ClassicNote on Gulliver's Travels

Table of Contents
Biography of Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745)...........................................................................................................1
About Gulliver's Travels.......................................................................................................................................3
Character List.........................................................................................................................................................4
Gulliver......................................................................................................................................................4
Blefuscudians.............................................................................................................................................4
Brobdingnagians........................................................................................................................................4
The Emperor..............................................................................................................................................4
The Farmer.................................................................................................................................................4
Flimnap......................................................................................................................................................4
Glumdalclitch.............................................................................................................................................4
Mrs. Mary Burton Gulliver........................................................................................................................5
Houyhnhnms..............................................................................................................................................5
The King....................................................................................................................................................5
Laputans.....................................................................................................................................................5
Lilliputians.................................................................................................................................................5
Munodi.......................................................................................................................................................5
Don Pedro..................................................................................................................................................5
The Queen..................................................................................................................................................5
Redresal......................................................................................................................................................6
Yahoos.......................................................................................................................................................6
Major Themes.........................................................................................................................................................7
The Body....................................................................................................................................................7
Literature and Language............................................................................................................................7
Narrow-Mindedness and Enlightenment...................................................................................................7
Otherness....................................................................................................................................................8
Perspective and Relativity..........................................................................................................................8
Travel.........................................................................................................................................................8
Truth and Deception..................................................................................................................................9
Glossary of Terms................................................................................................................................................10
abhorrence................................................................................................................................................10
adamantine...............................................................................................................................................10
ague..........................................................................................................................................................10
august.......................................................................................................................................................10

Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
avarice......................................................................................................................................................10
calenture...................................................................................................................................................10
caprice......................................................................................................................................................10
chimaera...................................................................................................................................................10
circumspection.........................................................................................................................................11
clemency..................................................................................................................................................11
commodious.............................................................................................................................................11
coquetry....................................................................................................................................................11
declivity...................................................................................................................................................11
dexterity...................................................................................................................................................11
disapprobation..........................................................................................................................................11
disconsolate..............................................................................................................................................11
diuretic.....................................................................................................................................................11
dram.........................................................................................................................................................12
ebullient...................................................................................................................................................12
edict..........................................................................................................................................................12
edifice.......................................................................................................................................................12
effluvia.....................................................................................................................................................12
encomiums...............................................................................................................................................12
envoy........................................................................................................................................................12
equipage...................................................................................................................................................12
espalier.....................................................................................................................................................12
etymology................................................................................................................................................13
extenuation...............................................................................................................................................13
faction......................................................................................................................................................13
hectoring..................................................................................................................................................13
hermetically..............................................................................................................................................13
hobgoblin.................................................................................................................................................13
importunate..............................................................................................................................................13
impute......................................................................................................................................................13
ingenuous.................................................................................................................................................13
laudable....................................................................................................................................................14
lucid.........................................................................................................................................................14
magnanimous...........................................................................................................................................14
maliciously...............................................................................................................................................14
mercurial..................................................................................................................................................14

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Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
misanthrope..............................................................................................................................................14
noxious.....................................................................................................................................................14
odious.......................................................................................................................................................14
palisades...................................................................................................................................................14
peccant.....................................................................................................................................................15
pecuniary..................................................................................................................................................15
perfidiousness..........................................................................................................................................15
pernicious.................................................................................................................................................15
prelate.......................................................................................................................................................15
puissant....................................................................................................................................................15
rapine........................................................................................................................................................15
recompense..............................................................................................................................................15
retinue......................................................................................................................................................15
rudiments.................................................................................................................................................16
sagacity....................................................................................................................................................16
satire.........................................................................................................................................................16
scabbard...................................................................................................................................................16
scimitar.....................................................................................................................................................16
scrofulous.................................................................................................................................................16
tincture.....................................................................................................................................................16
Tory..........................................................................................................................................................16
usurper......................................................................................................................................................16
varlet........................................................................................................................................................17
vernal........................................................................................................................................................17
victuals.....................................................................................................................................................17
virtuoso (pl. virtuosi)...............................................................................................................................17
Whig.........................................................................................................................................................17
Short Summary....................................................................................................................................................18
Summary and Analysis of Part I, "A Voyage to Lilliput," Chapters I-II.......................................................19
Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters III-IV...........................................................................................22

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Table of Contents
Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters V-VIII..........................................................................................25
Summary and Analysis of Part II, "A Voyage to Brobdingnag"....................................................................28
Summary and Analysis of Part III, "A Voyage to Laputa ... and Japan"......................................................34
Summary and Analysis of Part IV, "A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms," Chapters I-VI........40
Summary and Analysis of Part IV, Chapters VII-XII......................................................................................43
Related Links........................................................................................................................................................47
Suggested Essay Questions..................................................................................................................................48
Quotes....................................................................................................................................................................50
Author of ClassicNote and Sources....................................................................................................................52
Essay: The Child-like Scientist: A Study of the Similarities Between Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's
Travels and Voltaire's Candide in Reference to Satire Developed through Naivete....................................53
Quiz 1.....................................................................................................................................................................58
Quiz 1 Answer Key...............................................................................................................................................63
Quiz 2.....................................................................................................................................................................64
Quiz 2 Answer Key...............................................................................................................................................69
Quiz 3.....................................................................................................................................................................70
Quiz 3 Answer Key...............................................................................................................................................75
Quiz 4.....................................................................................................................................................................76

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Quiz 4 Answer Key...............................................................................................................................................81
Copyright Notice..................................................................................................................................................82

Biography of Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745)

Jonathan Swift was an author, journalist, and political activist best known for his satirical novel Gulliver's
Travels and for his satirical essay on the Irish famine, "A Modest Proposal."
Born of English parents in Dublin, Ireland, Swift studied at Kilkenny Grammar School and at Trinity College in
Dublin. The abdication of King James II drove him to England. During his time in England, Swift realized his
great talent for satire and wrote A Tale of a Tub and "The Battle of the Books," published in 1704. Swift also
decided upon a career in the clergy. When he returned to Ireland, Swift became a member of the Anglican
clergy, ordained in the Church of Ireland.
During the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14), Swift visited London several times, making a name for himself as a
talented essayist. He began his political career as a part of the Whig political party but in 1710 switched sides,
becoming a Tory and taking over the Tory journal The Examiner. Swift was disgusted by the Whigs' aversion to
the Anglican Church and could not stand for the party's desire to do away with the Test Act, which kept many
non-Anglicans from holding offices in government. Swift focused his time as a Tory on supporting their cause
by writing lengthy pamphlets and essays on religion and politics, continuing to satirize those with different
views. In 1713 Swift was offered the deanship of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. When Queen Anne died in
1714, the Tories came under fire, so Swift lost favor in London and greater England. He begrudgingly resigned
himself to living full-time in Ireland.
In 1724 Swift led the Irish people in their resistance against the English, who continued to oppress them. He
wrote many public letters and political pieces with the purpose of rallying the people. One of his most famous
essays, "A Modest Proposal," satirically suggests that the Irish solve their problems of starvation and
overpopulation by eating their young. Swift also engaged in extensive commentary on religion, though these
works are not much read today. Even though Swift's identity was widely known by the citizens of Dublin, no
one came forward to report him when a 300-pound reward was offered for his arrest.
Swift is also known for Gulliver's Travels, a book of fantasy, satire, and political allegory, much like his other,
shorter works. He wrote Gulliver's Travels in 1725, and it was published in 1726. The book was a great success
throughout the British Empire, and it contributed to Swift's fame and legitimacy as a writer and social
commentator.
For the majority of his life, Swift was a victim of Meniere's disease, which affects balance and hearing and
causes nausea and dizziness. When Swift was about 72 years old, his disease began to keep him from his duties
and social life. He became withdrawn and deeply depressed. Swift died in October 1745. He was buried in St.
Patrick's Cathedral, where he had worked as dean.

Biography of Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745)

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Swift was a great friend of Alexander Pope, a fellow satirist best known for "Rape of the Lock." In a letter to
Pope, Swift once called himself a misanthrope, but it seems more likely that he was simply frustrated by people
who chose not to use the logic and reason they possessed.

Biography of Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745)

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About Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels, a misanthropic satire of humanity, was written in 1726 by Jonathan Swift. Like many other
authors, Swift uses the journey as the backdrop for his satire. He invents a second author, Captain Lemuel
Gulliver, who narrates and speaks directly to the reader from his own experience. The original title of Swift's
novel was Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a
Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships.
Gulliver's name probably is an allusion to King Lemuel of Proverbs 31, who was a weak-minded prophet. Swift
may also be connecting his character to a common mule, a half-ass, half-horse animal that is known for being
stubborn and stupid. A gull is a person who is easily fooled or gullible. At the same time, Gulliver represents the
everyman with his average intelligence and general good humor. The reader is able to identify with him and join
him in his travels.
Even though Swift constantly alludes to events that were happening while he was alive, the story rings true
today, bringing light to our own societal issues and to patterns of human nature. Throughout Gulliver's voyages,
Swift goes to great lengths to scrutinize, parody, and satire various aspects of human, and often English, society.
He does this in two ways, first by comparing humanity's ways with those of cultures decidedly beneath it (such
as the Yahoos and the Lilliputians); second, by comparing humanity with cultures that are far superior in
intellect and political ideals (such as the Houyhnhnms).
Gulliver embarks on four distinct journeys, each of which begins with a shipwreck and ends with either a daring
escape or a congenial decision that it is time for Gulliver to leave. The societies Gulliver comes into contact
with help him (and the reader) to examine his own culture more closely. When Gulliver's Travels was published
in 1726, this examination of English culture was not appreciated. The novel was highly controversial because of
the light in which it presented humanity-and more specifically, the English. When the novel was first published,
Swift's identity was hidden because of the novel's volatile nature. The people who saw that the book made it into
print also cut out a great deal of the most politically controversial sections, about which Swift became extremely
frustrated. In a letter written under the pseudonym of Gulliver, Swift shows his annoyance with the edits made
to his novel without his consent: "I hope you will be ready to own publicly," he writes, "whenever you shall be
called to it, that by your great and frequent urgency you prevailed on me to publish a very loose and uncorrect
account of my travels . . . . But I do not remember I gave you power to consent that anything should be omitted,
and much less that anything should be inserted." The version of the novel read today is complete.
Part of what has helped Gulliver's Travels to persevere since Swift's time has been its appeal to people of all
ages. The book has been read by countless children and has been made into more than one children's movie. At
the same time, it has been widely critiqued and studied by literary scholars and critics, politicians, and
philosophers. In addition, much like the works of Shakespeare, the comedy of the novel has something for
people of all intellectual levels, from toilet humor to highbrow satires of political processes and of ideas.

About Gulliver's Travels

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Character List
Gulliver
Captain Lemuel Gulliver, the narrator.

Blefuscudians
The sworn enemies of the Lilliputians, they live on a neighboring island. Gulliver flees to their island when the
Lilliputians convict him of treason.

Brobdingnagians
The inhabitants of Brobdingnag. They are giant creatures relative to Gulliver.

The Emperor
The leader of the Lilliputians. He initially is friendly toward Gulliver but changes his mind about him when
Gulliver refuses to continue fighting Blefuscu and puts out a fire in the Empress's chamber by urinating on it.

The Farmer
During his stay in Brobdingnag, Gulliver calls the farmer who takes him in his master. The farmer eventually
sells Gulliver to the Queen.

Flimnap
Gulliver's enemy at Lilliput, he accuses Gulliver of sleeping with his wife.

Glumdalclitch
Her name means "little nurse" in Brobdingnagian. This is what Gulliver calls the farmer's daughter, who cares
for him during his stay in Brobdingnag.

Character List

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Mrs. Mary Burton Gulliver

Gulliver's wife.

Houyhnhnms
A species of horses who are endowed with great kindness and virtue. Gulliver lives among them for several
years and afterwards is extremely reluctant to return to England.

The King
Gulliver and the King of Brobdingnag spend dozens of hours discussing politics and comparing their two
cultures.

Laputans
The inhabitants of a floating island who wear mathematical and astronomical symbols and have trouble paying
attention.

Lilliputians
The inhabitants of Lilliput. They are about five to six inches tall. They are the sworn enemies of the
Blefuscudians of a neighboring Island.

Munodi
The Balnibarbi Lord who shows Gulliver around and teaches him about why the island is so barren.

Don Pedro
The captain of the Portuguese ship that picks Gulliver up after his voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms.

