Satire and Jonathan Swift

Satire and Jonathan Swift During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the country of England was faced with many social and governmental issues. These issues were deeply rooted in English customs and culture, and finding solutions was often not an easy, or even feasible, task. Government offices were held by people who had no knowledge of governmental procedures, and their systems were very prone to corruption. Legislators were dishonest and heartless, and the poor suffered greatly under them. People soon began to realize that a change was needed in their country. One of these people was the great Irish satirist, Jonathan Swift. In his most famous works of literature, Gulliver’s Travels and “A Modest Proposal,” Swift satirizes the English government and social system. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift satirizes the English political system and the absurdities in English society. He creates Lilliput and its very small citizens as a way to show his views on the ridiculous ways in which the English people win political offices. In England at the time, men were elected to a government office usually because of their prominent name, social status, wealth, or simply their skill in encouraging people to vote for them. Swift satirizes this by creating the story of the Lilliputians and their tightrope walking. Anyone who wishes to hold a political office in Lilliput must first perform a series of tricks on a tightrope in front of the public. The office they are elected to depends solely on their performance of these tricks. In this, Swift is saying that English politicians and legislators are not qualified for the offices they hold, and they have no knowledge of how to run a government. They are merely putting on a show for the public. Swift also creates another civilization, Brobdingnag, in his stories. The citizens of Brobdingnag are twelve times larger than normal people. They are very honest and moral, and they have an ideal governmental system in which the king is a just and generous ruler. The nobles of Brobdingnag poke fun at the English for their system ofparty politics when Gulliver speaks of the Whigs and the Tories, and also ridicule English fashion. The king is appalled by the governmental practices that Gulliver praises. He states that England is run by a government full of unqualified men who are ignorant and full of vice. The irony of this passage is that Gulliver loves his country and is upset by the king’s attacks, but that country’s government is unscrupulous and its citizens are full of corruption. It is also saying that perhaps the English nobility should be as genuine and moral as that of Brobdingnag. Jonathan Swift wrote his most famous work of satire, “A Modest Proposal,” to urge social reform and to improve the attitude of the English toward Ireland. At the time, the Irish rarely owned the land they lived upon. Instead, the land was owned by the English, who charged unreasonably high rent. Thus, the Irish remained very poor, while the English became very rich. Swift used his pamphlet to propose a solution to the problem of Irish poverty. He proposed that the Irish would sell their young children for food to their landlords in England. Each child would be sold for ten shillings, leaving eight shillings for profit after the cost of raising the infants. The “breeders” would produce children for money, and thus bring themselves out of poverty. The skin of the children would be used to make gloves for women and light boots for men. Human meat would be in season all year, with a surge generally in the spring. Swift, however, did not mean for this proposal to be taken literally. He is merely suggesting that something be done about the English persecution of the Irish. The English had refused all logical solutions to the problem, and something absurd was needed to draw their attention and to motivate them to work for a change. Swift states that there are many advantages to his proposals that prove that his ideas are valid. He says that because many of the Irish children are being sold, the families will have a considerably larger amount of money, which would bring them out of poverty. Even the poorest of the poor will have something valuableto possess and sell to bring in money. The amount of marriages will be increased, and since the children are so valuable the rate of domestic abuse will decrease because men will not want to harm their wives or children. Business will increase in taverns and pubs due to the introduction of a new delicacy, and the nation’s beef exports will also rise, as beef will no longer be the only meat eaten regularly. All of these advantages and many others show that there are sufficient solutions to the problem, but that this one is obviously absurd. Jonathan Swift’s amazing satirical talent in Gulliver’s Travels and “A Modest Proposal” accurately brings out the worst in English society. He shows these societal problems by making the Lilliputians in Gulliver’s Travels very small to highlight their smallness of mind, as well as to exaggerate the same smallness of mind he sees in the English. The citizens of Brobdingnag are very large to show that they are the quite the opposite of the Lilliputians. They are very moral, honest, andnoble, and can clearly point out all the faults of England. They are how Swift feels the English should be. “A Modest Proposal” is titled with the word “modest” in an ironical sense. Swift is saying that after exhausting all other propositions, the English will be appalled by his pamphlet and realize that one of the realisticsolutions must be approached. He does not believe his proposal to be modest at all, but believes it to be ridiculous to the point of inducing social change. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……… Swift's "Gulliver's Travels": A social satire ________________________________________ “Gulliver’s Travels” is a great work of social satire. Swift’s age was an age of smug complacency. Corruption was rampant and the people were still satisfied. Thus, Jonathan Swift tears the veil of smug complacency off which had blinded the people to realities. In “Gulliver’s Travels”, there is a satire on politics, human physiognomy, intellect, manners and morality. In the first voyage to Lilliput, Swift satirizes on politics and political tactics practiced in England through Lilliputians, the dwarfs of six inches height. He satirizes the manner in which political offices were awarded by English King in his time. Flimnap, the Treasurer, represents Sir Robert Walpole who was the Prime Minister of England. Dancing on tight ropes symbolizes Walpole's skill in parliamentary tactics and political intrigues. The ancient temple, in which Gulliver is housed in Lilliput, refers to Westminster Hall in which Charles I was condemned to death. The three fine silk threads awarded as prizes to the