Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"

Book Review # 108784

A discussion and and analysis of Jonathan Swift's condemnation of human nature in his famous novel, "Gulliver's Travels".

1,530 words () | 3 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" and how it is an indictment of humanity. The paper explains that, in "Gulliver's Travels", Swift seeks to condemn human nature as being a state that is assimilated by all in terms of unthinking servitude to individuals' own desires and needs, which conflict and contrast to create a sort of messy chaos that is not ruled by reason or logic. The paper relates that Swifts condemnation of human nature is not light satire. Rather it is a general indictment of humanity as being naturally loathsome and horrible to behold. That is, Swift does not see any saving grace in civilization, but instead concentrates on the innate debasement of humanity.

From the Paper:

"When the narrator accepts that the horses are his social superiors and masters, he does so after some amount of discussion, having learned their language enough to give a rather proud account of his native land, which is summarily dismissed by the horses as being typical of Yahoo behavior. The horses remark that it is not unheard of in their land to also see Yahoos squabbling and killing each other over certain minerals, and that the dominant Yahoo is also surrounded by fawning subservient attendants who herd female
Yahoos into his camp and help to clean the lead Yahoo's feet and behind."

Sample of Sources Used:

Ehrenpreis, Irvin (1993). Show and Tell in Gulliver's Travels. Gulliver's Travels. New York: WW Norton Company.
Swift, Jonathan (2002). Gulliver's Travels. New York: WW Norton Company.
Weinbrot, Howard D. (2000). Swift, Horace and Virgil: Brave Lies, Dangerous Horses, and Truth. Gulliver's Travels. New York: WW Norton Company.

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APA Citation:

Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 13, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Book-Review-Jonathan-Swift's-Gulliver's-Travels/108784

MLA Citation:

"Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"" 15 January 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.academon.com/Book-Review-Jonathan-Swift's-Gulliver's-Travels/108784>