The Queen
The Queen of Brobdingnag finds Gulliver very entertaining. Because of her huge size, Gulliver is disgusted
when she eats.

Mrs. Mary Burton Gulliver

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Redresal
A friend of Gulliver's in Lilliput. He helps Gulliver settle into the strange new land and later helps to reduce
Gulliver's possible punishment for treason from execution to having his eyes put out.

Yahoos
The Houyhnhnms' word for humans. Yahoos in the country of the Houyhnhnms are disgusting creatures.

Redresal

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Major Themes
The Body
Throughout Gulliver's Travels the narrator spends a great deal of time discussing the human body-going so far
as to detail his own urination and defecation. In each of the various lands to which Gulliver travels, he comes
face to face with excrement. In Lilliput he urinates on the queen's apartment to put out a fire; in Luggnagg the
professors work to turn excrement back into the food it began as; in the country of the Houyhnhnms the Yahoos
throw their excrement at each other and at him.
Looking at the body from new perspectives gives Gulliver a special insight into the body's materiality. When he
is relatively small, he can see the minute, ugly details of others' bodies. By looking closely at the body as a
material thing and paying attention to what humans do on a daily basis, Swift makes it impossible to look at
humans as exclusively spiritual or intellectual beings.

Literature and Language

Gulliver is a reader: "My Hours of Leisure I spent in reading the best Authors ancient and modern, being always
provided with a good number of books." He reads whenever he has the time. And on each of the islands he
visits, he makes a point of noticing whether the inhabitants write or do not write. The Lilliputians, for instance,
write diagonally like the ladies of England. The Houyhnhnms lack a form of writing, but Gulliver spends a great
deal of time considering how they pass on their history.
Gulliver is also a master linguist, making him a man of virtually all peoples. On each of the islands he visits, he
learns the language quickly, sometimes being taught by learned scholars (as in Lilliput) and once being taught
by a young girl (in Brobdingnag). His ability to communicate suggests the value of communication across
cultures. Once Gulliver has learned the language of a given society, he visits the King or Queen or Emperor or
Governor and discusses politics. This ability to share knowledge is beneficial to both parties.

Narrow-Mindedness and Enlightenment

Throughout his journeys Gulliver comes into contact with several different races of people, all of which are
narrow-minded in some way. Many of the peoples are conspicuously narrow-minded, such as the Lilliputians,
who have wars over the correct way to cut open an egg. (Such squabbles over unimportant matters are a
common object of satire.) Even the Houyhnhnms, who are so revered by Gulliver, cannot believe there are other
reasonable ways of living.

Major Themes

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Much of Swift's satirical focus is on people who cannot see past their own ways, their own power, or their own
beliefs. Readers (especially his contemporary readers) can see themselves in some of this satire.

Otherness
Otherness plays a large part in Gulliver's Travels. Throughout his journeys Gulliver never quite fits in,
regardless of how long he stays. Partly this is a matter of size. In Lilliput, he is the only giant. In Brobdingnag,
everyone else is giant and he is small. Mainly, however, it is a matter of being different and simply from
elsewhere. On his final journey, when he is captain and his crew mutinies, they leave him on an uncharted
island. In Houyhnhnm, where there actually are human beings, they are disgusting creatures with whom
Gulliver certainly cannot relate. Finally, after spending years with the Houyhnhnms and coming to consider
them better in every way than humanity, Gulliver is still a human. Yet, his experience has made him an outsider
in England, completely disgusted with even his own wife and children.

Perspective and Relativity

In Gulliver's Travels the reader comes to realize that much in the world really is relative. Gulliver's first journey
lands him in Lilliput where he is called the Mountain Man, because the people there are only five to six inches
tall. On the other hand, in Brobdingnag, Gulliver is tiny compared to the enormous creatures who find him and
keep him as a pet.
Gulliver spends a great deal of time pondering this situation when he arrives in Brobdingnag. He writes, "In this
terrible Agitation of Mind I could not forbear thinking of Lilliput, whose Inhabitants looked upon me as the
greatest Prodigy that ever appeared in the World: where I was able to draw an Imperial Fleet in my Hand .... I
reflected what a Mortification it must prove to me to appear as inconsiderable in this Nation as one single
Lilliputian would be among us." Gulliver adds, "Undoubtedly Philosophers are in the right when they tell us,
that nothing is great or little otherwise than by Comparison."
Perspective and relativity do not only apply to size, however, in Gulliver's Travels. After spending time with the
Houyhnhnms, Gulliver considers them above humanity in nearly every way. Returning to England, Gulliver is
repulsed by the humans he formerly loved and instead chooses to spend his time in the barn with his horses. The
question remains about what in the world is not relative after all; size is relative, but what about space itself? Is
time relative in the novel as well? A careful reader will find many universals in the midst of so much cultural
relativity.

Travel
The novel is set in the traditional mode of satirical travel literature. Many other classic works use the same
device, such as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Homer's Odyssey. Travel in the case of Gulliver's Travels gives

Narrow-Mindedness and Enlightenment

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Swift the opportunity to compare the ways of humanity, more specifically those of the English, with several
other ways of living. Travel also keeps the story entertaining. It is not often that a person finds a book with four
sailing journeys each interrupted by torrential storms, although one should remember that the Age of
Exploration in Europe provided many stories of travels and discoveries of new lands and new peoples.

Truth and Deception

Truth and deception are prominent themes in Gulliver's Travels. For one thing, the reader is constantly
questioning whether or not Gulliver is a reliable narrator-simply because what he is conveying is so fantastic.
Most critics and readers determine that Gulliver is reliable, however. One sign of his honesty is established
within the first few pages, when he tells the reader about where he came from.
Our comfort with Gulliver's reliability is challenged in the last chapter of the novel, though, when Gulliver tells
his readers he cannot tell a lie and swears this oath: "Nec si miserum Fortuna Sinonem Finxit, vanum etiam,
mendacemque improba finget," which in English means, "Nor if Fortune had molded Sinon for misery, would
she also in spite mold him as false and lying."
Lying does appear within Gulliver's journeys. In Lilliput he learns that for the Lilliputians lying is a capital
punishment and is considered worse than stealing. In the country of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver is surprised to
learn that the Houyhnhnms have no concept of what it means to lie. Their complete honesty is part of what
makes Gulliver decide that they are the noblest creatures on Earth.

Travel

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Glossary of Terms
abhorrence
a feeling of repugnance or loathing

adamantine
hard, impervious

ague
a fit of shivering or shaking

august
impressive; eminent

avarice
greed

calenture
a tropical fever

caprice
an impulsive change of mind

chimaera
an imaginary monster

Glossary of Terms

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circumspection
being prudent

clemency
a merciful, kind, or lenient act

commodious
spacious, roomy

coquetry
flirtation

declivity
a downward slope or bend

dexterity
skill in using hands or body

disapprobation
disapproval; condemnation

disconsolate
heartbroken, dejected

diuretic
a substance used to increase excretion of urine (also used as an adjective)

circumspection

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dram
a small measurement

ebullient
bubbly, happy

edict
decree or proclamation

edifice
a large building

effluvia
a small exhalation

encomiums
formal tributes

envoy
a diplomatic agent

equipage
a carriage

espalier
a plant trained to grow in a pattern

dram

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etymology
the derivation of a word

extenuation
a partial excuse

faction
a dissenting clique

hectoring
bullying

hermetically
completely sealed

hobgoblin
a source of fear

importunate
troublesome, annoying

impute
to attribute or ascribe

ingenuous
artless, innocent

etymology

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laudable
commendable

lucid
clear

magnanimous
kind, benevolent

maliciously
cruelly, meanly

mercurial
inconstant, indecisive

misanthrope
a hater of humankind (Swift and Pope were both consindered misanthropes)

noxious
toxic, harmful to living things

odious
bad smelling

palisades
a line of cliffs

laudable

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peccant
sinful, guilty

pecuniary
pertaining to money

perfidiousness
deceitfulness or general evilness

pernicious
causing insidious harm or ruin

prelate
a high-ranking member of the clergy

puissant
powerful; mighty

rapine
plunder

recompense
to award compensation for

retinue
attendants to a high-ranking person

peccant

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rudiments
fundamental facts or elements

sagacity
mental discernment, wisdom

satire
a literary mode in which human shortcomings are held up to scorn and ridicule

scabbard
a sheath for a sword or dagger

scimitar
a curved sword

scrofulous
morally tainted

tincture
a dye or pigment

Tory
a member of the conservative political party in Great Britain (1679-1832)

usurper
a person who takes over a position

rudiments

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varlet
an attendant or servant

vernal
of or pertaining to spring

victuals
food supplies

virtuoso (pl. virtuosi)

a person who is a master of his or her field

Whig
a member of the liberal political party in Great Britain (1679-1832)

varlet

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Short Summary
Gulliver goes on four separate voyages in Gulliver's Travels. Each journey is preceded by a storm. All four
voyages bring new perspectives to Gulliver's life and new opportunities for satirizing the ways of England.
The first voyage is to Lilliput, where Gulliver is huge and the Lilliputians are small. At first the Lilliputians
seem amiable, but the reader soon sees them for the ridiculous and petty creatures they are. Gulliver is convicted
of treason for "making water" in the capital (even though he was putting out a fire and saving countless
lives)--among other "crimes."
The second voyage is to Brobdingnag, a land of Giants where Gulliver seems as small as the Lilliputians were
to him. Gulliver is afraid, but his keepers are surprisingly gentle. He is humiliated by the King when he is made
to see the difference between how England is and how it ought to be. Gulliver realizes how revolting he must
have seemed to the Lilliputians.
Gulliver's third voyage is to Laputa (and neighboring Luggnagg and Glubdugdribb). In a visit to the island of
Glubdugdribb, Gulliver is able to call up the dead and discovers the deceptions of history. In Laputa, the people
are over-thinkers and are ridiculous in other ways. Also, he meets the Stuldbrugs, a race endowed with
immortality. Gulliver discovers that they are miserable.
His fourth voyage is to the land of the Houyhnhnms, who are horses endowed with reason. Their rational, clean,
and simple society is contrasted with the filthiness and brutality of the Yahoos, beasts in human shape. Gulliver
reluctantly comes to recognize their human vices. Gulliver stays with the Houyhnhnms for several years,
becoming completely enamored with them to the point that he never wants to leave. When he is told that the
time has come for him to leave the island, Gulliver faints from grief. Upon returning to England, Gulliver feels
disgusted about other humans, including his own family.

Short Summary

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Summary and Analysis of Part I, "A Voyage to

Lilliput," Chapters I-II
Chapter 1
Each chapter is advertised. In this chapter, "The Author gives some Account of himself and Family, his first
Inducements to travel. He is shipwrecked, and swims for his Life, gets safe on shoar in the Country of Lilliput,
is made a Prisoner, and carryed up the Country."
The narrative begins with the narrator, Lemuel Gulliver, describing his childhood and the events that led him to
become a seaman. He tells the reader that he is the third of five sons and that he was sent to a Puritan college at
the age of fourteen. Afterwards he became an apprentice to a surgeon in London, during which time he also
learned about navigation and mathematics in preparation for a future on the sea, "as I always believed it would
be some time or other my fortune to do." Next he studied "Physick" (medicine) because he thought it would be
"useful in long Voyages."
Afterwards Gulliver married Mrs. Mary Burton and began his life as a surgeon, taking on several patients.
When his business begins to fail, he takes a six-year trip to the sea, where he serves as the surgeon to two ships
and travels the East and West Indies. He spends much of his time on these voyages observing the people and
learning their languages.
The real problems begin in 1699. Gulliver sets sail on a voyage that starts out prosperously but quickly takes a
turn for the worse. The ship encounters violent storms, has bad food, and weakens the crew (twelve crew
members die) when the ship hits a rock and is split. Six of the crew members, including Gulliver, get into a
small boat and row until they are overturned by a "sudden Flurry." Gulliver swims until he is nearly exhausted,
at which point he finds an island, comes across a patch of grass, and sleeps for what he estimates is more than
nine hours.
When Gulliver awakens, he is lying on his back. He finds himself unable to sit up or move at all. His "Arms and
Legs were strongly fastened on each side to the Ground; and [his] Hair, which was long and thick, tied down in
the same manner." He feels something moving along his body almost up to his chin, at which point he sees that
it is "a human Creature not six Inches high, with a Bow and Arrow in his Hands, and a Quiver at his Back."
Gulliver will later learn that these creatures are called Lilliputians. Startled by this sight, Gulliver roars out and
soon manages to free his left arm. The frightened Lilliputians fire dozens of tiny arrows into his hand, face, and
body until he lies calmly. The Lilliputians then build a stage to Gulliver's side that is about a foot and a half tall,
upon which a "Person of Quality" stands and makes a ten-minute speech to Gulliver in a language he cannot
understand.