winners refer to the various distinctions conferred by English King to his favourites. The Lilliputians were highly superstitious: “They bury their dead with their head directly downwards because they hold an opinion that after eleven thousand moons they are all to rise again.” Gulliver’s account of the annoyance of the Empress of Lilliput on extinguishing fire in her apartment is Swift’s satirical way of describing Queen Anne’s annoyance with him on writing “A Tale of a Tub”. Swift’s satire becomes amusing when Gulliver speaks of the conflict between the Big Endians and the Little Endians. In this account Swift is ridiculing the conflicts between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. High Heel and Low Heel represent Whig and Tory – two political parties in England. In the second voyage to Brobdingnag, there is a general satire on human body, human talents and human limitations. Gulliver gives us his reaction to the coarseness and ugliness of human body. When Gulliver gives an account, to the King of Brobdingnag, of the life in his own country, the trade, the wars, the conflicts in religion, the political parties, the king remarks that the history of Gulliver's country seems to be a series of conspiracies, rebellions, murders, revolutions and banishments etc. Kind condemns the fatal use of gunpowder and the books written on the act of governing. King mocks at the human race of which Gulliver is the agent. “The most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.” Swift here ridicules human pride and pretension. The sight is, indeed, horrible and disgusting. Among the beggars is a woman with a cancer in her breast. “It stood prominent six feet, and could not be less than sixteen in circumference … spots and pimples that nothing could appear more nauseous.” There is a man with a huge tumor in his neck; another beggar has wooden legs. But the most hateful sight is that of the lice crawling on their clothes. This description reinforces Swift views of the ugliness and foulness of the human body. In the third voyage to Laputa, there is a satire on human intellect, human mind and on science, philosophy and mathematics. However, his satire is not very bitter. We are greatly amused by the useless experiments and researches, which are going on at the academy of Projectors in Lugado. Here scientists wants to extract sunbeams out of cucumbers, to convert human excrement into its original food, to build house from the roof downward to the foundation, to obtain silk from cobwebs and to produce books on various subjects by the use of machine without having to exert one’s brain. “Their heads were inclined either to the right or to the left, one of their eyes turned inward, and the other directly up to Zenith.” Swift amuses us by making a fun of the people whose sole interests are music and geometry. “They made a lot of theories but practically nill.” Swift here ridicules scientists, academics, planers, intellectual, in fact, all people who proceed, only according to theory which are useless when they come to actual practice. He satirizes historian and literary critics though Gulliver’s interviews with the ghosts of famous dead. The point f satire is that historian often distorts facts and literary critics often misinterpret great authors like Homer and Aristotle. In the fourth voyage to Houyhnhnms, there is a bitter poignant satire on human moral shortcomings. Voyage contains some of the most corrosive and offensive satire on mankind. The description of the Yahoos given to us by Gulliver is regrettable. “Yet I confess I never say any sensitive being so detestable on all accounts; and the more I came near them, the more hateful they grew.” By contrast, the Houyhnhnms are noble and benevolent horses who are governed by reason and lead an ordered life. It is, indeed, a bitter criticism on the human race to be compared by the Houyhnhnms. The satire deepens when Gulliver gives an account, to the master Houyhnhnms, of the events in his country. He tells him that war in European countries was sometimes due to the ambition of kings and sometimes due to the corruption of the ministers. He speaks of the numerous deadly weapons, employed by European nations for destructive purposes. Many people in his country ruin themselves by drinking, gambling and debauchery and many are guilty of murders, theft, robbery, forgery and rape. The master speaks of the Yahoo’s love of shinning stones, their gluttony and their weakness for liquor. The master also speaks of the lascivious behaviour of the female Yahoos. By contrast, the Houyhnhnms are excellent beings. “Here was neither physician to destroy my body not lawyer to ruin my fortune; no informer to watch my words and actions … here were no … backbiters, pickpockets, highwaymen, house-breakers … politicians, wits … murderers, robbers … no cheating shop-keeper or mechanics, no pride, vanity or affectation.” They hold meetings at which the difficulties of their population are discussed and solved. They regulate their population and do not indulge in sexual intercourse merely for pleasure. “Everything is calculated as the Plato’s Utopian land ‘The Republican’.” Swift’s purpose here is to attribute to horses certain qualities which would normally be expected in human beings but which are actually lacking in them. Gulliver’s reaction o Houyhnhnms fills him so much admiration for them and with so much hatred and disgust for human beings that he has no desire even to return to his family. Thus we see that “Gulliver’s Travels” is a great piece of art containing social satire in it. Every satirist is at heart a reformist. Swift, also, wants to reform the society by pinpointing the vices and shortcoming in it. And he very successfully satirizes on political tactics, physical awkwardness, intellectual fallacies and moral shortcomings. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… Is Swift a misanthrope? Swift is not a misanthrope rather he is a philanthrope. It is the misconception of those who think Swift as a misanthrope. Swift only wants to reform mankind out of their follies and stupidities. He says that the chief end of all his labour is: “to vex the world rather than divert it.” Secondly, he declares that: “I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities and all hislove is towards individuals.” Thirdly, though Swift does not believe that: “Man is a rational animal.” Yet he believes that: “Man is capable of becoming rational if he makes the necessary efforts.” But we see that Swift is notorious for being misanthrope. He was subjected to this allegation during his lifetime because the critics, identifying Gulliver with Swift, attributed Gulliver’s blunders to Swift. That Gulliver, in the last voyage, becomes a misanthrope is undeniable and indisputable. Prima facie, it appears that by developing a negative view of mankind, he starts preferring horses to men, but a solid