Comment on Swift’s satire on English politics in Gulliver’s Travels

Or, Comment on Swift’s satire on English politics in the first two books of Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, How does Swift satirizes politics in the two first two Books of Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, Justify Gulliver’s Travels as a political allegory.

Or, Bring out the political allegory used in Gulliver’s Travels and comment on Swift’s success here.

Or, Write a critical note on Swift’s satire on English politics in the two books of Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, The satire in Book-I of is fairly entrenched in contemporary political history. Substantiate.

Or, “Swift satire in Books I and II is directed against contemporary English politics”- Discuss.

Or, Discuss the political implications entrenched in Gulliver’s Travels, Book III of Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, Bring out the elements of political satire and allegory in Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, Write on Swift’s political satire in Books I and III of Gulliver’s Travels.

Or, What element of political allegory do you find in Gulliver’s Travels?

Or, How does Swift satirize the English society in Gulliver’s Travels?

Or,0 Discuss the first Book of Gulliver’s Travels as political satire.

Answer: Jonathan Swift is one of the greatest satirists as well as outstanding personalities in the field of classical writings. He is a versatile genius for artistic presentation. He is also influenced by the trends of society. Gulliver’s Travels is a masterpiece of satire through which he reveals his wits regarding the follies and vices of society. It is the satirical writing through which he has created a new dimension of the history of English literature. This study is an attempt to focus on religion, society, human nature, as well as the political condition of contemporary England.

Now I would like to discuss about satire, its origin, and its purpose also. The term ‘satire’ is derived from the Latin word ‘satire’ which means ‘dish of mixed fruits. In other words, Elizabethan writers, misled by the etymology, supposed that it is taken from the Greek satyr’, which means ‘woodland demon. “Satire is a literary attack or a way of criticizing the follies and vices of a person, an institution, or a society with a view to correcting them throw laughter or ridicule. However, it is a literary piece that is written to ridicule or mock the abuses and follies of man and institution. There are two kinds of satire, one is formal and another is informal. A formal satire is that which is not mixed with other genres. But an informal satire is a. satire that is presented in the form of another genre. Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is the most famous example of it. According to Swift, “Satire is a type of glass wherein beholders generally find out everybody’s face.”

But the ‘political satire is a satire that satirizes political devices and activities aiming at correcting the issues prevalent at a particular time in a particular country. The purpose of political satire’ is to show the faults of politics and politicians of a country so that a real political leader can image in the field of political affairs as a true human being. With the idea in mind, in Gulliver’s Travels Swift expresses his political satire to show the evil sides and correction of politics and politicians of the eighteenth century England with a view to correcting them in a humorous way.”…..it would be more accurate and more illuminating to call it a politico sociological treatise much of which is couched in the medium of satire.”

In the first part, Gulliver goes to the country of Lilliput where he has to face many problems. He has to do many works and learn their culture, religion, education, and language also. He learns that the Lilliputs are divided against themselves politically and religiously. There are two political factions; the High Heels and the Low Heels which correspond to two religious factions: The Big Indians and the Little Indians. In this country, the Emperor is an ironic depiction of King George-I.

In Lilliput, it is mainly the life of the community which is ridiculed, in Brobdingnag mainly the life of the individual, though here it should be noted that the viewpoint is not always the same. Now it is Gulliver who is repelled by human peculiarities magnified twelve times, now it is the King who finds Gulliver’s diminutive tribe odious. Again, just as the satire in Lilliput is interrupted by the account of Utopian laws which, though imperfectly observed, yet destroy temporarily the illusion that we are looking at Europe on a small scale. So the satire in Brobdingnag is interrupted by the description of England, which destroys for a moment the illusion that mankind has swollen to enormous proportions.

Part I and II are complementary. Gulliver is a Brobdingnagian in Lilliput and a Lilliputian in Brobdingnag; with this difference, however, in the first case he inspires fear and suspicion instead of disgust, and in the second runs risks greater than any faced by the Lilliputians. Another difference is not unconnected with the advantages of greater stature: among the pigmies, malignant spite is intensified, among the giants, amiable tolerance.

In part III, too, the satire is more diffused: not merely is what Swift considered false learning attacked, but also oppression and even the desire to go on living. In comparison with the rest of Gulliver’s Travels, ‘A voyage to Laputa’ is of marked inferiority; this was the judgment of the first readers of the satire and it has never been reversed. The reasons for this inferiority are not far to seek.

Political satire is usually distinguished from political protest or political dissent, political as it does not necessarily carry an agenda nor seek to influence the political process. While occasionally it may, it more commonly aims simply to provide entertainment. By its very nature, it rarely offers a constructive view in itself; when it is used as part. Swift has at least two aims in Gulliver’s Travels besides merely telling a good adventure story. Behind the disguise of his narrative, he is satirizing the pettiness of human nature in general and attacking the Whigs in particular. Herbert Davis says, I am afraid it is necessary to admit that Swift did not realize that he was privileged to be living in the bright dawn of the scientific era; he did not realize that some of his contemporaries were leading mankind across the threshold of the modern world.

In part IV, Gulliver represents the middle ground between pure reason (as embodied by the Houyhnhnms) and pure animalism (as embodied by the depraved Yahoo), yet Gulliver’s pride refuses to allow him to recognize the Yahoo aspects in himself. Therefore, he identifies himself with the Houyhnhnms and in fact, tries to become one. But the horses are alien to Gulliver, yet he thinks of the Yahoos as alien and animal. Separating himself from his naturally depraved

cousins; the Yahoo, Gulliver also separates himself from European Ya!:ɔos. He is near to madness because of pride. However, Gulliver has ‘reasoned’ himself into rejecting his species and his nature and all according to the due Course of Things. Swift had many ‘imperfect sympathies’ – the Catholic native Irishman, the dissenting Scottish Presbyterian, the obstinate Dutchman, the subtle politician, and the gambling aristocrat- but most of all he hated false pride, and especially man’s false pride in his own institutions, those very institutions which, he felt, were responsible for so much misery and decay.

Finally, I would like to say, Swift’s Political satire is a weapon against the political conflict in his time. Through the exaggerations, he satirizes the contemporary political condition as well as the politicians. His purposes for the satire are human frailty, conceit, stupidity, and barbarism. The satire is rarely their customs ideals and through contrast with European customs. With each voyage, the treatment of humanity becomes more inhuman in this time.