Gulliver's Travels
Journal entries and satire
It is June 17th, 1701
I left home on a journey and ended up in a land very foreign to me. It appears that I am the largest person to roam this place, and by the largest...well that is quite an understatement. When I was discovered, which did not take much time I might add, the civilization seemed beyond frightened of me. I was strapped down and inspected and brought to a castle. The people of this land are smaller than the buttons on my coat, and their ruler is a silly old fool. Their ways a quite different from ours in England. Although they were frightened by me, I was able to prove my harmlessness to them.
The king's wife was a sight to see. She was beautiful beyond words, I tried to please her by kissing her extraordinarily small hand, but the outcome of my gesture was not as expected.... I ended up leaving her disgusted and this troubled me.
June 19th and June 27th
27th: The war has been going on for a while and I finally could put an end to it. However the emperor wanted me to kill the enemy, but I saw no point considering we had already won. He got very angry by this, and I believe they are considering asking me to leave. It appears to me as though I am now a threat, an uncontrollable force, and that doesn't sound pleasant. I must leave soon.
August 24th, 1703
August 26th, 1703 and September 5th, 1703
26th: Today we started putting on shows for the villagers. I am dressed up as a corn husk and pretend I know all the secrets of nature. Everyone is intrigued by my tiny appearance and it seems as though the family I stay with is profiting from this tiny show.
5th: I traveled into town with the queen today. THE QUEEN! It was fantastic. Every person was so happy to have a job and their society is so equal. There was another small man, not as small as I am though, and he was different than all the rest. His attitude was not as jolly and I could feel the tension between us. I tried to ask the queen about it and she told me I had taken his job as the jester and his new job was bringing filth to the pigs. She assured me it was nothing, but the angry small man threw fruits at me when the queens back as turned and mumbled threatening words under his breath, I may need to keep an eye out for him.
September 7th-9th, 1703
9th: Today is the day I will fascinate the giants. I have given the scientists ingredients for gun powder. I changed the measurements for the ingredients so that the giants will actually see the power of the powder. Tomorrow all the council will gather around and see the magnificent sight!
September 10th
Then, Things did not go as planned. The scientists changed the measurements also, And the gun powder was too strong. Everyone thinks I tried to kill them all and I am being shunned.
September 16th,
March 15th, 1705
March 18th,1705
June 4th,1707
May 29th, 1709
Satire
LILLIPUT
*Another target of Swift's sharp pen is religion, particularly the conflicts between Protestants and
Catholics. Lilliput has long been plagued by internal religious problems the difference between the
two sects is where they cut their hard boiled eggs. The Lilliputians cut their eggs at the little end, and
are Little-endians, while the Blefuscians cut their eggs at the big end and are Big-endians.
*The split between the big and little endians is a satire of the split of Protestantism from Catholicism,
which Swift believes was a matter of small differences. However, these small differences led to many
wars between Catholics and Protestants, particularly during the 30 Years War. The small differences
between religions that leads to violence can still be seen today in places such as Northern Ireland and
Iraq, where religious factions have caused civil wars, with has caused a lot of death and destruction.
BROBDINGNAG
*When Gulliver travels to Brobdingnag he encounters a race of giants, who although ugly, are much
superior to the peoples of Europe in culture and in government. They are peaceful and fair and not
extravagant, violent, and cruel as the peoples of Europe have been. After Gulliver tells the King of
Brobdingnag about European government, society, and history, trying to make it sound as good as
possible the King replies, "I cannot but conclude the Bulk of your Natives to be the most pernicious
Race of little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth.".
Swift's satire of Western heritage through the mouth of the King can still apply to today's society,
where many of the same vices and actions are still seen in our culture just as they were in Swift's.
Time period: Mirror and Leaders
Satire: The satire Gulliver sees is that nobody is perfect. He is exposed to the greatest rulers and leaders of all time, people who have been put on a pedestal in history and finds out that all of them are not as incredible as they’re cracked up to be. Alexander the Great for example, built up to be the greatest military leader in history, died of excessive drinking, not poison, showing he is not as noble and perfect as history makes him out to be.
Time period: Yahoos
Satire: Gulliver meets these yahoos who symbolize what the english people are in the time. Almost everything they do is satire. The yahoos fight all the time, they’re all hoarders and greedy (they give value to diamonds and spend all their time picking at them), and they spend all their time stealing and and mugging instead of being upfront.