Satire in "Gulliver's Travels"

Paper Summary:

In this paper, Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" reflects the class status, intellectual elitism and government in England in a satirical format. The different adventures that Gulliver takes reflect the aspects of surrealism and dream-like qualities that deter the arrogant sense of reasoning that many British elites, such as Gulliver, felt about their own intellectual, political and class based initiatives in the world. The paper shows that this relativism of thought and reasoning is the major objective of Swift's satire, as he sought to reflect deeper, symbolic meanings behind each and every one of the stories adventures.

From the Paper:

"This study will analyze the precept of satire, which reflects a deeper form of social criticism in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. By understanding the basic societal issues that Swift faced in his day, such as class status, intellectual elitism, and government in England, one can realize how his humor is depicted in the characters of his book. In essence, this novel is humorous on a surface or comedic level for the cynical reader, but relates a far deeper satire in depicting corruption and deviancy on the part of 18^th century English nobility. The beginning of this novel reflects Gulliver's society and the middle-upper class upbringing, which he was raised."

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