reason of Swift underlies this act of Gulliver. We observe that in the fourth voyage, Gulliver reaches a country of animals, ruled by animals. There are two categories of animals living there in: ugly and repulsive brutes – Yahoos: “Yahoos who are unteachable brutes, cunning, gluttonous and disposed to great mischief.” And comparatively better and nice-looking animals – Houyhnhnms. The moment he enters the country he is confronted with Yahoos and they give him such a nasty and obnoxious treatment that he develops a disliking for them in his heart, which is later converted into hatred owing to their disgusting physical appearance and their filthy and mischievous way of life. But his first meeting with Houyhnhnms, on the other hand, proves a nice experience. And this: “First impression proves the last impression.” They secure him against Yahoos, behave properly and gracefully escort him to their abode. “The behaviour of horses shows him to be animals with an extraordinary power of understanding.” Naturally, this kind of treatment creates a sort of fondness in Gulliver’s heart for Houyhnhnms and their way of life. Upto this time, nothing is objectionable, but his fault begin when he become so enamored of Houyhnhnms that he starts hating man or equating Yahoos with men, he begins to abhor Man. He develops a general hatred against all men. All the subsequent incidents – his hatred against the Captain, against his family, etc. – reflect his misanthropy. The blunder which Gulliver committed is that, he over-idealizes them because Gulliver is a man who is fed up with Man’s corruption. Therefore, he cannot see corruption in Man. He finds Yahoos in a detestable and abhorrent condition on account of their being a slave of emotions, sensuality and sentimentality. He says: “I confess I never saw any sensitive being so detestable on all accounts; and the more I came near them, the more hateful they grew, while I stayed in that country.” Houyhnhnms, in a comparatively better condition, lack that type of corruption that Yahoos have, for Houyhnhnms have no emotion. “Houyhnhnms are free from lust and greed.” Naturally, he attributes whole of Man’s corruption to emotions, passions and sentimentality. As a remedy, he starts hating emotions, passion and he falls a victim to pure intellect. “Here was neither physician to destroy my body, nor lawyer to ruin my fortune, here were no gibers, …, backbiters, …, bawds, …, ravishers, murderers or … poxes.” So, he mis-idealize Houyhnhnms, due to their pure intellect, somehow establishes a subjective ideal before him i.e. to be a man is to have pure intellect. He thinks: “The only remedy for doing away with Man’s corruption and pollution is to get rid of all kinds of emotions.” In the country of Houyhnhnms, when Gulliver has a choice, he adopts for the Houyhnhnms way of life, completely rejecting Yahoos’ path. But when he is compelled to leave the country and to break away form his beloved way of life, and to come to another way of life which he dislikes, it is but natural for him to hate it. In fact, his this ideal is perfectly erroneous. Swift says: “Idealism leads towards destruction.” So, it is wrong to detest Man, equating him with Yahoos and it is again inappropriate to set up the ideal of perfect man on the basis of Houyhnhnms’ pure intellect because neither a Houyhnhnms nor a Yahoo is a man, instead, man is a juxtaposition of both intellect and emotions. “The best code of conduct is Golden Mean which is ‘balance’.” So he mis-defines Man. However, the fact of the matter remains whether Swift becomes a misanthrope or not, but can we impute Gulliver’s misanthropy to Swift? If we virtually succeed to establish, some identity between Swift and Gulliver, Swift, too, will become a misanthrope. But according to Swift a man is he who strikes a balance between rationality and sensuality and this balance is not gifted by birth. It has to be acquired. That’s why even Gulliver is subjected to Swift’s satire, for he loses the said balance. That is the reason we don’t identify Gulliver with Swift and, inspite of Gulliver’s misanthropy, we call Swift a great philanthropist. As he, himself, says: “I write for the noblest end, to inform and instruct mankind.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Jonathan Swift : A Misanthrope or Hater of Mankind in The Gulliver’s Travels “I hate and detest that animal called man…” This is a portion of a sentence from a letter of the world famous satirist Jonathan Swift to Alexander Pope. “The Gulliver’s Travels” is Swift’s masterpiece, a universal satire satirizing the mankind as a whole. However, Book I of this satire is actually directed to the political circumstances and corruption of the thenEngland. Yet, it is also applicable to general tendency of the political leaders of other countries alike. Again, the Book II shows the abuse of power. But Swift most violently attacks the human being and shows his utter hatred towards the whole mankind in the Book IV. For this reason, Swift is called a misanthrope, a hater of mankind. Now let us evaluate the point giving references from the text and comments of different critics. At the very first travel, Gulliver, Swift’s mouthpiece, appears to such a land where lives an unbelievable ‘human creature not more than six inches high’ . Actually, Swift’s this presentation of an impossible physical smallness of the human race is desired to show the possible mental smallness. At the second book of the travels, Swift introduces us with a dangerous ‘rope-dance’ among the political competitors, which may cause their serious physical injury, in performing their ‘dexterity and magnificence’ in front of the king to achieve his favour. Even, “Flimnap would have infallibly broke his neck if one of the King’s cushions that actually lay on the ground had not weakened his fall.” This symbolical story ironically means Walpol’s (Flimnap’s) keeping his power ok by using one of the King’s mistresses (King’s cushions), with whom he had an illegal relationship. Though it seems a personal attack, it actually aims at the common human tendency to keep power by unfair means. The human beings have an instinct to make quarrel and war. The long war between the ‘Lilliputians’ and the ‘Blefuscus’ on a trivial issue for a long time proves their love for war. They continue the war for many years on the point that which end of an egg to break, larger or smaller end. Swift’s mouthpiece of misanthropy now is the king of Brobdingnags who having heard an account of Gulliver’s native people throws a pungent attack on the whole mankind- “I can not 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 most serious attack on mankind lies in the fourth book, A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms, where he introduces us with two sorts of inhabitants- Yahoos or monkeys, representing mankind and Houyhnhnms, representing horses. But the most objectionable thing is that Yahoos have been shown to be deformed, ugly and inferior in both physical and mental make-up, while the Houyhnhnms are ‘endued with a proportionable degree of reason’ and ‘orderly and rational, acute and judicious’ . The Houyhnhnms are ‘the Perfection of Nature’ while “the yahoos … were observed to be the most unteachable of all brutes” “Part IV of Gulliver’s Travels describes man as ‘a lump of deformity and disease both in body and mind, smitten with pride’.” Swift has so much hatred towards mankind that he makes Gulliver tell- “I expressed my uneasiness at his giving me so often the appellation of Yahoo, an odious animal, for which a had so utter an hatred.” Gulliver having described to the master Houyhnhnm of how the human being or Yahoos of his country travel upon the seas by ships, the master Houyhnhnm gets surprised to hear such a thing. Gulliver says- “He asked me who made the ship, and how it was possible to that the Houyhnhnms of my country would have it to the management of brutes.” Can any human being bear such a pungent attack on the whole human being as ‘brutes’? Gulliver did not, any time, want to disclose his body in front of the Houyhnhnms for he always wanted to distinguish himself ‘as much as possible from the cursed race of Yahoo’. But once the secret of his dress is discovered and he is asked to put off his dresses in front of them. But he feels ashamed ‘ to expose those parts that nature taught us to conceal’. However , the master surprises in not wanting to disclose the dress. Hence, the use of the phrase ‘the cursed race of Yahoo’ and the incident demand a religious interpretation: According to the ‘Doctrine of Original Sin’ of St. Augustine, who has a great influence on Christianity, human being is originally of sinful nature sharing the sin of Adam and Eve who were ‘cursed’ and expelled from the garden of Eden. Again Adam and Eve felt ashamed of their nakedness in front of God after experience of having the forbidden fruit. Same is the case of Gulliver in front of the Master Houyhnhnm after his ‘original’ state having been discovered. But the Yahoos of the land actually represent the pre-fallen or innocent state of mankind. So they do not have any shame of nakedness. Therefore, from the theological point of view, this can not have any satirical purpose, but just a religious interpretation. But Swift’s misanthropy is expressed in his own words in a letter to Pope (Sep. 29, 1728) after finishing the travels. Swift says- “I have ever hated all Nations professions and Communitys and all my love is towards individuals …… I hate and detest that animal called man , although I heartily love John, Peter , Thomas.” That is, he hates the ‘cursed’ race of ‘man of original sin’, but loves some individuals. But, don’t Peter, John and Thomas bear the original sin? ... So Swift is here self-contradictory. Actually his “chief end … is to vex the world rather than to divert it”. “Upon this great foundation of misanthropy the whole building of my travels is erected”, Swift himself says. Swift’s misanthropy reaches the climax when Gulliver says, “I began last week to permit my wife to sit at dinner with me…. Yet the smell of a Yahoo continuing very offensive, I always keep my nose stopped with rue, lavender, or tobacco leaves. “ He has no anti-climax of his misanthropy. Rather he speaks against human pride, “When I behold a lump of deformity and disease both in body and mind, smitten with pride, it immediately breaks all the measures of my patience.” But is Swift without pride? - ‘No’ can be the appropriate answer according to Swift’s own letter to Charles ford (Jan 19th, 1724). In that letter, he feels proud of his ‘Abilityes’. Moreover, having corrected his sins by keeping company with Houyhnhnms, now Gulliver tries to keep himself aloof from the ‘cursed’ race of Yahoos, i.e. from mankind. But as far as the Doctrine of Original Sin is concerned, how can he, being a descendant of Adam and Eve, be apart from the basic fallen nature of human being? … Therefore, Swift himself is the irony of his treatment, and he is completely a misanthrope. However from the book I to the book IV of this travel story, we can draw a progress in the religious perspective. In the book I, Gulliver discharged his urine to extinguish the fire and left his stool without any shame. It became possible for he was in the state of innocence. But in the book IV, he feels very much ashamed to disclose his dresses for he is now in the experienced stage. Gulliver in the first book was a superior man but now inferior. The first was pre-fallen state of Adam and Eve while the fourth is post-fallen. Swift so violently ‘vexed’ the world that different critics from his own time the 18thcentury to the 20th century bitterly criticized him. Even his defenders could not but consider the 4th book to be most objectionable. Among the 18th century critics, there was Earl of Orrey, Swift’s earliest biographer, who says, “no man [was] better acquainted [than Swift] with human nature, both in the highest’ and in the lowest scenes of life.” (p. 338)* Yet he considers Swift’s misanthropy in book IV ‘intolerable’ and says “voyage to the Houyhnhnms is a real insult upon mankind” (p. 190)** Another was Partrick Delany calling the book IV to be ‘moral deformity’, ‘defiled imagination’. Thus, the 18th century critics, taking a high moral line, considers that Swift’s misanthropy led him to write ‘a monostrous fiction’ which was actually ‘an artistic failure’. Of the 19th century commentators who were less harsh than the 18th century commentators, Gosse was the harshest. He uses some phrases indicating Swift’s tendency, Swift himself and his book- ‘the horrible satisfaction of disease’ , a brain ‘not wholly under control’ and ‘the horrible foulness’. The softest critic of this century was W. E. H. Lecky who tries to answer Gosse in a differet angel. He sees Swifts misanthropy as a constitutional melancholy “mainly due to a physical malady which had long acted upon his brain”. But this answer is not suitable to us for Swift survived for a long time even after writing this book. However, Thackeray advised us not to read the book. Walter Scott in his edition of Swift’s Works (1814), says “the nakedness with which Swift has sketched this horrible outline of mankind degraded to a bestial state” (1883 ed., I, 315) However, the 20th century psychoanalysts have found an attractive subject for their study in Swift as well as Gulliver and tried to explain in terms of neuroses and complexes. The following quotation can be quoted from the ‘Psychoanalytic Review of 1842’ – “It furnishes abundant evidence of the neurotic makeup of the author and discloses in him a number of perverse trends indicative of fixation at the anal sadistic stage of libidinal development. Most conspicuous among those perverse trends is that of coprophilia, although the work furnishes evidence of numerous other related neurotic characteristics accompanying the general picture of psychosexual infantilism and emotional immaturity.” Now, from the above discussion it must be said that Jonathan Swift is completely a misanthrope for he has expressed his utter hatred towards the whole mankind in his writing as well as in his letters to his acquaintances. However, he has been so bitterly criticized that we sometimes feel pity for him. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Topic: Gulliver’s Travels as an allegory Jonathan Swift was born in 17th century and he contributed to the 18th century prose by writing essays. Satire is the powerful weapon of swift and he attacks the social institution of his times directly in his works. Apart from being a man of letters, swift was active in the politics of his time. King George-I those ruled the British empire in those days. There were two powerful parties known as Whigs and Tory. The king George-I favored the Whigs and in the beginning Swift supported the king George-I and also the Whig But later, he became the victim of the king’s indifluence and anger, He then started writing for me Tories. Apart from the politics in religions also, there was the constant conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Swift started thinking negatively about everything and his cynicism could be traced out from his works. His satire is always sharp, sometimes bitter and it real pessimistic vision of swift. There is something ill or corrupted or morbid in his satire. Unlike the innocent harmless sunny satire of Addition and Steels, Swifts satire creates adverse effect in our minds. In his pamphlet he recommends with ironic seriousness that every Irish woman should produce children for the Englishman’s fable. Irois is a literary device by which an author uses words or expressions in which he more or less the exact opposite of what he intends to convey. Their very contrariness is intended to shock the reader, while highlight their real meaning. Swift exposed the pathetic state of the Irish peasant whose only solution to poverty would be able to see their children as delicacies for the English nobleman’s fable. Swift took the holy orders and was ordained a priest of the Anglian church. He wrote a witty allegory on the religious controversy of the time entitled “A Tale of a Tub”. An allegory is a literary device which consists of the use of symbol to express a deeper meaning. Serious ideas are symbolically conveyed satire through a simple fable or parable. Although swift was cynical about women and skeptical of human relationships, a biographical study reveals his deep attachment to two young women, Esther Johnson and Esther Vanhomrigh addressed by him as Stella and Vanessa. This private correspondence with Esther Thomson, published as a journal to Stella reveals the depth of his affection and the warmth and humor of Swift - the man. Swift’s greatest literary work is GULLIVER’S TRAVELS published in 1728 although Swift professed to hate the species called “man”, he loved individuals GULLIVER’S TRAVELS, apart from its great merit as a classic for children, is a satire on human nature though swift posed as a cynic and misanthrope and his satire was harsh and bitter, he was steadfast in his concern for humanity and was honest as a critic. The principle aim ofGULLIVER’S TRAVELS INSTRUCTS and correct through ridicule, irony and sarcasm. The book exposes with great intensity, the ugliness of human nature, the conceit, pride and cruelty but the underlying tone is consistently one of compassion a desire to instruct humanity and put them on the right path of Christianity. An allegory is a literary prose or verse which is structured in such a way that its meaning could be read on two levels - a primary or literal level and a secondary and more complex level. An allegory is defined as a narrative in which the characters plot, setting and occasion while making sense in themselves also signify a second layer of meaning where they point at another set of people, events and setting either from me writer’s social thilier or recent historical events. It is a figurative mode of representation where ideas are conveyed through symbolism and metaphor. Swift uses satire to highlight the allegorical elements in his tales and thus the allegory functions as an excellent vehicle of criticism of the English Government and its activities. The allegory and the satire, in a sense, are interwoven in extricably and deftly. The books of eighteenth century politics of England see in the book, we can find as it is often studied as political or historical allegory. The character and action are based on historical or political personages and events. Allegories work as a critical interpretative frame and in historical and political allegories, characters and actions in the text present people and events in real life. Gulliver’s Travels is political allegory in which the text contains symbolic reference the actual people and events in eighteenth century England. Allegory and satire are closely interwoven one form serving the other. In short allegory means a simple that can be objects, characters, figures or colour used to represent an abstract idea or concepts. Swift uses this novel to criticize the political condition of England at the 18thcentury. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is not merely the story of Gulliver’s Travels visits to the four islands but it tells something more. Some critics interpret the work as a political satire and also as an allegory. An allegory is a story in which double meanings run parallel through the text and the verbal meaning or the surface meaning is not enough for the full appreciation of the work on hand. The verbelum reading of Gulliver’s Travels suggest that Swift tells one thing and means another thing. The first voyage of the book is regarded as a sustained political allegory. The critics like Michael Foot, W.A. Speak, Sir Charles firth and A.E. case inquired into the nature of Gulliver’s Travels. They tried to identify the events and the personalities of the voyage to Lilliput with those in Swift’s England. It was argued by firth that the account of Lilliputian was written in 1714 and partly after 1720. He sought to explain the incident of the Lilliputian queen’s indignation at Gulliver’s Travels effrontery in extinguishing the palace fire with his copious urine with reference to the established fact inapt Queen Anne viewed “A Tale of a Tub” with great anger and never forgave Swift for writing it. Moreover, the character of Fimnap refers to Sir Robert Walpole and his skill on the rope symbolizes Walpole’s desclerity in parliamentary tactics and political intrigues while which the cushion that broke his fall represents the Duchesses of Kendal, one of George-I mistresses. The coloured threads represent the orders of Thistle, Bath and Garter. The allegory has been divided into four sections referring to four voyages of the protagonist. First voyage refers many allegories and in this voyage Gulliver’s visit to the island of the word Lilliput suggests very small things. The dimension of size is symbolic and the dwarfishness of Lilliputians’ stands for triviality and shallowness of the English Society of Swift’s time. Swift uses the tern high-heels and law-heels and they refer to Whigs and Tories of his times. To be precised low heels stands for Whigs and high heels stands for Tories. Similarly Big Endians stands For Catholics and little Endian stand for Protestants. In second voyage, Gulliver visits the island of Brobdingnag next to Lilliput of this land and in this voyage also we can find many allegories which is used by Swift to show the real life style of people at that time in England. For Example In the Brobdingnag, the people are giants and everything is magnify on a large scale and Swift has again used the dimension of size to highlight the imperfections and deficiencies of human beings. Gulliver is disgusted at the sight of a woman feeding her child. There is the long description of the abnormal size of the breast of the woman and man Swift praises the normal size and fair skin of English ladies. In part-III of the book we come across parody of the royal society that pursues strange scientific experiments. There is a satire upon the projectors who hold schemes and projects connected to different fields. The members of different society carry on the experiments must are Miraculous and unbelieving. Swift attacks on the so called scientific inventions and fears, the damage done to mankind through these experiments. Sometimes Swift becomes most bitter and cynic in his satire. His dislikes and hatred for modern civilization becomes intense in the fourth part. He also starts hating himself for being a part and parcel of the English Society of his time and he depicts all these things in GULLVER’S TRAVELS by using allegory. There are also several allegorical references like, The main events of the time were the “South sea Babble, the return to the of Walpole, the return from the exile of Bolingbrook, the removal of Carteret from the English cabinet, the supremacy of Walpole and the struggle over woods patent in Ireland. It was the period of the end of Queen Annie’s reigh and the beginning of the George-I who was a Whig presented as a law heel. The reference of the neighborhood state Blefuscue stands for France and there is always the fear of attack from the enemy kingdom. Gulliver’s Travels is interpreted as a political allegory because many events refer to real political events of Swift’s own time. When Gulliver puts out the fire in the palace of Lilliputian empress by urinate, the empress gets energy with him and decides never again to use the palace. This reference refers to Queen Anne who was disgusted with Swift’s publication of “A Tale of a Tub” and Swift’s political career was at stake. He could not get promotion to me higher office in the church. Similarly Lord Balgolam was that chief enemy of Gulliver in Part-I and he represents the Earl of Nottingham in real life. It was the earl of Nottingham who stopped swift’s promotion. Bolingbroke was in close contact with Swift through correspondence. Swift identifies Gulliver’s condition in Lilliput with the condition of Bolingbroke who was wrongly accused of Treason and exiled from England. In fact Bolingbroke stopped war between England and France. The character of Flimnap the lord Treasurer of Lilliput refers to Robert Walpole of England who involved in politics intrigues. The silken threads awards to winners in Lilliput refer to English distinction. The green thread represent the order of the thistle revived Queen Anne and the red thread represent the order of the Bath revived by George-I and the blue thread represents the order of Carter Bestowed on Walpole. The character of Raldresal refers to lord Carter. The king of Brobdingang proves to be Swift’s mouth piece contemporary topics and when Gulliver visits the capital of Boarding and meets the miserable beggar’s allusion refers Dublin beggars. There are several allegorical referrer to life in the Royal court of George-I in the first section of the novel. The Flippancy and hollowness of court life are satirized through the Lilliputian ministers and their antics. The punishment decreed for Gulliver, name of putting out his eyes and starving him instead of putting him to death at once is curiously reminiscent of the crown’s decree on lord Bolingbrook and the earl of Oxford. They were accused of high misdemeanor instead of high treason and hence escape the death penalty, for the sentence only entailed a loss of their titlesss and estates Lilliput’s hostility toward and the battle with Blefuscu brings to mind the antagonism between England and France at the time. The lat seventeenth century was also the age of scientific enquiry and religious skepticism. Charles-II was a patron of me arts and science. In 1662 he established the Royal society which carried out scientific experiments and encouraged the growth of other branches of learning In the Grand Academy of Lagado and its outlandish experiments, Swift found an avenue for satirizing the Royal society, its experiment and publications. The scholars and philosophers of Laputa were so concerned with theoretical abstraction that the practical aspects of everyday living were completely over looked. Laputu is an allegorical representation of the developments with regard to science in the century. The experiments in the academy of Lagado and those practiced in the lands below such as building a house from its roof downwards and the modern methods of cultivation only leave the general populace miserable and the country ruined. This does not however, stop the scientists from continuing with their experiments. As a political memory of European civilization, Swift presents the aspects of war and the European propensity for destruction, particularly in the parallels that one can draw between Lilliput’s desire to enslave an already defeated Blefescu and the strained relationship between England and France. He also indirectly criticizes the arrogance of European imperialists who “civilized” through brutally and oppression while masking their chief motive which was greed. Patterns of war and destruction are woven into the allegorical motif here to explicate the existing political situation that swift is satirisin. Conclusion : Swift clarifies the objective of his allegory in Gulliver’s Travels. He says that through satire he aims at correcting the vices of his society. He intends to attack the evil of his society and thereby to wake improvement. He hopes the betterment social life of his time. Thus the category the Gulliver’s Travels has basically a moral purpose. At times Swift becomes very laud while conveying his message but otherwise he is not didactic and he has treated the topic taken up most skillfully and delicately. And the parts have deep implications and cut sharp satire on the corrupted English society of the 18th century. Through out the text Swift continues reminding the England of his time. There are differences of opinions among the critics to what extent Swift has used allegory in Gulliver’s Travels. However there are many references that tally with the social political life of the English society of Swift’s time and therefore us to figure out today. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. USE OF IRONY IN GULLIVER’S TRAVEL The Meaning of Irony Irony is one of the most important weapons of satire. Irony arises from a contrast, a contrast between appearance and reality, between what a character or the author says and what he really means to convey, between what a character thinks himself to be and what he really is, between what a character believes and what the reader knows to be actually the case, between what a character thinks what he will do or achieve and what he really in the long run does or achieves, and so on. It may also be pointed out that, apart from irony in words, irony may exist in a situation A situation is ironical when the reader knows all the facts of the case while the characters, either all of them or some of them, are ignorant of some of the facts of the case. Furthermore, irony may produce a comic effect or a tragic effect, depending upon the circumstances of the case. Thus we find abundant examples of irony in both the comic and the tragic plays of Shakespeare. This means that the use of irony by an author may amuse the reader or may sadden him all the more. A Destructive Irony at Work in “Gulliver’s Travels” Swift is a comic and satirical writer (despite the tragic effect of some of his passages), and therefore his use of irony in his writings adds to the comic effect at which he aims. In Gulliver’s Travels we find a plentiful use of irony. As Cazamian points out, Gulliver’s Travels throws the light of a superior and destructive irony upon the smallness of the means, the vanity of the motives, the illusions of the catchwords, through which kings retained thrones and magistrates their offices in those days. It is not only the English political life of his time which Swift thus dissects. The monarchy itself, the paraphernalia that surrounded it, the courts and courtiers, the debating assemblies, the conflict of parties, the wiles of the favourites of both sexes––everything upon which, in fact, rested the contemporary administration of Europe––is fiercely attacked by ironical means. To serve the needs of his allegory, Swift carries us from the country of the dwarfs to that of the giants, and in the end to the country of the Yahoos and the noble horses. Mankind cuts a sorry and ugly figure in all these strange countries. Irony and allegory are, in this book, fused in one. Swift is, indeed, a master of irony. However, it is noteworthy that his mockery does not have that kindly after-taste which is generally regarded as the distinctive mark of the humorist, even though his effects are very often enlivened by humour. The Irony of Situation in All the Four Parts of “Gulliver’s Travels” The irony of situation is to be found in all the four divisions of Gulliver’s Travels. In Lilliput, Gulliver finds himself in the midst of people who are no more than six inches in height. In Brobdingnag, Gulliver finds himself in the midst of people of a giant size by comparison with whom he himself is a pigmy. In Laputa and in Balnibarbi he finds himself among people who are queer in one way or another. Finally, he finds himself in the midst of the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms, the former bearing a close physical resemblance to human beings and the latter being horses in their physical shape and appearance but having an intelligence much superior to that of human beings. In all these cases, Gulliver thinks himself to be literally among pigmies, giants, or horses as the case may be; but we realize that in each case Swift is giving us a portrayal of human beings themselves though the description of the various kinds of inhabitants of the different countries as determined by the requirements of the satirical intentions of the author. In the Lilliputians we recognize ourselves reduced to a small size. In the Brobdingnagians we recognize ourselves as seen through a magnifying glass. In the Yahoos we again recognize ourselves, with the good qualities of human beings completely left out. In the Houyhnhnms we recognize ourselves though here our good qualities are idealized and carried to perfection, while our vicious side is completely omitted. Verbal Irony in the Portrayal of the Emperor and the Customs of Lilliput In addition to the irony of situation, we have in this book plenty of verbal irony which arises largely from the contrast between what is said and what is really intended. Early in the book we have an example of this kind of irony when Swift describes the Emperor of Lilliput. As the Emperor is taller by the breadth of Gulliver’s nail than any member of his court, his appearance is enough to strike an awe into the beholders. The Emperor’s features are strong and masculine with an Austrian lip and arched nose, his countenance erect, his body and limbs well proportioned, all his motions graceful, and his deportment majestic. Now this description of the Emperor is clearly ironical because a person, who is just six inches or a little more than that in height, cannot be regarded as awful; and yet, as judged by the Lilliputian standards, the Emperor certainly strikes fear among his people by his greater height. The description is ironical in another sense also. In thus portraying the Emperor, Swift is having a laugh at the actual English monarch of the time, namely George I who could not be described as being graceful and majestic in his appearance. There is irony also in the remark which Gulliver subsequently makes when he describes the Emperor as a “most magnanimous prince”. Gulliver of course, means what he says, but Swift intends this remark as having just the opposite meaning. The diversions of the Emperor are also ironically described. These diversions consist in the candidates for his favour dancing on a rope or creeping under a stick or leaping over it. The rewards for the winners in these contests are silken threads of different colours. This whole account is an ironical reference to the sycophancy of the English courtiers of the time and the manner in which the Emperor rewarded them by an arbitrary conferment of titles and distinctions on them. The customs of the people of Lilliput are also ironically described. Gulliver remarks that the laws and customs in this empire were very peculiar and directly contrary to those of his own dear country,England. Gulliver then proceeds to describe those laws and customs as if they were indeed “peculiar” or even crazy; but actually many of these laws and customs are wholesome. All crimes against the State are severely punished in this country; but if a person, who has been accused can prove his innocence, the accuser is immediately put to death. These people look upon fraud as a greater crime than theft, and therefore seldom fail to punish it with death. In short, many of the laws and customs do credit to the Lilliputians, but they are described by Gulliver as if there were something wrong with them. We have another example of irony when we are told that the Emperor, wanting to give a lenient punishment to Gulliver, decided to have him blinded instead of ordering his death. Blinding the culprit is regarded by the Emperor as a lenient punishment though actually it is even more cruel than the penalty of death. Verbal Irony in the Voyage to Brobdingnag In the account of the voyage to Brobdingnag we have still more striking examples of the use of verbal irony. When Gulliver describes the features of the national life of his own country, namely England, to the King of Brobdingnag, the King makes certain adverse comments upon Gulliver’s country. But Gulliver feels offended with the King because Gulliver thinks his country to be “the mistress of arts and arms, the scourge of France, the arbitress of Europe, the seat of virtue, piety, honour, and truth, the pride and envy of the world”. Now Gulliver genuinely believes his country as possessing these qualities, but Swift means this description to be ironical, because Swift had just the opposite view of England. Subsequently Gulliver gives to the King of Brobdingnag a detailed description of the English parliament (including the House of Commons, and the House of Lords), the Courts of Justice, etc. The King finds fault with all these English institutions. Gulliver thereupon attributes the King’s condemnation to the King’s narrow¬mindedness. Gulliver describes the members of the House of Lords to be champions always ready for the defence of their prince and their country by their valour, conduct, and fidelity. Gulliver describes them as the ornament and bulwark of the kingdom. Gulliver also gives high praise to the Lords spiritual. As for the members of the House of Commons, Gulliver says that they are selected by the people for their great abilities and love of their country to represent the wisdom of the whole nation. Now Gulliver may mean all that he says here. But we can clearly see that Swift intends this praise to be ironical, and Swift uses the King of Brobdingnag to deflate Gulliver’s pride in this context. Irony in Gulliver’s View of the Narrow-mindedness of the Brobding¬nagian King On hearing the criticism and the condemnation of England and English people by the King of Brobdingnag, Gulliver says to himself (and to us) that great allowances should be made in the case of the King who lived a wholly secluded life from the rest of Ute world and was therefore completely unacquainted with the manners and customs prevailing in other nations. The lack of knowledge, says Gulliver, had produced many prejudices in the King, and a certain narrowness of thinking in him. Now all this is ironically intended by Swift because we know that the King’s criticism was perfectly sound and justified. Swift continues this irony when Gulliver attributes the King’s adverse reaction to his description of the destructive power of gunpowder to the miserable effects of the King’s confined or limited education. Gulliver’s comment on the King’s horror on hearing about the gunpowder is: “a strange effect of narrow principles and short views !” According to Gulliver, the King suffers from “a nice unnecessary scruple”. All this shows the irony of Swift because the King of Brobdingnag expresses a perfectly sound view which Gulliver attributes to narrowness and lack of adequate knowledge. The same kind of irony continues when Gulliver cannot understand the King’s view that there is no need for books on the art of government and that a government should be run in accordance with the principles of common sense, reason, justice, and lenity. Irony in the Account of the Third Voyage The use of irony by Swift may also be illustrated from the third voyage of Gulliver. In the school of political projectors in Lagado, professors are working upon schemes for persuading monarchs to choose favourites upon the basis of their wisdom, capacity, and virtue; for teaching ministers to consult the public good; for rewarding merit, great abilities, and eminent services; for choosing for employments persons qualified to work efficiently; and so on. The irony here lies in the fact that, while all these schemes are perfectly sound and wholesome, Gulliver describes them as wild, impossible chimeras*or impractical and fanciful notions. These schemes are being equated with the really absurd projects such as the one for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers. The irony here arises from the contrast between the apparent meaning and the underlying intention of the author. There is irony also in the description of the method used by the King of Luggnagg to put to death those courtiers with whom he. was offended. Gulliver here tells us that this King was really kind-hearted in so far as he got the floor of his apartment properly wiped and cleaned after a particular courtier had been killed by means of the poisonous powder which had been scattered on the floor. On one occasion the floor was not properly cleaned and an innocent courtier died of the poison that had unintentionally been allowed to remain on the floor. But the King did not take any action against the servant who had failed to clean the floor. The whole passage in this context is ironical and brings out, by the use of irony, the fact that to a King the life of a courtier had little meaning. Then there is irony in Gulliver’s dream of immortality and the advantages which he thinks can result to a man if he is made immortal. This passage becomes ironical in the light of the subsequent description of the wretchedness and misery of the Struldbrugs who are a group of immortal persons. Gulliver, a Victim of Irony in Part IV of the Book It is believed by some that in Part IV of the book Swift’s portrayal of the Houyhnhnms is also ironical and that Swift did not really mean to hold up the Houyhnhnms as representing a utopian ideal. This, however, is a moot point. But about Swift’s use of irony in describing Gulliver’s mentality and outlook in the two or three closing chapters, we can have no doubt. Swift certainly does not approve of the complete and absolute misanthropy which Gulliver has developed by the end of his final voyage. Swift therefore gives us an ironic description of Gulliver’s whole behaviour at this stage. In other words, Gulliver himself now becomes a target of Swift’s irony and satire.