GULLIVER’S TRAVELS BY JONATHAN SWIFT

VOYAGE 1

Gulliver is a doctor by profession and every ship must carry a doctor by law. He had gone to many voyages. After traveling form a number of voyages, he had written a letter to his cousin Simpson to convey him what he has observed from different voyages.
A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT:
In this voyage Gulliver gives a telescopic view of man. The people of Lilliput were of six inches and Gulliver was of 72 inches. He looked strange among them. His high height also gives the concept of human being thinking himself very high, above all and powerful, thinking that others are of no value and no status before him. And the smallness of those people who live in Lilliput represents the actual human society and its affairs have been made to look ridiculous by being represented as very small.
The first point in the letter was:
• “When part and faction was extinguished”
Here in Lilliput people were divided into two parties known as Tramecksan and Samecksan. There was no unity between them. These two parties are the parody of Tories and Whigs. Tories belong to the high church (In book which is stated as high heel) and Whigs belong to the law church (in book which is stated as low heel). The difference between the two parties was that Tories were more ceremonial in their prayers and Whigs were less ceremonial or we can also say that Tories were strict Roman Catholic where as the Whigs were liberal Proteston.
• It is a thin flip of allegory through which we can easily see that swift is talking about England but not the imaginary land of Lilliput. He is satirizing the religious and political parties. He is ridiculing sectarianism.
• During this voyage he is also telling us the fithness of humanbeings. He says that humanbeings are a store of filthnese. Actually Swift wants to say that man is all filth. If you look at the body of man, it is ugly. Inside he is a store of filth. For this reason he has been given the charge of misanthropist. But he is not a misanthropist. But he is not a misanthropist but a reformer and an idealist.
• While talking about the king of Lilliput, he said, “He is taller by almost the Breadth of my nail.” This smallness indicates the small and shallow character of the man from inside. Man is no more than 6- inches. He is physically ugly and small but talks about the whole universal authority.
• Then he comes towards the condition of court. He saw that there is going on rope dancing in the court offing and it is quite though to dance on a rope., so a number of people fell down and had broken their limbs but the thing which is found different is that when one of the favourite of the king “Flimnap” danced and was about to fall down, the king kept down a cushion so that he could not damage himself by felling down.
The fact behind these words is “Nepotism”. Rope dancing is a typical term used for diplomacy. Swift is now trying to show the corruption found in court. Again if we go his letter we will find that “Judges honest and upright, pleaders learned and modest”. It is an irony. The situation found in the court is opposite to it. Those who are found near the king or those who are loving to king are saved by them whereas the others are of no importance. Next he talks about the greatness of the Emperor.
“GOLBASTO MOMAREN EVLAME GURDILO SHEFIN MULLY ULLY”
“Most mighty Emperor of Lillput, Delight and Terror of the universe,
Monarch of all Monarchs: Taller that the sons of men: whose feet press down to the center and whose head strikes against the sun: at whose Nod the princes of the Earth shake their knees: ; pleasant as the spring, comfortable as the summer, fruitful as Autumn, dreadful as the spring.”
These all are shown the qualities of the king of Lilliput who is only a man of 6 ½ inches. Actually this is the situation of man. He think that he is very high to all others, he is verymuch powerful but he is nothing but a store of filth in reality.
• Further more is that he needs the betterment of society and humanbeings. When there was a war in Lilliput and the king said him to destroy the opposition, Gulliver opposed him and said, “And I plainly protested that I would never be an instrument of bringing a free and brave people into slavery.”
• This sentence makes our mind clear that such a kind of man can how be a misanthropist. He is against slavery and clonaism. He want to reform and idealize the society. The point which he has given is a strong point of view of his being philanthropist. He says that he is not prepared to use power for the destruction of humanity. He is condemning colonialism. He is against people making slaves. He has a great love for human liberty. He respects the freedom of humanity. So, such a man can never be a misanthropist.
• One who hates humanity, he only curses humanity, he does not want to entertain them, the entire purpose of Swift is to make us laugh, he is entertaining entertain. He will only curse.
• He is an idealist. To an idealist everything appears imperfect and there is nothing perfect in actual fact with the ideal. So he condemns humanity not because humanity is wrong rather he condemns humanity because it is away from the ideal.