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    Satire Examples in Novel

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    Zahid Gujjar
    In this document, two examples are provided that demonstrate Jonathan Swift's use of satire in "Gulliver's Travels". The first example satirizes politics and governance by highlighting the triviality of political disputes. The second example exposes the lack of intellectual progress and potential dangers of stagnation by depicting the limited knowledge of the giants. Two additional examples are given that satirize human nature and society. One criticizes flaws and vices in humanity by contrasting noble horses and depraved humans. The other satirizes intellectual detachment from practical realities through Gulliver's encounter with the floating island of Laputa.

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    Satire Examples in Novel

    Uploaded by

    Zahid Gujjar
    15 views2 pages
    In this document, two examples are provided that demonstrate Jonathan Swift's use of satire in "Gulliver's Travels". The first example satirizes politics and governance by highlighting the triviality of political disputes. The second example exposes the lack of intellectual progress and potential dangers of stagnation by depicting the limited knowledge of the giants. Two additional examples are given that satirize human nature and society. One criticizes flaws and vices in humanity by contrasting noble horses and depraved humans. The other satirizes intellectual detachment from practical realities through Gulliver's encounter with the floating island of Laputa.

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    In this document, two examples are provided that demonstrate Jonathan Swift's use of satire in "Gulliver's Travels". The first example satirizes politics and governance by highlighting the triviality of political disputes. The second example exposes the lack of intellectual progress and potential dangers of stagnation by depicting the limited knowledge of the giants. Two additional examples are given that satirize human nature and society. One criticizes flaws and vices in humanity by contrasting noble horses and depraved humans. The other satirizes intellectual detachment from practical realities through Gulliver's encounter with the floating island of Laputa.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    15 views2 pages

    Satire Examples in Novel

    Uploaded by

    Zahid Gujjar
    In this document, two examples are provided that demonstrate Jonathan Swift's use of satire in "Gulliver's Travels". The first example satirizes politics and governance by highlighting the triviality of political disputes. The second example exposes the lack of intellectual progress and potential dangers of stagnation by depicting the limited knowledge of the giants. Two additional examples are given that satirize human nature and society. One criticizes flaws and vices in humanity by contrasting noble horses and depraved humans. The other satirizes intellectual detachment from practical realities through Gulliver's encounter with the floating island of Laputa.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Certainly!

    Here are a few examples of specific passages in "Gulliver's Travels" that demonstrate
    Jonathan Swift's use of satire:

    1. Satire on Politics and Governance:

    Example 1 (Lilliput):

    "In the midst of all this happiness, and when I looked upon myself to be fully settled for life, my master
    sent for me one morning a little earlier than his usual hour. I observed by his countenance that he was in
    some perplexity, and I endeavored to make him easy. But I ventured to offer arguments to clear his
    doubts. I told him that many of our wisest men seemed to be of my opinion."

    In this passage, Gulliver's conversation with the Lilliputian emperor highlights the triviality and absurdity
    of political disputes. Despite his small stature, the emperor is deeply engrossed in matters that appear
    insignificant, emphasizing the satirical critique of political leaders' preoccupation with their own self-
    interests.

    Example 2 (Brobdingnag):

    "They have no letters among them, and consequently their knowledge is all traditional. They compute
    the year by the revolution of the sun and moon, but use no subdivisions into weeks. They are well
    enough acquainted with the motions of those two luminaries, and understand the nature of eclipses;
    and this is the utmost progress of their astronomy."

    In this passage, Gulliver's conversation with the king of Brobdingnag exposes the ignorance and lack of
    intellectual progress among the giants. Swift uses this depiction to criticize the prevailing state of
    knowledge and education in his own society, pointing out the limitations of human progress and the
    potential dangers of intellectual stagnation.

    2. Satire on Human Nature and Society:

    Example 1 (Houyhnhnms and Yahoos):


    "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."

    In this passage, Gulliver's reflection on the Yahoos, the depraved human-like creatures, reveals Swift's
    scathing critique of the flaws and vices of human nature. By contrasting the noble and rational
    Houyhnhnms with the savage and repulsive Yahoos, Swift satirically highlights the moral decay and
    corruption prevalent in society.

    Example 2 (Laputa):

    "The continent, is supposed to be firm and stable; the bottom, or under surface, which appears to us, is
    but a deceitful covering, which we break through, and find nothing but a bottomless gulf."

    In this passage, Gulliver's encounter with the floating island of Laputa satirizes the detachment of
    intellectuals from the practical realities of life. The absurdity of an entire island being disconnected from
    the earth serves as a critique of the impracticality and disconnectedness of scholars and intellectuals
    who focus solely on abstract theories and neglect the practical needs of society.

    These passages offer glimpses into Swift's skillful use of satire in "Gulliver's
    Travels" to criticize the social and political landscape of his time. Through
    such examples, Swift effectively exposes the follies, vices, and absurdities of
    his society, inviting readers to reflect on the flaws of their own time and strive
    for positive change.

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