Gulliver’s Travels: Journey of Dreams by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels: Journey of Dreams by Jonathan Swift

            

              Gulliver’s Travels, the real title is “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World”, four-part satirical work by Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift, published in 1726. Gulliver’s Travels is an important work of English literature. It was one of the first and best books which gave birth to the novel form of literature. It’s a parody of the popular travel narrative, Gulliver’s Travels combines adventure with savage satire, mocking English customs and the politics of the day. In this novel, Jonathan Swift criticizes and mocks with politics, international relations, mathematics and the usage of science. In that case, it may  called it is one of the novels that reflect the period in which the writer lives.  

        Although inseparably linked to travel literature, Gulliver’s Travels is something completely different. This work merely uses the literary infrastructure of travel literature to conceal its “true purpose.” One of the most distinguishing features of travel journals from the other works is that what is searched into by the European writer who happens to write them is always an indigenous component of the land whither he has arrived; however, when Gulliver describes some characteristics of the civilization that happens to be stranded in at the time, said idiosyncrasy is always accompanied by subtitles which obliges the reader to simultaneously think how it reflects in English society. In the work, there are two enemy countries called Blefuscu and Lilliput. These two enemy countries have disagreed with each other on the idea of whether the egg should be broken by a spike or around. 

         “Difference in opinions has cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether the flesh is bread, or bread be flesh; whether the juice of a certain berry is blood or wine. Undoubtedly, philosophers are in the right when they tell us that nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison.” (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels)

All among the story, Swift gives the reason for the war which is based on politics and trivial ideas. And that’s how people doing in the real world.

           Another one is the next island of giants. Here, giants are called Brobdingnaglar. In the previous chapter, Gulliver was the giant and others were the dwarfs but now he is the dwarf and others are the giants and in this island, Gulliver is a toy of a little girl. Many things come to the giants to be ridiculous until Gulliver makes the use of a knife to escape. Next time Gulliver come to the island of Laputa’s. The island can be upgraded at any time and lowered at any time. Some very strong scientists lack practical intelligence, but who are proficient in mathematics and knowledge of art. Scientists are dealing with funny things like trying to get sunlight from the cucumber. The Laputans undermine every idea of ​​practice. Even if, Gulliver is a doctor, there is almost nothing here. Gulliver descends from the island and wants to travel the land below. In the following, he encounters a lord who is seen as a small man because of his practical intelligence and learns about the country.

Gulliver’s Travels

          Gulliver’s last travel is to the land of horses similar to the one called Yahoo and the horses that are masters of Yahoo's so-called Houyhnhnm. Yahoo's looks like a human but they are primitive and wild. At first, the Houymynmy's think that Gulliver is Yahoo, but Gulliver proves that he is not a Yahoo and he is a guest of Houymynmler. Gulliver tells them that in their country people and horses are in the opposite situation, horses work for people, and people dominate them, and Houyhnhnms are greatly amazed. Gulliver thinks that horses are magicians or enthralled people. These creatures are extremely gentle and clever. It confuses what it means to be human. They find it difficult to understand what Gulliver has to say about Europe, their wars and unnecessary fights. Gulliver didn't want to pick her out of them, and when she returned home, she had become completely cold; He continues to live by isolating himself as much as possible from humans. This work, which most of us read in primary school age, is not only an excellent example of grinding but also some of the features of science fiction. It is one of the rare works where different tastes can be taken.

             To sum up; the usage of language and ironic words are changing with the Gulliver’s travels. A large number of icons in each line, every section, and every journey requires the evaluation of Gulliver's Trips together with the history of the years in which it was written, in that case, Swift has succeeded in overcoming his own culture, beliefs and reached universal themes. He wrote the story almost five hundred years ago, then it becomes and will become one of the most popular books in the world and with the descriptive events and places the story considered to be on the list of the masterpieces of the travel writings.

Gulliver’s Travels: Journey of Dreams by Jonathan Swift