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Gullivers Travels - Houyhnhnml - Essay

Gullivers Travels - Houyhnhnml

Gulliver's Travels - Houyhnhnmland
One of the most interesting questions about Gullivers Travels is
whether the Houyhnhnms represent an ideal of rationality or whether on
the other hand they are the butt of Swift's satire. In other words, in
Book IV, is Swift poking fun at the talking horses or does he intend
for us to take them seriously as the proper way to act? If we look
closely at the way that the Houyhnhnms act, we can see that in fact
Swift does not take them seriously: he uses them to show the dangers
of pride.

First we have to see that Swift does not even take Gullver
seriously. For instance, his name sounds much like gullible, which
suggests that he will ...

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Lemule Gulliver is satirized, so are the Houyhnhnms, whose
voices sound like the call of castrati. They walk on two legs instead
of four, and seem to be much like people. As Gulliver says, "It was
with the utmost astonishment that I witnessed these creatures playing
the flute and dancing a Vienese waltz. To my mind, they seemed like
the greatest humans ever seen in court, even more dextrous than the
Lord Edmund Burke" (162). As this quote demonstrates, Gulliver is
terribly impressed, but his admiration for the Houyhnhnms is
short-lived because they are so prideful. For instance, the leader of
the Houyhnhnms claims that he has read all the works of Charles
Dickens, and that he can singlehandedly recite the names of all the
Kings and Queens of England up to George II. Swift subtly shows that
this Houyhnhnms pride is misplaced when, in the middle of the
intellectual competition, he forgets the name of Queen Elizabeths
husband.

Swifts ...

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Gullivers Travels - Houyhnhnml. (2005, December 24). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gullivers-Travels-Houyhnhnml/38508

"Gullivers Travels - Houyhnhnml." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 24 Dec. 2005. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gullivers-Travels-Houyhnhnml/38508>

"Gullivers Travels - Houyhnhnml." Essayworld.com. December 24, 2005. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gullivers-Travels-Houyhnhnml/38508.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 12/24/2005 06:00:29 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 840
Pages: 4

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