Summary and Analysis of Part I, "A Voyage to Lilliput," Cha...

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Gulliver signals that he wants food and drink, so the people bring baskets of meat and several loaves of bread,
which he eats three at a time because they are so tiny to him. The Lilliputians also bring two barrels of drink,
which he enjoys even though they are smaller than a half a pint together.
Gulliver admits that as he lies on the ground he often thinks of taking up fifty of the small creatures in his hand
and crushing them-but he does not want to be pricked with arrows again, and he has given his "Promise of
Honour" to behave in exchange for good treatment.
After he has eaten, Gulliver signals to the people to move out of the way. He relieves himself by "making
Water." He promptly falls asleep because his drink had a sleeping medicine in it. Once they are sure he is
asleep, the Lilliputians, who are excellent mathematicians, transport Gulliver to the Capital. They use a large
platform with twenty-two wheels pulled by dozens of four-and-a-half-inch horses, dragging Gulliver half of a
mile. After he awakens, Gulliver finds that he is chained by his leg in the capital, but he is able to move in a
circle of about two yards in diameter. More than one hundred thousand Lilliputians come out to see Gulliver.
Chapter II
"The Emperor of Lilliput, attended by several of the Nobility, comes to see the Author, in his Confinement. The
Emperor's Person and Habit described. Learned Men appointed to teach the Author their Language. He gains
Favour by his mild Disposition. His pockets are searched, and his Sword and Pistols taken from him."
Gulliver has been allowed to move about at the end of his chain and to retire into his small house. He gives a
detailed description of his need to relieve himself after two days without defecating-and how he finally does so,
first in his house because of embarrassment and on every following day early in the morning so that it can be
carried away by two workers before the general population is awake.
The emperor comes to visit Gulliver. The two attempt to converse even though they cannot yet understand each
other's language. Gulliver tries to speak to the emperor and his men in every language he knows, but to no avail.
Gulliver is given a strong guard to protect him against those citizens who enjoy pestering him. When a group of
six citizens is caught shooting arrows at Gulliver, one of which narrowly misses his left eye, they are given to
Gulliver to punish as he sees fit. Gulliver puts five of the men in his pocket and dangles the sixth above his
mouth as if he is going to eat him, but he then lets all of the men go, gaining favor with those who are watching.
During this time the emperor holds many conferences with his wisest men, trying to decide what to do with
Gulliver. They are worried that he could escape or that he could cause a famine because of how much food it
takes to keep him satisfied. It is eventually decided that two officers should be appointed to search Gulliver with
his assistance. Afterwards, Gulliver is asked to demonstrate the purpose of each of the items found on his
person. When he fires his pistol into the air, several of the Lilliputians fall to the ground in fright.

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Analysis
Gulliver begins the story of his journeys in the typical pattern of the travel narratives of his time. He tells the
reader a great deal of background information, such as where he was born, which schools he attended, and his
profession. The reader learns that Gulliver began his life in a very usual way. He was basically middle-class and
had to work for a living. By setting up the narrator as a normal person in the beginning of the book, Swift helps
readers to sense that Gulliver is trustworthy and a regular guy whom they can relate to. While a more fantastic
narrator may have been more impressive and exciting, for the satire to work best, readers are placed in
Gulliver's everyman shoes.
The perception that Gulliver is trustworthy diminishes, however, as soon as Gulliver comes into contact with the
Lilliputians. It is obvious that the creatures are figments of Swift's imagination, since it is extremely unlikely
that such beings actually exist. But Gulliver's trustworthiness is unimportant insofar as the reader recognizes
that the real conversation is with Swift. We continue happily on Gulliver's journey in order to find out what
Swift wants us to perceive through the tale.
At the time that Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels, England was the most powerful nation in the world, with a large
fleet of ships, which were constantly searching for new lands to control. During these searches the English came
into contact with several new civilizations. The Lilliputians seem almost possible in this context. But Swift
chooses to set the first culture Gulliver comes into contact with as far too small to be real. He makes the
Lilliputians only six inches tall. It is significant that Gulliver, coming from the most powerful nation in the
world, is able to be held prisoner by six-inch men. Swift is asking the English to consider the pride of their own
country, especially as a colonial power. A great number of small people can overpower one large person-if they
are resourceful enough. Are England's colonies powerful and crafty enough to do it?
At the same time, it is apparent that even though Gulliver fears the tiny arrows of the Lilliputians, he could
almost certainly escape if he put his mind to it. Why does he choose to stay? Perhaps he is curious about the
Lilliputians, their culture, language, and ways of living. Gulliver's curiosity and thirst for knowledge were
established in the first few paragraphs of the novel. Or perhaps Gulliver enjoys the power that comes with being
a giant. Even as a prisoner in Lilliput, Gulliver is the most powerful being on the island.

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Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters III-IV

Chapter III
"The Author diverts the Emperor and his Nobility of both Sexes in a very uncommon manner. The Diversions of
the Court of Lilliput described. The Author hath his Liberty granted him upon certain Conditions."
Because Gulliver has been behaving so well, the emperor, his court, and the general population are beginning to
trust him. Gulliver also has made a great deal of progress in learning the language and learning about the culture
he is now such a large part of.
The emperor decides to entertain Gulliver by showing him a tradition of the court in which candidates for an
open position of honor compete by walking to the middle of a string or tight-rope that is suspended
two-and-a-half feet above the ground. They jump as high as they are able. "Whoever jumps the highest without
falling succeeds in the Office." Gulliver tells the reader that very often these competitors are injured or fall to
their death.
Gulliver's hat is found washed upon the shore, and he asks the emperor to command his men to bring it to him.
It is worn from being dragged the half-mile to the kingdom, but it looks tolerably good. The emperor then asks
Gulliver to stand up tall with his legs spread apart so that his troops can march through them.
Gulliver is finally granted his freedom on the condition that he (1) swear to help the Lilliputians if they are ever
in a war, (2) survey the surrounding land, (3) help with any building that needs to be done, and (4) deliver
messages. He agrees. In return he will be granted the food and drink sufficient for 1,724 Lilliputians.
Chapter IV
"Mildendo, the Metropolis of Lilliput, described, together with the Emperor's Palace. A Conversation between
the Author and a Principal Secretary, concerning the Affairs of that Empire: The Author Offers to serve the
Emperor in his Wars."
The first thing Gulliver wants to do once he is free is see the metropolis of Lilliput. He finds the town very
impressive. It is "capable of holding five hundred thousand Souls" and has two great streets that are five feet
wide and cross in the middle, quartering the city. At the center is the emperor's palace. When Gulliver reaches
the palace, the empress reaches her hand out the window for Gulliver to kiss.
Two weeks later Redresal, the Principal Secretary of private Affairs, comes to see Gulliver and tells him about
the "two mighty Evils" that Lilliput struggles against: "a violent Faction at home, and the Danger of an Invasion
by a most potent Enemy from abroad." He describes two parties of Lilliput, the Tramecksan and Slamecksan,

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who are distinguished by the high and low heels of their shoes. The emperor has decided to permit only low
heels in the administration of Lilliput.
Redresal and the Lilliputians also have to worry about the threat of invasion from those living on the Island of
Blefuscu, "which is the other great Empire of the Universe." The people of Lilliput and Blefuscu are unable to
get along because years ago, after an emperor's son was injured trying to break his egg on the smaller end (the
traditional way of egg breaking), he decreed that no one may break the smaller end of his egg. This caused a
great uproar among many of the Lilliputians and led to six rebellions and thousands of deaths. Eventually the
Big-Endians were exiled and went to Blefuscu, where they gained favor and convinced the government to go to
war against Lilliput.
Gulliver finishes the conversation by telling Redresal that, while he does not want to interfere, he is "ready, with
the hazard of [his] Life, to defend his Person and State against all Invaders."
Analysis
These two chapters highlight the kinds of commentary Swift makes throughout the novel. By describing a
society that chooses its highest officials with silly competitions like seeing who can jump the highest on a
tight-rope, Swift is poking fun at the way officials are chosen in England. He is also commenting on the
disturbing trend of politicians who are willing to do whatever it takes to gain favor in the court-including
humiliating themselves. The danger of ambition is also figured here; jumping badly can lead to death.
Having Gulliver stand with his legs apart so that the Lilliputian armies can walk through is also a ridiculous
idea. It is a comment on the pomp and circumstance of English armies. To Swift it seems that armies are often
more concerned with looking impressive than with being impressive. This scene might also be an allusion to the
Colossus of Rhodes, described in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare as a larger-than-life figure that men could walk
through the legs of.
The contract Gulliver signs in order to gain his freedom further highlights the unequal relationship between
Gulliver and the Lilliputians, but it is a relationship where a cordial contract trumps simple power. Gulliver
could easily take control and break the contract, but he chooses to be peaceful.
The war between the English and the French is parodied in the conflict between the Lilliputians and the
Blefuscudians. Their conflict over which end of the egg to break reflects the centuries-old conflict over how to
practice religion-as Protestants or Catholics. While the wars over religion certainly were very serious, Swift
suggests that what was being fought over (at least on the religious rather than the political side) really was not
very important. In Swift's eyes, fighting over religion is as pointless as fighting over which end of an egg to
break.

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Swift also parodies the political parties within England. The Tory party is represented by the Low Heels while
the Whigs are represented by the High Heels. Considering that Swift himself changed parties, he must have
understood that political allegiance was important. Yet, political bickering is often about such unimportant
matters as the height of one's heels.

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Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters V-VIII

Chapter V
"The Author by an extraordinary Stratagem prevents an Invasion. A high Title of Honour is conferred upon him.
Embassadors arrive from the Emperor of Blefuscu, and sue for Peace. The Empress's Apartment on fire by an
Accident; the Author instrumental in saving the rest of the Palace."
When the Lilliputians and Blefuscudians go to war, Gulliver proves to be very useful by dragging the entire
Blefuscudian fleet of ships to the shore of Lilliput, where "The Emperor and his whole Court stood on the Shore
expecting the Issue of the great Adventure." When Gulliver arrives, he cries out, "Long live the most puissant
Emperor of Lilliput!" The emperor gives Gulliver the land's highest honor, "Nardac."
Later the emperor requests that Gulliver go back to the enemy's shores and do his best to destroy what is left,
turning the empire into a province. Gulliver thinks that this action is going too far and declines the request.
Three weeks after Gulliver's victory, an embassy from Blefuscu arrives offering peace, which the emperor
accepts.
A few days later Gulliver is awoken at midnight by hundreds of Lilliputians telling him that there is a fire in the
empress's chamber in the palace. Gulliver hurries to be of assistance, but he quickly realizes that the
thimble-sized buckets he is being passed are not having an affect on the raging fire. Thinking quickly, Gulliver
chooses to urinate on the fire, putting it out completely and keeping it from spreading to the rest of the palace.
Gulliver returns to his home, where he awaits word of how the emperor and empress will react to his deed. He
shortly learns that the empress feels abhorred.
Chapter VI
"Of the Inhabitants of Lilliput; their Learning, Laws and Customs, the Manner of Educating their Children. The
Author's way of living in that Country. His Vindication of a great Lady."
Gulliver goes into great detail about what he has learned about the Lilliputians, their customs, and their culture.
He tells the reader that everything in Lilliput is proportionate to the Lilliputians' size and that even their eyesight
is adjusted so that they can see things closer than Gulliver can.
Gulliver also describes many of Lilliput's laws, telling the reader that dishonesty and false accusations are
punished more severely than theft and other terrible things are punished in England. If someone in Lilliput
accuses another but is proven to be wrong in the accusation, the accused is punished severely while the falsely
accused person is rewarded.

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Also, Gulliver tells the reader that children are raised by the state rather than their parents. Different classes
learn about different things. The nobility's children, for instance, learn about honor, justice, courage, modesty,
clemency, religion, and love of country.
Gulliver ends the chapter by straightening out a falsehood created by Flimnap, who has "always been [his]
secret enemy." Gulliver declares that Flimnap's accusation that Gulliver carried on with his wife is completely
untrue, which should reestablish the lady's reputation.
Chapter VII
"The Author being informed of a Design to accuse him of High-Treason, makes his escape to Blefuscu. His
Reception there."
A high member of the court arrives to tell Gulliver that he is being charged with treason. Originally his sentence
was to be death, but Redresal has argued successfully to have the sentence lessened to the removal of Gulliver's
eyes. The charges Gulliver has been accused of are "making water" in the royal palace, refusing to reduce
Blefuscu to a province, aiding the ambassadors of Blefuscu when they came to ask for peace, and planning to
visit Blefuscu.
Not wanting to have his eyes put out, Gulliver flees to Blefuscu, where he is warmly received.
Chapter VIII
"The Author by a lucky Accident, finds means to leave Blefuscu; and, after some Difficulties, returns safe to his
Native Country."
While in Blefuscu, Gulliver spies a ship that is the proper size for him to sail in. He spends about a month
making repairs, during which time the emperor of Lilliput sends a message demanding that Gulliver be returned
so that his sentence can be carried out. The emperor of Blefuscu sends back a message refusing. Gulliver
eventually sets sail and is picked up by a merchant ship and returned to his home, where he makes a solid profit
showing Lilliputian-sized livestock he has carried home in his pockets.
Analysis
The contract for Gulliver's freedom proves pointless. He promised in writing to serve the emperor, which he
does by capturing the enemy's fleet. But when the emperor asks him to go back and destroy the enemy, Gulliver
refuses-and there is nothing the Lilliputians can do to persuade him. The contract, in this case, is completely
useless. Power proves more important, and it is fortunate that Gulliver uses his reason to decide how to use his
power appropriately. (Again one might consider the implications for England as a colonial power.)

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When Gulliver puts out the palace's fire by urinating on it, Swift is doing more than making a joke that one
should pee on the problems of the state. A fire is a serious thing. One serious implication is that royalty is
ephemeral. The royal palace can catch on fire just like anything else, and when it does, no amount of royal
power can put it out, just physics-and the dirty side of nature at that. Gulliver proves the point when everyone
under the emperor's power is trying to put out the fire with their tiny buckets, and he realizes the only way to put
it out is by urinating. Swift is also showing the reader something about the ridiculous needs of royalty, because
even though Gulliver has saved the palace he has done so in a blameworthy manner.
Most of the time in Gulliver's Travels when Gulliver tells the details of a society's ways of living, Swift is
satirizing something wrong with English society. This can occur when he describes the society negatively, but it
also can occur by demonstrating a difference between the other culture and his own. It is apparent that many of
the Lilliputian customs are attractive to Swift. For instance, in Lilliput, lying is a capital offence. We see this
again when we meet the Houyhnhnms, the noblest race on Gulliver's journey, who do not understand the
concept of saying that which is not true. Swift suggests that lying is worse than several of the blameworthy
offences in England.
It is interesting to note that even though lying is seen as a terrible offense in Lilliput, Flimnap tells a huge lie
(that Gulliver slept with Flimnap's wife) and gets away with it. Apart from the ludicrous physical implications
of a giant having relations with a Lilliputian, the problem here is that the society must be able to enforce its
norm against lying for the law to matter. This may also be a commentary on the seeming ability of those in
positions of power to get away with breaking the law. When the law comes down unfairly on Gulliver, he has
actual rather than statutory power to leave, so he simply leaves Lilliput to live with their enemies.

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Summary and Analysis of Part II, "A Voyage to

Brobdingnag"
Chapter I
"A great Storm described, the long Boat sent to fetch Water, the Author goes with it to discover the Country. He
is left on Shoar, is seized by one of the Natives, and carry'd to a Farmer's House. His Reception there, with
several Accidents that happen'd there. A Description of the Inhabitants."
On June 20, 1702, ten months after his return from Lilliput and Blefuscu, Gulliver returns to the sea in a ship
named Adventure. The journey begins very smoothly, the only delay being caused by an illness contracted by
the captain. They continue on their journey for several months until a storm begins to brew, pushing the
Adventure several miles off track. On June 16, 1703, the crew sees land and drops anchor, at which point the
captain sends a dozen men on shore to fetch water. Gulliver wanders away from the other men to observe the
countryside until he sees them in the boat hurrying back to the ship. He tries to call out to them, but he sees that
they are being chased by a giant-though the giant is not able to catch the boat. Gulliver runs as fast as he can
into the island.
Gulliver finds that much of the island is well cultivated, but to his surprise, when he comes across a hayfield, he
realizes that the grass is more than twenty feet tall. Similarly, corn is at least forty feet high. Gulliver sees
another giant, this time well-dressed, walking along the path he is on. He notes that each of the giant's strides is
about ten yards long. The well-dressed giant is joined by seven workers, whom he instructs to begin reaping the
corn (though Gulliver cannot understand the language).
Exhausted and filled with despair, Gulliver lies down and hopes that he will die. He writes, "I bemoaned my
desolate Widow, and Fatherless Children." He begins to think back on the Lilliputians who thought that he was
such a powerful and strong creature, saying that he now feels as a single Lilliputian would feel among humans.
"Undoubtably," he muses, "Philosophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is great or little
otherwise than by Comparison."
When he is about to be stepped on by one of the farmers, Gulliver cries out as loudly as he can. The giant stops
short and picks up Gulliver to get a better look. Gulliver resists struggling in order to avoid being dropped sixty
feet to the ground and instead brings his hands to a prayer position and points his eyes skyward. The giant seems
pleased with Gulliver and, putting him in his pocket, heads over to show his master.
The master takes Gulliver home to show his wife, who screams at first, but when she sees how polite Gulliver
is, she quickly warms up to him. Gulliver and the farmer try to speak to each other but are unsuccessful. At
dinnertime, Gulliver sees that the full family consists of the parents, three children, and an elderly grandmother.

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The farmer's wife breaks up some bread and a small piece of meat and hands them to Gulliver, who gets out his
knife and fork and proceeds to eat, thoroughly delighting the whole family. Later, as Gulliver walks across the
table toward the farmer (whom he now calls his master), the farmer's son picks him up by one leg and dangles
him in the air until the farmer grabs him back and boxes the boy's ear. Gulliver, not wanting to make an enemy
in his new home, signals that he would like the boy to be pardoned, which he is.
At this point an infant is brought into the room, who at the sight of Gulliver cries to get him into its hand-with
which the mother obliges. Quickly the baby squeezes Gulliver and puts his head in its mouth, at which Gulliver
cries out until the baby drops him, luckily into the mother's apron. The baby cannot be quieted until the nurse
nurses it. The sight of the woman's breast is repulsive to Gulliver. It is so large in his view that he can see all of
its defects.
After dinner Gulliver signals that he is tired. The farmer's wife sets him on her bed and covers him with a
handkerchief, where he sleeps until two rats the size of large dogs startle him. Gulliver fights them with his
hanger (a short sword), killing one and scaring the other away.
Afterwards Gulliver signals that he needs time alone in the garden to relieve himself. He asks the reader to
excuse him for dwelling on particulars.
Chapter II
"A Description of the Farmer's Daughter. The Author carried to a Market-Town, and then to the Metropolis. The
Particulars of his Journey."
Gulliver is given into the care of the farmer's daughter, Glumdalclitch, who teaches him the language and treats
him very well, like a child would care for a favorite doll. In fact, she keeps him in a doll's cradle, which she
closes inside a drawer at night to keep him safe from the rats.
As word of Gulliver spreads throughout the kingdom, the farmer begins to realize that there is profit to be made
and takes Gulliver to the marketplace, where he performs shows for paying patrons. The show is so successful
that the farmer decides to take Gulliver on a tour of the kingdom. Gulliver does ten shows a day, which makes
him quite tired.
Chapter III
"The Author sent for to Court. The Queen buys him of his Master the Farmer, and presents him to the King. He
disputes with his Majesty's great Scholars. An Apartment at Court provided for the Author. He is in high Favour
with the Queen. He stands up for the Honour of his own Country. His Quarrels with the Queen's Dwarf."

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Having heard about the wondrous little creature that is making his way around the kingdom, the queen sends for
him and his master to come to court. Gulliver immediately impresses the queen with his compliments and
general manner, so she asks the farmer if he would be willing to sell Gulliver. The farmer, believing that
Gulliver will die in about a month because he has lost so much weight from performing, quickly names a price.
Gulliver is happy to live at court and be done with performing. He asks only that Glumdalclitch stay as well to
continue taking care of him.
Afterward the queen carries Gulliver to the king's chamber. The king at first believes that Gulliver is some sort
of mechanical creature, but he eventually believes that Gulliver is just helpless. Gulliver tries to explain that
where he is from, everything is proportionate to him.
The queen has a small apartment built and new fine clothes tailored for Gulliver. She enjoys his company very
much. Gulliver often comments that watching the Brobdingnag people eat or getting too close to their faces is
quite repulsive.
Gulliver and the king spend a great deal of time discussing politics. Gulliver explains how things work where he
is from. The king laughs at English politics, which puts Gulliver off at first. Soon, however, Gulliver realizes
that his adventures have begun to sway him to the same opinion; his perspective has begun to change.
Gulliver finds an enemy in the queen's dwarf, who seems to be jealous of all the attention Gulliver is getting.
Chapter IV
"The Country described. A Proposal for correcting modern Maps. The King's Palace, and some Account of the
Metropolis. The Author's way of travelling. The chief Temple described."
Gulliver spends a great deal of time describing the landscape of Brobdingnag, the palace that he now lives in
and his manner of traveling in a small traveling box designed especially for him. He also sees and describes the
largest temple in Brobdingnag, which he does not find impressive in its size.
Chapter V
"Several Adventures that happened to the Author. The Execution of a Criminal. The Author shews his Skill in
Navigation."
Serving in Brobdingnag proves difficult for Gulliver. He experiences a series of dangers because of his small
size-and because the dwarf relishes in making Gulliver's life difficult. The ladies at court treat Gulliver like a
toy, dressing and undressing him and undressing themselves in front of him. Gulliver again mentions how
offensive he finds the skin and smell of the Brobdingnagians. He remembers the Lilliputians' similar reaction to
his smell, which he did not understand at the time. Gulliver nearly drowns when a toad jumps onto the boat the

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queen has had made for him. He is also carried to the top of the palace by a monkey and narrowly survives. The
monkey is killed, and it is declared that monkeys will no longer be allowed in the palace.
Chapter VI
"Several Contrivances of the Author to please the King and Queen. He shews his Skill in Musick. The King
enquires into the State of Europe, which the Author relates to him. The King's Observations thereon."
Gulliver salvages several of the king's hairs from his shaving cream and makes himself a comb. He then makes
the seat of a chair from the queen's hair but refuses to sit on it because doing so would be insulting to her. He
also makes Glumdalclitch a small purse.
Gulliver spends the evening at a concert in Brobdingnag. For him the music is so loud that he cannot enjoy it
unless his traveling box is brought as far away as possible and all of the windows and doors are closed.
Gulliver often goes to see the king, who requests a detailed description of the government of England, which
Gulliver relates. The king asks him many questions, challenging various aspects of the government and having
particular difficulty with England's violent past. In the end the king concludes that the English are well below
the Brobdingnagians, calling them "the most pernicious Race of Little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered
to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth."
Chapter VII
"The Author's Love of his Country. He makes a Proposal of much Advantage to the King, which is rejected. The
King's great Ignorance in Politicks. The Learning of that Country very imperfect and confined. Their Laws, and
military Affairs, and Parties in the State."
Gulliver is offended by the manner in which the king has dismissed the English as a lowly society. He tries to
impress the king by telling him about some of the many great inventions of England, beginning with
gunpowder. Gulliver goes into great detail about the power and effect of gunpowder and what the king could
accomplish with it, saying that he could easily control everyone in Brobdingnag with gunpowder. The king is
"struck with Horror" and disgusted by Gulliver's proposals. He tells Gulliver that if he values his life, he should
never mention gunpowder again. Gulliver cannot believe that the king would reject such an immense
opportunity. Gulliver then discusses the general ignorance of the Brobdingnag people, including their simple
laws and practices.
Chapter VIII
"The King and Queen make a Progress to the Frontiers. The Author attends them. The manner in which he
leaves the Country very particularly related. He returns to England."

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Gulliver has been in Brobdingnag for two years and strongly feels that it is time to leave. He is basically being
treated as a pet. But the royal family does not want to part with him. Coincidentally, on a trip to the seashore, a
giant eagle picks up Gulliver's traveling box and flies off with him. Realizing that the box is not edible, the
eagle drops it into the sea. After some time the box is picked up by a passing ship of Gulliver's normal
proportions. Gulliver finds it very difficult to adjust to the size of things back in England. He feels much larger
than the others.
Analysis
Whatever Gulliver did not gain in perspective (in terms of size) during his time in Lilliput, he gains in
Brobdingnag. His time here not only gives Gulliver an understanding of what it is like to be powerless, but it
also shows Gulliver how the Lilliputians must have felt when near him. Of course this situation is even more
intimidating because here there are many giants, while in Lilliput he was the only one. This is how a Lilliputian
would feel in England. The differences Gulliver experiences between the two islands are heightened because of
the close proximity of the trips. Gulliver feels even smaller in Brobdingnag than he would have felt if he had
never journeyed to Lilliput.
Gulliver's newfound understanding of perspective helps him to feel powerless more profoundly-first for himself,
when he curls up and rather pathetically hopes to die, and then for others, especially for the Lilliputians he left
behind. As his fear rises, he becomes more and more emotional, eventually becoming so overwhelmed that he
gives up, curling up into the fetal position.
Once Gulliver is brought to the farmer's house, many challenges await him because of his lack of power in this
land. A mere baby threatens his life, as do two common rats. Gulliver is able to fight them off in a seemingly
heroic fashion, but it is clear that he could have lost the fight. Gulliver is also surprised by the aesthetic
differences of the world from this new perspective. The nurse's breast is disgusting to him because he can
clearly see every deformity and blemish. He imagines what the Lilliputians thought of his physicality.
In these chapters we again see Gulliver as less than heroic. Just as in Lilliput, when Gulliver did not fight
against his captivity (as Odysseus might), here Gulliver does nothing to try to avoid being captured. He waits
until he is about to be stepped on before taking any action at all. And he only begs for mercy from the giant
Brobdingnags. Gulliver relies on the protection of a young girl who tucks him into a doll's cradle at night.
Gulliver survives and thrives only partly on the basis of his good manners. For the most part, he is a pet and a
curiosity.
Gulliver's compliance continues when he is required to perform so that the farmer can earn money. Gulliver
becomes drastically emaciated, but he never resists what he is being told to do. In fact, readers do not really
learn that Gulliver hated his task until he is out of danger and complains to the queen of Brobdingnag. Once
Gulliver is seemingly safe at the court and has gained favor with the queen, he remains a plaything with very
little respect, especially from the ladies at court.

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As a tiny person in the Brobdingnag world, Gulliver endures several trials that a larger person would never have
to suffer. This again reminds the reader of the importance of physical strength as well as intellectual strength.
Even when combat is not an issue, a large stature intimidates one's opponent. As a tiny person, Gulliver is left to
the whims of those around him. In the fifth chapter, for instance, Gulliver is captured by a small monkey that
would have been a minor threat in England.
The overreaction of the queen and the rest of the government to this incident sheds important light on the
Brobdingnag government. It seems that this government is rash. The killing of the monkey also shows that
Gulliver has more status in the court than that of a toy or an animal. His nemesis is the dwarf, who used to be
the small man in court.
The king and Gulliver have long conversations about politics, but the king never really considers Gulliver's
opinions on important matters. Being small, Gulliver is considered petty, and the idea of gaining power through
gunpowder is anathema to the king. Through Gulliver's discussions with the king, the reader learns that
perspective extends beyond size to opinion. After several days of discussing the governments of England and
Brobdingnag, the king declares the English to be "the most pernicious Race of Little odious Vermin that Nature
ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth." Again Gulliver's Travels brings light to the fact that
people from different backgrounds often have different opinions on the same subjects, even though people tend
to follow similar patterns. Gulliver finds that each people prefers its own ways, but a traveler who spends a long
time elsewhere might (or might not) come to prefer the foreigners' ways over his own. Experience, thought, and
tradition are important considerations in making this choice.
As for gunpowder, for Gulliver (and through him, the English), gunpowder represents the height of achievement
primarily because of the power it has provided. The Brobdingnag king, however, is not corrupted by power. He
is able to see that the negative effects of gunpowder would far outweigh the positive ones in his society. He
might be right that Gulliver is narrow-minded, but his tirade on the general stupidity of the Brobdingnags takes
the opposite point of view. Still, on this issue he is unable to see his own faults or those of his society. It is up to
Swift to show us, through Gulliver's tale, what Gulliver's insistence on gunpowder means.

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Summary and Analysis of Part III, "A Voyage to Laputa

... and Japan"
Chapter I
"The Author sets out on his Third Voyage, is taken by Pyrates. The Malice of a Dutch-man. His arrival at an
Island. He is received into Laputa."
After being at home for only ten days, Gulliver is visited by a ship captain who invites him on a voyage
departing in two months. Gulliver convinces his wife that this is a good opportunity and sets off, again working
as the surgeon.
After they sail for three days, a storm arises, driving the ship to the north-northeast, where they are attacked by
pirates. They are unable to defend themselves. Gulliver insults the captain of the pirate ship and as punishment
is set adrift in "a small Canoe, with Paddles and a Sail, and four Days Provisions."
On the fifth day of sailing in his canoe, Gulliver reaches a small island, where he spends the night in restless
sleep. In the morning he notices that what he thought was a cloud floating above the island is actually a floating
island. Gulliver calls up to the people he sees moving about the island. They lower down a system of pulleys
that can pull Gulliver up.
Chapter II
"The Humours and Dispositions of the Laputians described. An account of their Learning. Of the King and his
Court. The Author's Reception there. The Inhabitants subject to Fears and Disquietudes. An Account of the
Women."
As soon as Gulliver steps onto the floating island, he is surrounded by a crowd of people. He finds them very
strange even though they are of a size similar to his. Their heads are slanted to the left or right, and their clothes
have pictures of either musical instruments or astronomical signs.
Gulliver learns that he is on Laputa. The people here have terribly short attention spans, so they carry around
"Flappers." These are used for hitting other people during conversation in order to keep them focused. After
dinner a man is sent to teach Gulliver the language.
Gulliver finds that the Laputian houses are built very poorly and with no right angles. This is odd because the
men here are obsessed with mathematics. The people here never have peace of mind. They are constantly
worrying about dangers such as the possibility that the sun might go out. The women are very sexual creatures

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who often cheat on their husbands, especially with their preferred men from Balnibarbi, but the men are so
wrapped up in mathematics that they do not notice. The King of Laputa is not remotely interested in the
government of England.
Chapter III
"A Phenomenon solved by modern Philosophy and Astronomy. The Laputians' great Improvements in the latter.
The King's method of suppressing Insurrections."
Gulliver learns that Laputa is floating above Balnibarbi, the island on which he landed his canoe. Laputa
contains 10,000 acres and is perfectly circular. It is able to move about the surface of Balnibarbi but not beyond
its borders, and it can move up and down because of its magnetic forces. When a town from Balnibarbi acts up,
the King has Laputa moved directly above it so that it can receive no sun or rain. No one from the Royal family
is allowed to leave Laputa.
Chapter IV
"The Author leaves Laputa; is conveyed to Balnibarbi; arrives at the Metropolis. A Description of the
Metropolis, and the Country adjoining. The Author hospitably received by a great Lord. His Conversation with
that Lord."
Gulliver finds Laputa terribly boring because the people there are all much more intelligent than he is. He has a
hard time conversing with them and is generally ignored. He petitions to go down to Balnibarbi, and his request
is granted. On Balnibarbi, Gulliver meets Lord Munodi, who invites Gulliver to stay at his home. Munodi's
home is beautiful and kept well, but when the two travel out into the country Gulliver finds that the rest of the
land is barren and sadly kept. Munodi explains that this is because many years back, people from Balnibarbi
visited Laputa, and when they returned they decided to change things to a more academic way of living. This
idea has failed. Munodi's land is plentiful because he never changed his way of living.
Chapter V
"The Author permitted to see the grand Academy of Lagado. The Academy largely described. The Arts wherein
the Professors employ themselves."
Gulliver visits the Grand Academy of Lagado, the largest metropolis of Balnibarbi. The scientists there are
constantly working on experiments that Gulliver finds pointless. For instance, he meets a man who is trying to
extract sunlight from cucumbers. Other experiments are trying to turn excrement back into the food it began as,
trying to make gunpowder from ice, and trying to employ spiders as weavers of silk. Professors are also
attempting to alter the communication of Balnibarbi by doing away with language altogether.

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Chapter VI
"A further account of the Academy. The Author proposes some Improvements, which are honourably received."
Gulliver then visits the part of the Academy designated for studies of government. He finds the professors
especially in this wing to be entirely crazy. They propose such things as studying excrement to find treasonous
people and taxing people based on beauty and wit.
Chapter VII
"The Author leaves Lagado, arrives at Maldonada. No ship ready. He takes a short Voyage to Glubbdubdrib.
His Reception by the Governor."
Gulliver decides to take a trip to the Island of Luggnagg but finds that no ships will be available for the voyage
for a month, so it is suggested that he visit Glubbdubdrib, which he translates to mean the island of sorcerers or
magicians. Once he arrives in the governor's home, he finds that "The Governor and his Family are served and
attended by Domesticks of a kind somewhat unusual." Gulliver learns that the governor has the power to bring
back the dead for the purpose of serving him. Gulliver is given the option to bring back anyone he would like.
He chooses Alexander the Great, who tells Gulliver that he actually died because he drank too much. He then
brings back a parade of other famous dead.
Chapter VIII
"A further Account of Glubbdubdrib. Antient and Modern History corrected."
Gulliver spends a great deal of time speaking with various famous dead people. He speaks with Homer,
Aristotle, and Descartes and even gets them into conversation with one another. He later brings back a few
English Yeomen and finds them much larger and stronger than the English people today. He worries that his
countrymen are diminishing with time.
Chapter IX
"The Author's Return to Maldonada. Sails to the Kingdom of Luggnagg. The Author confined. He is sent for to
Court. The manner of his Admittance. The King's great Lenity to his Subjects."
Gulliver travels to Luggnagg, posing as a Dutchman. He says, "I thought it necessary to disguise my Country,
and call my self an Hollander, because my Intentions were for Japan, and I knew the Dutch were the only
Europeans permitted to enter into that Kingdom." His true identity is discovered, however, and Gulliver is made
a prisoner. He later learns that anyone who wants to come before the king must crawl on hands and knees and
lick the floor. The king, it turns out, uses this tradition to his advantage when he wants to get rid of

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someone-simply by poisoning the floor.

Chapter X
"The Luggnaggians commended. A particular Description of the Struldbrugs, with many Conversations between
the Author and some eminent Persons upon that subject."
Gulliver learns about the Struldbrug children who are born to Luggnaggians but who have a red dot on each of
their foreheads. These children are immortal, which causes Gulliver to fantasize about what he would do if he
were immortal. He dreams of the ability to take his time becoming a master of many different subjects and
amassing great wealth. But Gulliver soon comes to learn that the Struldbrug children are actually very unhappy
and jealous of those people who can die. They find their own lives depressing.
Chapter XI
"The Author leaves Luggnagg and sails to Japan. From thence he returns in a Dutch Ship to Amsterdam, and
from Amsterdam to England."
After offering Gulliver employment in the court but finally seeing that he is determined to leave, His Majesty
gives him license to leave, a letter of recommendation to the Emperor of Japan, and a gift of 444 pieces of gold
and a very valuable red diamond. In Japan he is told to trample the crucifix, which all Dutchmen are happy to
do, but Gulliver manages to get out of doing so. He takes a ship to Amsterdam and then to England, where he
happily returns to his family.
Analysis
Again, Gulliver arrives at his new adventure in dramatic style, this time being cast from his ship by pirates and
left to drift about the sea. The time alone serves as a kind of existential preparation for encountering a new
society. He arrives exhausted, hungry, thirsty and alone, completely ready to take in new ideas and opinions.
Even so, he finds many of the Laputians' ideas difficult to swallow. In general, Part III gives Swift a chance to
try out a number of ideas for alternative civilizations, and each one could support its own full narrative.
On Laputa, the floating island, Swift creates a way of physically stratifying a society. Those who work with
their hands for a living-and the ridiculous professors-live on Balnibarbi. The upper class, including the royal
family and the more able intellectuals, live on the floating island of Laputa. In this way Swift makes the
separation between the two types of people visually obvious, with the better above the lesser.
We also learn that when a town from Balnibarbi acts up and needs to be punished Laputa is moved above them,
blocking out the sun and rain. This signifies a serious problem that Swift sees in many governments. Justice
should only be about retribution when necessary, but the royalty makes the citizens even more unhappy by

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taking away that which they need to live. Swift indicates that rebellions could be avoided all together if the
citizens' satisfaction became a priority of the royalty.
One main difference between the people of Laputa and the people of Balnibarbi is that those living in Laputa
have very limited attention spans. One thinks here of the absentminded professor.
Indeed much of what goes on there seems to be related to the curse of being smart but impractical. Although the
people of Laputa are very intelligent, it gets them little. With their slanting heads, they do not see things directly
as they are. They seem to have no common sense, which for someone like Swift, who cares a great deal about
the material world, may be more important than raw intelligence. Because of their lack of sense, they spend too
much time worrying about ridiculous things rather than noticing what is really wrong in their own lives. They
are so unaware that the men do not know that their wives cheat on them. This emasculating fact is all too
common for the unmanly intellectual.
When Gulliver visits Balnibarbi, he finds that the people have suffered an even worse fate. Being unsuited for
the intellectual life, they have tried to live on the basis of pseudo-academic life and have failed miserably. The
land has become barren because the people neglect it completely. Instead they focus all of their attention on
their ridiculous academics. By trying to be something they are not-that is, like many would-be intellectuals-the
Balnibarbi people have lost what they once had, and now they are left with nothing. Swifts comments here on
the importance of self-evaluation and living the life to which one is suited. There is elitism here, with the lower
people needing to understand their natural place-but it is an elitism based on nature. A society needs many
different kinds of people in order to survive, and not everyone should be an intellectual-and besides, the
intellectuals do not do so well themselves.
In Glubbdubdrib, Gulliver is able to bring back great figures from history, including truly wise people such as
Aristotle. Nearly everything that he learns is different from what has been recorded in the history books. Swift
shows here that history cannot be trusted, especially because those involved typically are not the ones who write
their own history. The trouble now is that Swift has shown us that we cannot trust others and we do not often do
well when we falsely trust in ourselves. We must trust in ourselves but only with a clear view of who we really
are-our proper location, perspective, and size all matter.
In Luggnagg, Gulliver meets a king who has his courtiers lick the floor as they approach him, crawling on their
hands and knees. Once again, we find Swift commenting on the ridiculous rules of royals who abuse their
power.
Immortality turns out not to be as wonderful as many people think. The Struldbrugs are depressed, perhaps
because there is no reason to act quickly. They have all the time in the world. Meanwhile, they have plenty of
time to see what mortals have done for themselves and their society in their fleeting time alive.

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It is interesting that Swift includes Japan, a real place, among these fantastic places. In his time, Japan was a
closed society that did not generally want to traffic with the outside world. It was at the far edge of the East and
as mysterious as these truly fictional places.

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Summary and Analysis of Part IV, "A Voyage to the

Country of the Houyhnhnms," Chapters I-VI
Chapter I
"The Author sets out as Captain of a Ship. His Men conspire against him, confine him a long Time to his Cabin,
and set him on Shoar in an unknown Land. He travels up into the Country. The Yahoos, a strange Sort of
Animal, described. The Author meets two Houyhnhnms."
After five months at home, Gulliver leaves his children and pregnant wife yet again to go on his fourth voyage,
this time as captain. Not long into the trip, his crew mutinies, locking him into his cabin for a great deal of time
and threatening to murder him. Eventually the crew, who plan to become pirates, drop Gulliver off on an
unknown island.
Gulliver walks inland until he comes across a field of strange creatures. After observing them for some time he
comments, "Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, nor one against which
I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy." Soon Gulliver comes to realize that these are actually naked
human beings behaving like cattle. Gulliver comes face to face with one of them. He hits it with the side of his
blade when it comes at him violently. The animal-like human (which Gulliver later learns is called a Yahoo)
cries out, causing the rest of the forty Yahoos to surround Gulliver.
Gulliver fears the worst until the Yahoos suddenly flee because of a grey horse coming toward them. The horse
takes an interest in Gulliver and circles him until another horse comes along. Gulliver observes that their
whinnies to each other sound almost like a language. Gulliver hears the word Yahoo several times and repeats it
to the great surprise of both horses. The horses then teach Gulliver the word Houyhnhnm, which Gulliver later
learns is their word for themselves-for horse. Afterward, the grey horse signals to Gulliver that he should walk
in front of him, which he does.
Chapter II
"The Author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his House. The House described. The Author's reception. The Food
of the Houyhnhnms. The Author in Distress for want of Meat. Is at last relieved. His Manner of feeding in this
Country."
Gulliver and the grey horse arrive at a home where Gulliver expects to meet the horse's human masters. The two
move through every room of the house and meet several other horses before Gulliver realizes that the grey horse
is the master of the house.

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After some discussion between the horse and his wife about whether or not Gulliver is in fact a Yahoo, he is
brought out to the stable where the Yahoos are kept and is made to stand next to one of them. Aside from the
extra hair, longer nails, and nakedness of the Yahoo, they are the same.
Gulliver makes a kind of bread out of the horses' oats for his dinner and is given a small room near the house
with some hay to sleep in.
Chapter III
"The Author studies to learn the Language. The Houyhnhnm his master assists in teaching him. The Language
described. Several Houyhnhnms of Quality come out of Curiosity to see the Author. He gives his Master a short
Account of his Voyage."
After about three months of living among the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver has learned their language quite well and
can answer most of their questions. He tells them about the mutiny that landed him on their shores, but they
have a very difficult time understanding, because they have no concept of what a lie is. They tell Gulliver that
"The Word Houyhnhnm, in their Tongue, signifies a Horse, and its Etymology, the Perfection of Nature."
The horses believe that Gulliver is a Yahoo-but a more rational and civilized Yahoo. Gulliver, wanting to
separate himself from the Yahoos as much as possible, asks not to be called a Yahoo anymore.
Chapter IV
"The Houyhnhnms' Notion of Truth and Falsehood. The Author's Discourse disapproved by his Master. The
Author gives a more particular Account of himself, and the Accidents of his Voyage."
Gulliver continues explaining the concept of lying to his master. He also explains the relationship of horses and
humans back in England. The horses cannot believe that humans would be able to control creatures that are so
much stronger than they are, but Gulliver explains that horses are tamed beginning at a very young age.
Chapter V
"The Author at his Master's Commands informs him of the State of England. The Causes of War among the
Princes of Europe. The Author begins to explain the English Constitution."
Over the next two years, Gulliver explains much about the English government and political systems. Gulliver
tries to explain war and the reasons why humans kill each other. His master says that Yahoos in England are
worse than Yahoos because they use their reason to gain power but use it badly.
Chapter VI

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"A Continuation of the State of England. The Character of a first Minister."

Gulliver continues telling his master about the vices of the English people. He paints a particularly disturbing
picture of lawyers and doctors, saying that lawyers are the stupidest among the Yahoos and doctors are corrupt
and seldom cure their patients.
Analysis
In the country of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver meets the species that is the most skeptical of him-and for good
reason. Gulliver must do everything he can to separate himself from the Yahoos, a very different situation from
his distinct positions in Lilliput and Brobdingnag. In order to accomplish this, Gulliver does small things daily
like using his best manners, eating with a knife and fork, keeping his clothes on, and being as clean as possible.
He shows that he can use language, can reason well, and can be prudent and mannerly.
It is interesting to note that from the very beginning of his time in the country of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver
strives to separate himself from his own species. Is this what Swift has been trying to do his entire life? It often
is difficult to strive for individual human greatness among a mass of people who hardly try and have hardly any
notion of what greatness would be. In Brobdingnag, when Gulliver explained the English people and their way
of life to the king, the king decided they were lowly creatures and Gulliver became offended, trying to defend
his people. Something is different now in the country of the Houyhnhnms. When the grey mare tells Gulliver
that he thinks his people are worse than the Yahoos, Gulliver is quick to agree.
What is different here? Only Gulliver's experiences since Brobdingnag and his contact with the Yahoos.
Through the Yahoos, Gulliver has come to see some awful aspects of human nature, and Swift has shown his
readers what they would be (and often are) without the intelligence and graces of which they are capable.
Gulliver seems willing to turn his back on the English people in favor of those he deems better than the English.
Now that he has been exposed to many alternatives, he can think carefully about who to admire and what
political systems to favor, and the English certainly come up short in relation to the Houyhnhnms.
Also interesting in these chapters is Gulliver's plain admonishment of lawyers and doctors. Gulliver's negative
commentary about lawyers is in many ways not surprising except for its level of ferocity. Lawyers seem no
better than politicians, going to court over the petty human squabbles that Gulliver satirized as early as Part I.
Gulliver's description of doctors as shallow and greedy people who would kill a patient as soon as cure him is
surprising to contemporary readers, especially because Gulliver has spent so many years working as a surgeon.
One should remember that eighteenth-century medicine was still rather poor.

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Summary and Analysis of Part IV, Chapters VII-XII

Chapter VII
"The Author's great Love of his Native Country. His Master's Observations upon the Constitution and
Administration of England, as described by the Author, with parallel Cases and Comparisons. His Master's
Observations upon Human Nature."
Gulliver has come to love the Houyhnhnms, their society, and their way of living. He writes, "I had not been a
Year in this Country, before I contracted such a Love and Veneration for the Inhabitants, that I entered on a firm
resolution never to return to human Kind, but to pass the rest of my Life among these admirable Houyhnhnms in
the Contemplation and practice of every Virtue."
Gulliver then describes a conversation with his Master in which he is honored by being asked to sit farther
away. His Master tells Gulliver that his conclusion, after learning all about Gulliver's fellow human beings, is
that they are not as different from Yahoos, "their Brethren," as originally thought.
Chapter VIII
"The Author relates several Particulars of the Yahoos. The great Virtues of the Houyhnhnms. The Education
and Exercise of their Youth. Their general Assembly."
In order to study the Yahoos more closely, Gulliver asks to spend some time among them, which is granted.
Gulliver is completely disgusted by the Yahoos. They smell terrible, are completely unkempt, and act
ridiculously, even throwing their excrement at one another. When Gulliver sneaks away to a pond for a bath, he
is nearly assaulted by one of the female Yahoos but is saved by a Houyhnhnm.
Chapter IX
"A grand Debate at the General Assembly of the Houyhnhnms, and how it was determined. The Learning of the
Houyhnhnms. Their Buildings. Their manner of Burials. The Defectiveness of their Language."
Gulliver's master attends a great assembly as the representative of his district. When he returns he tells Gulliver
that they were discussing whether or not to exterminate the Yahoos-and that he suggested they be castrated
when young, just as Gulliver told him horses in England often are. That way they will be easier to tame, and
they will eventually die off. In the meantime, the Houyhnhnms can breed asses, which are much stronger and
more manageable than Yahoos.

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Gulliver tells the reader that the horses have no system of letters and do not read or write, but that they maintain
their knowledge through oral tradition. They also have very few diseases and can calculate the year by the
revolutions of the sun. Houyhnhnms live to about seventy or seventy-five years old, and when they die no one
makes a big fuss.
Chapter X
"The Author's Oeconomy and happy Life among the Houyhnhnms. His great improvement in Virtue, by
conversing with them. Their Conversations. The Author has notice given him by his Master that he must depart
from the Country. He falls into a Swoon for Grief, but submits. He contrives and finishes a Canoo, by the help
of a Fellow-Servant, and puts to Sea at a venture."
Gulliver is given a nice room in the Houyhnhnms' home, where he settles in very comfortably. He makes new
clothes and enjoys his life very much. The other Houyhnhnms, however, begin to worry about a Yahoo living
among Houyhnhnms. They fear that Gulliver may lead a revolt among the other Yahoos. They tell Gulliver's
master that it is time for him to leave the island. When Gulliver hears this news, he faints from grief. Having no
other choice, Gulliver builds a canoe over the next two months. Heartbroken, he sets sail, but not before kissing
his master's hoof.
Chapter XI
The Author's dangerous Voyage. He arrives at New-Holland, hoping to settle there. Is wounded with an Arrow
by one of the Natives. Is seized and carried by Force into a Portugueze Ship. The great Civilities of the Captain.
The Author arrives at England."
Gulliver paddles away from the shore, determined not to go too far from the Houyhnhnms. He writes, "My
Design was, if possible, to discover some small island uninhabited, yet sufficient by my Labour to furnish me
with the Necessaries of Life, which I would have thought a greater Happiness than to be first Minister in the
Politest Court of Europe." He finds a small island, where he lives for four days on raw oysters and other
shellfish until he is discovered by the natives. He runs to his canoe and rows away, but not before being shot in
his left knee.
Gulliver sees a Portuguese ship, but he feels disgusted by the thought of sharing a ship with Yahoos, so he
chooses to return to another side of the same island. The Portuguese land and find Gulliver. He refuses to leave,
but the crewmates decide not to leave him by himself on the island. The captain, Don Pedro, is very kind to
Gulliver, but Gulliver cannot stand to be near Yahoos, so he spends most of the voyage in his cabin alone.
Finally back in England, Gulliver's family is thrilled to see him alive, but Gulliver thinks of them only as
Yahoos and cannot stand to be near them. He buys two horses and spends at least four hours a day in the stables
conversing with them.

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Chapter XII
"The Author's Veracity. His Design in publishing this Work. His Censure of those Travellers who swerve from
the Truth. The Author clears himself from any sinister Ends in writing. An Objection answered. The Method of
planting Colonies. His Native Country commended. The Right of the Crown to those Countries described by the
Author is justified. The Difficulty of conquering them. The Author takes his last leave of the Reader; proposes
his Manner of Living for the future; gives good Advice, and concludes."
Gulliver concludes the tale of his travels, saying that everything he has written is true. He also tells the reader
that he is now able to eat at the same table with his family although he is still working to teach them to
overcome their vices. He only wants to help the world he lives in to become more like the world of the
Houyhnhnms.
Analysis
Gulliver tells his master about the way horses are treated in England, and the master cannot believe it, just as the
English would never believe that there was a place where humans are ruled by horses. Yet, in the country of the
Houyhnhnms, this relationship makes perfect sense. (Compare Planet of the Apes.) Again perspective plays an
important role in Gulliver's journeys. There has been a major change between the two places. Here the horses
have intelligence and virtue while humans, according to the grey mare, are different from Yahoos only in
appearance-their morality is the same. Gulliver does not disagree. Swift encourages us to consider what really
does distinguish better and worse examples of humanity.
Swift creates an interesting parallel between the governments of the Houyhnhnms and of the English when the
grey horse attends the great assembly-both exhibit similar senses of entitlement to rule on the basis of merit. The
Houyhnhnms are discussing whether or not to exterminate the Yahoos, never pausing to discuss whether or not
they have the right to subjugate and kill the morally weaker species. Similarly, the English colonists of Swift's
time often felt moral superiority to the native peoples-but if they really were like Yahoos, they had little right to
think so. And even if they were superior in various ways, the English needed to think carefully about the
alternative ways of ordering life and society before deciding what to do about it-as Gulliver has learned.
The Houyhnhnms' decision to do away with the Yahoos is very interesting. First of all, the idea to slowly kill off
the race by castrating the males came from Gulliver. He has directly contributed to the destruction of a
subspecies of his own race, but he shows no remorse. Also, the horses seem to feel better about killing off the
Yahoos slowly by keeping them from breeding rather than actually murdering them, even though the end result
is the same.
Even though the reader has been on Gulliver's side throughout his adventures so far, here we wonder if Gulliver
has gone too far in giving up on humanity in favor of another species altogether. Why would he choose to
abandon his people, his life, and his family? It is true that Gulliver is the kind of person who is called to the sea,

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to live apart from traditional society. And we understand the criticism of humanity, especially if we have some
of the religious sensibilities of most of Swift's readers, knowing that humans are flawed in many ways. Can we
redeem ourselves? When Gulliver returns, he slips into his reclusive state, spending large amounts of time
talking to his horses, but he retains some interest in helping humans become better-apparently through the work
of comparing alternatives and choosing what is better-the life of the Houyhnhnms.
Meanwhile, one should not forget that even though the Yahoos are disgusting, they express something attractive
about human nature. The Yahoos have strong emotions and are sexual beings. They have fun, frolicking and
playing in the fields. They are not afraid to get dirty or to have less-than-perfect manners. The Houyhnhnms, on
the other hand, do not have love, do not shed a tear when one of them dies, and are aloof and rather cold.
Perhaps it is not so bad being a Yahoo-but we should be wary of this pull toward rough-and-tumble life. It was
not quite right to be an absentminded intellectual, and it is not quite right to be aloof like the Houyhnhnms, yet it
is not quite right to be a Yahoo. We must consider the alternatives and decide for ourselves.

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Related Links
http://www.online-literature.com/swift/gulliver/
Gulliver's Travels The full text.

http://classiclit.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=classiclit&cdn=education&tm=11&gps=447_483_821_600&f
Chronology of Gulliver's Travels Chronology of the novel and of Swift's own life.
http://www.online-literature.com/swift/
Jonathan Swift Biographical Information Additional biographical information on Swift.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/jonathan-swift/
Jonathan Swift's Works A complete list with links.
http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html
A Modest Proposal The full text of Swift's classic essay.

Related Links

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Suggested Essay Questions

Consider Gulliver's stated intentions in writing about his travels. What do the letters at the beginning of the
work reveal about his character? What kind of a person is Gulliver? Why is he driven to the sea repeatedly even
as his wife and children wait at home?
Answer: Gulliver repeatedly heeds the call to go off to sea. He claims that it is for commercial reasons, but
Gulliver easily adapts to foreign cultures and usually does not mind seeing how another culture might be
superior to his own. He is a reader and a traveler, not the kind of person who feels bound to traditional society.
Perspective and relativity are very important aspects of Gulliver's Travels. Compare Gulliver's experiences in
the first and second parts of the novel. How does Gulliver act differently? How is he treated differently?
Answer: In the first part, Gulliver is the giant; in the second, everyone else is a giant. In both, he is the outsider
and is treated as such. Consider the power relationships in each part and the ability of prudence and reason to
overcome differences in perspective.
Bodily functions are described often and in great detail in the novel. Why is Swift so graphic?
Answer: Humanity's base functions comprise an important aspect of the novel? Swift pays great attention to the
real world, the material world where people actually have to live their lives. In addition to the slapstick value of
associating different things in the text with excrement, Swift reminds us that we are embodied mortals.
Is Gulliver a hero?
Answer: One may choose to compare Gulliver's actions and characteristics with other great characters such as
Odysseus, who also has great sea adventures, or Jason and the Argonauts. Odysseus is crafty and strong, but
Gulliver does not endure great hardships or overcome great enemies. This is a satire, not an epic, so we neither
expect nor need a hero. Instead, Swift gives us a narrator who tells his own story as an everyman. The point is
that he is not greatly different from an average human being, though he becomes much wiser and more
thoughtful.
Is Gulliver a reliable narrator?
Answer: We generally trust his statements even though they are about fantastic beings and places. We do not
need to believe that such things actually happened. Instead we should recall that Swift has important lessons to
teach though the satire and the imaginary narrator of these fictional travels. Beyond that, we might trust Gulliver
because of his thoughtfulness and prudence in some ways and because he is willing to relate good news and bad
news, good and bad things about various kinds of people, in the same even tone.

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Discuss Swift's connection to Gulliver.

Answer: The author need not share the narrator's opinions, but we always should keep in mind that it is Swift
who has presented a narrator with certain opinions. Sometimes, Swift's joke is at Gulliver's expense. Also
consider Gulliver's attack on humanity in Part IV.
What makes the Houyhnhnms' society ideal or a model for humans?
Answer: From Gulliver's perspective, the Houyhnhnms have established the ideal society. In fact, when he
returns home to England, he cannot stand the sight or smell of humans and prefers to spend his time in the barn
with his horses. The Houyhnhnms are more rational than the Yahoos and the other peoples in the novel. Note
other ways that the Yahoos are unlike the Houyhnhnms.
How does Gulliver change as the novel progresses? For instance, at the end of the novel, when Gulliver is
spending time in the barn with his horses, do we as readers identify with him, or are we repulsed?
Answer: Gulliver learns much about alternative ways of living and comes to appreciate the ways that various
peoples have improved upon the ways that he knew in England. He also appreciates what it is like to be much
larger or smaller, much better or worse, much more practical or less intelligent, than others. He has seen how
what is an important difference within a culture seems petty to outsiders. Overall, he sees many things more
objectively and has come to despise the usual ways of humans where he lives. The horses are not really like the
Houyhnhnms, so we realize Gulliver's mistake, but we sense that Gulliver is better off with a lot of time to
himself to contemplate his experiences and what they mean for living well.
Compare the satire in this novel with the argument in Swift's short essay, "A Modest Proposal," in which he
declares that the Irish should eat their children in order to keep from starving.
Answer: "A Modest Proposal" purports to solve a number of problems with a simple but morally impossible
solution. One's outrage at the proposed solution should be channeled into thinking about a real
solution--including the moral elements of the solution. The novel takes on society and subgroups, and the ways
we live, more than any particular problem, showing us more about human nature. This difference is in large
measure a reflection of what can be done in an essay versus a novel.
Who is Swift making fun of and why?
Answer: A good answer will examine ways in which human nature as a whole is satirized as well as ways that
the British are satirized and the ways that particular groups (such as intellectuals) are satirized. In each case, find
something ironic or humorous, determine at whose expense we laugh, and decide why we are laughing.
Sometimes we laugh because our intentions have unintended consequences, sometimes we are inconsistent or
irrational, and sometimes we laugh when we see ourselves as outsiders would see us.

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Quotes
"Thus, Gentle Reader, I have given thee a faithful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and above seven
months, wherein I have not been so studious of Ornament as Truth. I could perhaps like others have astonished
thee with strange improbable Tales; but I rather chose to relate plain Matter of Fact in the simplest Manner and
Style, because my principal design was to inform, and not amuse thee."
The Brobdingnagian king's opinion of the English: "But, by what I have gathered from your own Relation, and
the Answers I have with much Pains wringed and extorted from you, I cannot but conclude that 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 terrible Agitation of Mind I could not forbear thinking of Lilliput, whose Inhabitants looked upon me as
the greatest Prodigy that ever appeared in the World: where I was able to draw an Imperial Fleet in my Hand ....
I reflected what a Mortification it must prove to me to appear as inconsiderable in this Nation as one single
Lilliputian would be among us .... Undoubtedly Philosophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is
great or little otherwise than by Comparison."
"But, as my sole Intention was for the PUBLICK GOOD, I cannot be altogether dissapointed. For who can read
of the Virtues I have mentioned in the Glorious Houyhnhnms, without being ashamed of his own Vices, when
he consideres himself as the reasoning, governing Animal of his Country? I shall say nothing of those remote
nations where Yahoos preside ... But I forbear descanting further, and rather leave the Judicious Reader to his
own Remarks and Applications."

Quotes

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Quotes

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Author of ClassicNote and Sources

Rebecca Cantor, author of ClassicNote. Completed on June 29, 2007, copyright held by GradeSaver.
Updated and revised Adam Kissel August 21, 2007. Copyright held by GradeSaver.
DeGategno, Paul J. Critical Companion to Jonathan Swift: A Literary Reference to His Life and Works. New
York: Facts on File, 2006.
Fox, Christopher, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2006.
Hammond, Brean, and Shaun Regan. Making the Novel: Fiction and Society in Britain, 1660-1789.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Albert J. Rivero. New York: Norton, 2002.
Clegg, Jeanne. "Swift on False Witness." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 44:3 (Summer 2004), pp. 461
ff.
Rabb, Melinda. "The Secret Memoirs of Lemuel Gulliver: Satire, Secrecy, and Swift." ELH 73:2 (Summer
2006), pp. 325 ff.

Author of ClassicNote and Sources

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Essay: The Child-like Scientist: A Study of the

Similarities Between Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's
Travels and Voltaire's Candide in Reference to Satire
Developed through Naivete
by Arthur-Damon Jones
June 01, 1999
A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man.
How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for
this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent
means of objective criticism and most often satire. A child's curious nature and hunger for knowledge would
bring about an unbiased questioning of social structures, minus the brainwashing of these very institutions, and
his or her vulnerability would expose any societal dangers present. This child-like scientist would see the truth
as it is.
This same premise may be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator may be used as a child-like
scientist, who reveals social truths to the audience through his or her naivete. As Maurois has noted, in writing
about Candide, by Voltaire," It was novel of apprenticeship, that is, the shaping of an adolescent's ideas by rude
contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where
Gulliver, the main character, provides a naive point of reference.
The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivete to convey
satirical attacks on society. In both works, litotes [understatements] are made of extremely absurd situations,
which further illuminates the ridiculous nature of a situation. Characters in each novel are made vulnerable by
their overly trusting natures. This is taken advantage of, and these characters are left exploited by corrupt people
in society. Attacks are also made on authority figures of the world. This can be seen in the characters' reaction to
authority. Finally, both works are travel tales, which expose the main characters to many perspectives. This
allows the authors to satirize many aspects of society.
These two satirical works make litotes of preposterous situations, thus shedding light on the absurdity at hand.
This is an especially effective technique, because a character or narrator is involved in a ridiculous situation.
The reader, from an aesthetic distance, is then able to recognize the foolishness of the incident. After careful
consideration, a satirical conclusion may be drawn. For example, Voltaire's narrator describes a brutal battle
scene in a lighthearted manner:

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Nothing could have been more splendid, brilliant, smart or orderly than the two armies . . . .
then rifle fire removed from our best of worlds about nine or ten thousand scoundrels who had
been infesting its surface. The bayonet was also the sufficient reason for the death of several
thousand men. (22-23)
The diction in this passage is ironic. By referring to a battle as "splendid" (22) and "brilliant" (22), the narrator
demonstrates how common the idea of warfare has become and how little the human life is valued. Also, the
phrase, "Our best of worlds" (22-23) identifies optimism as a focus of this satirical attack (Maurois 100). In this
way, the narrator nonchalantly discusses grave matters. Maurois cited both Voltaire and Swift as using this
method when he states, "and from the Dean [Swift] he [Voltaire] had learned how to tell an absurd story in the
most natural manner" (104). In this way, the foolish scenarios stand out in the context of "serious" discourse,
and when taken in on a satirical level, the narrator's carefree consideration of dreadful events suggests a
desensitizing of society.
Quintana, in his essay "Situation as a Satirical Method," describes Swifts' satire as a "situational satire." In this
method a situation is created and objectively observed in order to produce satirical attacks (344-346). This
method is the same as the one described earlier. The audience, once having stepped back from the dramatic
situation, realizes the absurdity of it, and the satirical point being made. When speaking with the King of
Brobdingnag, Gulliver describes many absurd characteristics of human life in Europe, which to Gulliver, seem
noble. He especially treats gunpowder with litotes (Bk. I, ch. 6-7). The lofty manner in which Gulliver presents
his culture ironically accents the ignoble qualities of Europe.
Another example may be drawn form Gulliver's stay in Lilliput. In attending the "political" ceremonies of
Lilliput, Gulliver takes serious consideration of the ridiculous system of gaining political favor and power.
Politicians perform "rope dances" in order to gain political rank. (Bk. I, ch. 3). Here Gulliver's being gullible is
used as a political attack on the superficiality if politics. In both works, characters or narrators make
understatements or treat absurd subjects with complete sincerity, thus creating a situation from which satirical
observations may be drawn.
Another way in which naivete is used in these two tales is to satirize the tendency of corrupt people to take
advantage of overly trusting individuals. Both Gulliver and Candide fit the description of the overly trusting,
naive character. Van Doren chronicles this situation as demonstrated in Gulliver's Travels:
Grateful for the kindness shown on him, Gulliver aided the Lilliput in this war by capturing
the Blefuscudian fleet and bringing it as a gift to his royal host. But the Lilliputians were no
more grateful than the English had been to the Oxford ministry for ending the war with
France. . . . The sourest of the tiny ministers became Gulliver's enemy. (187)
Here Gulliver too easily places his trust in the hands of strangers. This naive move leaves open the opportunity
for the Lilliputians to betray him. Swift is able to satirically attack human's behavior through this "situational

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irony" (Quintana 344-346). In this particular situation, Swift demonstrates how dangerous being overly trusting
may be. Gulliver believes that he has made friends in the Lilliputians. However, by the end of the visit he is
almost executed (Bk. I). On a satirical level, Swift asserts that the corruptive human being is deadly when overly
trusted.
The dangers of being overly trusting are also discussed in Candide. In chapter 19, Candide is taken advantage of
by a conniving captain. Candide, who has just acquired great wealth from El Dorado, is overcharged for passage
on a ship. Then he entrusts his possessions with the captain, who flees with Candide's riches (ch. 19). Here
Voltaire rejects an "optimistic" (Maurois 100) approach to philosophy. The audience realizes that Candide has
been swindled out of his belongings by confiding in a "trustworthy" citizen of the "best of all possible worlds"
(Maurois 100). Again naivete is used to create satire, in this case, an individual's overly trusting nature is
wrongly taken advantage of and results in a loss of property or even a near death experience.
Another aspect of society that is attacked in both of these novels is authority figures. In each case, Gulliver or
Candide's reactions to authority are used as satirical devices. In the case of Candide, positive progress is made
after a period of naive subordination. In Gulliver's case, the hierarchical structures of society keep him in
constant submission.
Candide at first blindly accepts his teacher's highly optimistic philosophy. It takes Candide a while to begin to
question this authority. Voltaire contends that authority figures should be questioned and their doctrine should
not be taken at face value. Voltaire's negative tone towards Candide's naive following of Pangloss' optimism is
seen at aesthetic distance in the context of devastation after devastation that occurs. Pangloss' philosophy is
obviously not holding up. This leads Candide to an evaluation of this authority. Pasco describes this intellectual
growth that occurs after the questioning: when Candide says early in chapter 13 that had Pangloss lived,
Candide would have dared to object to the master's continual insistence that all is for the best in the best of all
possible worlds, we know something has taken place. This is the first of several indications that Candide has
begun a process of development that will leave him considerably less naive. (94) Candide is able to become less
naive and thus less subordinate.
The same is unfortunately not true for Gulliver. He has been conditioned by a hierarchical society to internalize
his submissive role. This internalization is apparent when he first encounters the Lilliputians, Gulliver states," I
answered in a few words, but in the most submissive manner" (36). The audience is to consider the drastic size
difference between Gulliver and the Lilliputians. It is absurd for Gulliver the bow down to these microscopic
islanders. Once this has been assessed, Swift's satirical attack on hierarchical structures is made clear; certain
institutions foster a socially stratified culture, of which Gulliver is a product. Again his submissive nature
emerges in his contact with the Houyhnhms. Lawler mentions Gulliver's position with the Houyhnhms when he
notes, "the final realization that even as a servant and disciple there can be no place for him [Gulliver] in the
land Houyhnhms" (323). In this land Gulliver readily takes his submissive role, as a result of his experience
with hierarchical authority. In both novels, different satirical points are made about authority, but they are both
done through the same medium of a naive character's reaction to authority.

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Finally, both works may be regarded as travel tales, which expose the naive characters to various perspectives.
This allows the authors to satirize various aspects of human nature and universalizes the satire. Clark further
describes Gulliver's role:
Indeed it was never long before he [Gulliver] comprehended the inhabitants of the lands he
chanced upon. In this respect he was a typical voyager. (2)
In the "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels" this sentiment is also expressed. The author states that," Swift adopts
an ancient satirical device: the imaginary voyage" (905). Gulliver travels to far and unknown lands, and is
presented with new perspectives that satirize lands very familiar to the reader. The world seen through his naive
eyes can be interpreted as Swift's satire. Van Doren comments on the affect of these various perspectives, using
Brobdingnag as an example:
But after the giant, he [Gulliver] could not so easily return to the old scale. . . his own people
seemed contemptible by their smallness. (189)
And again by using Houyhnhm as an example: "The reasonable Houyhnhms said he had noticed the rudiments
of all these human ways of life among the yahoos" (193). These alternate perspectives provide revelations for
Gulliver about his society and human nature in general. As the naive traveler is enlightened, the reader
recognizes the satirical significance of the situation (Quintana 344-346).
Mylne similarly classifies Candide when she states, "Tories like Zadig and Candide were in the tradition of the
voyage imaginaire and the Oriental travel-tale" (216). Candide's journey spans across many nations and both
hemispheres. He is exposed to different philosophies and people. This allows the author to satirize different
aspects of society. Candide is especially given a new perspective at El Dorado. In El Dorado, gold is treated like
dirt. There is little value that these citizens place on material possessions. This episode acts as a satirical attack
on the materialism of the world. In tune with the message of the final chapter, "we must cultivate our garden"
(123), Bottiglia divides the many settings of the novel into gardens. He states that:
Westphalia is the center of optimistic fatalism Bulgares is a naked military despotism, while
Paraguay is a military despotism masquerading as a kingdom of God on earth. Holland is a
mercantile utopia . . . Lisbon is the home of Inquisitory fanaticism . . . Orellions is the habitat
of state-of-nature savagery . . .[El Dorado] offers a philosophic ideal for human aspiration.
(91)
Here the scholar provides an extensive example of the many perspectives present and the ideals that are
satirized. In each arena Candide's experiences and interaction with others are the breeding ground for Voltaire's
satire. In both Candide and Gulliver's Travels this universal satire is made possible by the stories' being
travel-tales in which the protagonists are exposed to many different lands and perspectives.

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As can be seen, child-like naivete can be a helpful tool in criticizing or satirizing a subject. When an amateur
approaches a subject ignorant of the topic, his or her mistakes may be learning experiences for those observing.
That is exactly the case with these two novels. As stated in the "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels"," Through
Gulliver's eyes, we gaze on marvel after marvel" (906), and through these naive characters' experiences and
satires are developed. Understatements are made of absurd incidents. This reveals the preposterous nature of the
situation. The naive characters place too much trust in the hands of strangers. This vulnerability allows for the
exploitative nature of humans to be exhibited. These characters' reactions to authority act as a medium to
satirize authority figures and hierarchical structures. Finally, the travel aspect of these stories creates many
perspectives from which universal topics of satire may be drawn. In this manner, naivete reveals truths about
human nature.
Works Cited
<ul>
<li>Bottiglia, William F. "Candide's Garden." Voltaire A Collection of Essays. Ed. Bottiglia, William F.
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Inc., 1968.
<li>Clark, Paul O. A Gulliver's Dictionary. New York: Haskell Publishers, 1972.
<li>Green, F. C. French Novelist Manners and Ideas. New York: D Appleton and Company, 1929.
<li>"Introduction to Gulliver's Travels." Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors. Ed. M.H.
Abrhams et al. Sixth ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1995.
<li>Lawler, John. "The Evolution of Gulliver's Character." Norton Critical Editions.
<li>Maurois, Andre'. Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1932.
<li>Mylne, Vivienne. The Eighteenth-Century French Novel. Manchester: University of Manchester Press,
1965.
<li>Pasco, Allan H. Novel Configurations A Study of French Fiction. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1987.
<li>Quintana, Ricardo "Situation as Satirical Method." Norton Critical Editions: Jonathan Swift Gulliver's
Travels. Ed. Robert A Greenberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1961.
<li>Van Doren, Carl. Swift .New York: The Viking Press, 1930.
</ul>

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Quiz 1
1. Where does Gulliver stop on his way from Luggnagg to England?
A. Japan and Ireland
B. Japan and Amsterdam
C. Spain and Ireland
D. Amsterdam and Spain
2. What is Gulliver's post during his final voyage?
A. Captain
B. Oarsman
C. Steward
D. Surgeon
3. What happens on Gulliver's fourth voyage?
A. Mutiny
B. War
C. The ship capsizes
D. The crew is lost at sea
4. How does Gulliver get to the land of the Houyhnhnms?
A. He is carried there by a giant eagle
B. He swims ashore
C. His crew drops him off on their island
D. He is magically transported
5. What are the humans called in the land of the Houyhnhnms?
A. Googles
B. Dingbats
C. Flimnaps
D. Yahoos
6. Who does Gulliver say are the stupidest Yahoos?
A. Professors
B. Sailors
C. Doctors
D. