine ways in which human nature as a whole is satirized as well as ways that the British are satirized and the ways that particular groups (such as intellectuals) are satirized. In each case, find something ironic or humorous, determine at whose expense we laugh, and decide why we are laughing. Sometimes we laugh because our intentions have unintended consequences, sometimes we are inconsistent or irrational, and sometimes we laugh when we see ourselves as outsiders would see us.

Gulliver’s Travels Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Gulliver’s Travels is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Swift used exaggeration, parody, and irony to satirize politics and the human nature. Blind adherence to traditions without reflection is what he criticizes through caricature. In this way, in Lilliput, Gulliver becomes a giant in comparison with...

How old is Guillver?

An additional preface, attributed to Gulliver, added to a revised version of the work is given the fictional date of April 2, 1727, at which time Gulliver would have been about 65 or 66 years old.

What does Gulliver do with his penknife?

He cuts the strings that the rabble ringleaders were bound with.

Study Guide for Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver's Travels study guide contains a biography of Jonathan Swift, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Gulliver's Travels
• Gulliver's Travels Summary
• Gulliver's Travels Video
• Character List

Essays for Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver's Travels essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

• The Child-like Scientist: A Study of the Similarities Between Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Candide in Reference to Satire Developed through Naivete
• Book Four of Swift's Gulliver's Travels: Satirical, Utopian, or Both?
• Gulliver's Travels and the Refinement of Language and Society
• The Duality of Book Four of Gulliver's Travels

Lesson Plan for Gulliver’s Travels

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Gulliver's Travels
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Gulliver's Travels Bibliography

E-Text of Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver's Travels e-text contains the full text of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

• THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER
• PART I--A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT
• PART II--A VOYAGE TO BROBDINGNAG
• PART III--A VOYAGE TO LAPUTA, BALNIBARBI, LUGGNAGG, GLUBBDUBDRIB,
• PART IV--A VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF THE HOUYHNHNMS

Wikipedia Entries for Gulliver’s Travels

• Introduction
• Composition and history
• Major themes

• Share full article

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Guest Essay

I’m a Doctor. Dengue Fever Took Even Me by Surprise on Vacation.

By Deborah Heaney

Dr. Heaney is a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich.

I hate mosquitoes so much that I take my own bug repellent to parties. But in early March, on a trip with my partner to the idyllic island of Curaçao off Venezuela, I was caught off guard by insect bites after our bed-and-breakfast hosts said that mosquitoes didn’t usually appear until late summer.

Near the end of the vacation, my legs began to ache. After I couldn’t keep up with my partner on a snorkeling adventure, he pulled me from the water. My ribs felt broken, as if I’d been smashed against large boulders in the sea. Later that day came intense fever, alternating with shaking chills.

Back in Michigan — weak, nauseated and dehydrated from explosive diarrhea — I ended up in the emergency department. Tests showed worrisome white blood cell levels and abnormal liver numbers. The physician assistant who saw me was perplexed; she gave me IV fluids and medication for nausea and sent me home.

A few days later I developed itching so severe that I couldn’t sleep. A bright red rash spread over both thighs and up my lower back. My brain was foggy, and my balance was so impaired that I would have failed a sobriety test. My primary care doctor had no answers. But as my head began to clear, it occurred to me to request a dengue fever test.

Two days later, the test was positive.

Despite my training in medicine, I was blindsided. Dengue, a mosquito-borne illness, is surging through Latin America and the Caribbean, including in Puerto Rico, where a public health emergency was declared last week. This year is likely to be the worst on record, in part because of El Niño-driven temperature spikes and extreme weather linked to climate change. As temperatures rise and precipitation patterns grow more erratic, the problem will get only worse.

But neither the traveling public nor our frontline health workers are prepared. Without urgent reforms to how we educate travelers, doctors, nurses and others — as well as reforms to public health surveillance and early warning systems — we will be doomed to miss textbook cases like mine. That means those infected with dengue will miss out on timely treatment, possibly even spreading the virus to areas where it was never found before.

The dengue virus, which is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, infects up to 400 million people every year in nearly every region of the world, but it is most prevalent in Latin America, South and Southeast Asia and East Africa. Most cases are asymptomatic or, like mine, are considered mild, although the aptly nicknamed breakbone fever often doesn’t feel that way. Some 5 percent of cases progress to a severe, life-threatening disease including hemorrhagic fever.

One malicious feature of dengue is that when someone is infected a second time with a different type of the virus, the risk of severe illness is higher. A vaccine exists, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends it only for children ages 9 to 16 who had dengue before and live in places where the virus is common. That’s because, paradoxically, if you’ve never had dengue, the vaccine puts you at greater risk of severe illness your first time.

Dengue outbreaks, which, in the Americas, tend to occur every three to five years , now appear to be expanding their geographic reach as temperatures climb . The Aedes aegypti mosquito has typically had difficulty surviving and reproducing during the winter in temperate climates. But in parts of Brazil, which is experiencing a dengue emergency , the thermometer no longer dips as low in the winter as it once did, allowing the bugs to reproduce year-round. Overall, Latin America and the Caribbean have had three times the number of cases this year as reported for the same period in 2023, which was a record year. Higher temperatures are also helping the virus develop faster inside the mosquito, leading to a higher viral load and a higher probability of transmission. And mosquitoes are benefiting from standing water from rains and floods that are growing more extreme in a warming world.

As the virus spreads globally, travelers are bringing infections back to the continental United States. Based on 2024 numbers to date, this year should show a clear increase of cases here at home compared with 2023, given that the typical dengue season hasn’t even started yet. There could also be local outbreaks in places like Florida, Texas and California, which experienced small ones in the past. As Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey, the chief of the C.D.C.’s dengue branch, told me by email, “Increased travel to places with dengue risk could lead to more local transmission, but the risk of widespread transmission in the continental United States is low.”

But since testing is done only on a small fraction of cases, many are going uncounted. I was the one who requested that I be tested. Had I not been given a diagnosis, I would not be aware of my increased risk of severe illness if I am reinfected. Getting a diagnosis is crucial to inform those infected in areas where the Aedes mosquito lives so that the virus doesn’t spread further.

The growing risk means travelers to regions with dengue must be savvier: They can check local news and U.S. State Department advisories, bring an effective insect repellent and protective clothing and book lodging with air-conditioning or screens on the windows and doors. Though Aedes aegypti mosquitoes now live year-round in many locations and are pushing northward into new regions , thanks to climate change and other factors, there are still seasons when the risk is greater, and travelers might consider avoiding trips during those periods. Travel insurance with medical coverage may also be a useful precaution.

For medical professionals, this should be a warning. We need to start thinking about dengue as a possible diagnosis, not just a piece of textbook trivia. We should ask about recent travel when treating patients presenting with symptoms, especially symptoms not easily explained by other diagnoses.

Medical schools are gradually integrating climate change effects into curriculums . This is essential, since malaria, Lyme, West Nile and other insect-borne diseases are on the rise, as are other conditions like heat illness, asthma and allergies that are worsened by climate change. This work must accelerate, and training must include those of us who are already practicing. State medical boards should consider mandating continuing education on tropical emerging illnesses, as they do on many other pertinent topics.

After receiving my positive test result, I called the emergency department to leave a message for my previous provider about my diagnosis, assuming she had never before seen dengue. If we continue on this trajectory, I’m certain this won’t be her last case.

Deborah Heaney is a preventive, occupational and environmental health physician practicing in Ann Arbor, Mich. She also holds a master’s degree in public health.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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An earlier version of this article included an incorrect reference to the mosquitoes that spread dengue. They are members of the Aedes genus, not species.

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What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

It almost time! Millions of Americans across the country Monday are preparing to witness the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse as it passes over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada.

It's a sight to behold and people have now long been eagerly awaiting what will be their only chance until 2044 to witness totality, whereby the moon will completely block the sun's disc, ushering in uncharacteristic darkness.

That being said, many are curious on what makes the solar eclipse special and how is it different from a lunar eclipse.

The total solar eclipse is today: Get the latest forecast and everything you need to know

What is an eclipse?

An eclipse occurs when any celestial object like a moon or a planet passes between two other bodies, obscuring the view of objects like the sun, according to NASA .

What is a solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the sun, blocking its light from reaching our planet, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. The resulting "totality," whereby observers can see the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, presents a spectacular sight for viewers and confuses animals – causing nocturnal creatures to stir and bird and insects to fall silent.

Partial eclipses, when some part of the sun remains visible, are the most common, making total eclipses a rare sight.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.

Lunar eclipses are often also referred to the "blood moon" because when the Earth's shadow covers the moon, it often produces a red color. The coloration happens because a bit of reddish sunlight still reaches the moon's surface, even though it's in Earth's shadow.

Difference between lunar eclipse and solar eclipse

The major difference between the two eclipses is in the positioning of the sun, the moon and the Earth and the longevity of the phenomenon, according to NASA.

A lunar eclipse can last for a few hours, while a solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes. Solar eclipses also rarely occur, while lunar eclipses are comparatively more frequent. While at least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, total lunar eclipses are still rare, says NASA.

Another major difference between the two is that for lunar eclipses, no special glasses or gizmos are needed to view the spectacle and one can directly stare at the moon. However, for solar eclipses, it is pertinent to wear proper viewing glasses and take the necessary safety precautions because the powerful rays of the sun can burn and damage your retinas.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY