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Jonathan Swifts Gulliver's Travels - College Term Paper

Jonathan Swifts Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver in Houynhnmland
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 believe anything.
Also, when he ...

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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 satire of the Houyhnhnms comes out in other ways as well. One of the
most memorable scenes is when the dapple ...

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/8/2008 10:28:08 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 839
Pages: 4

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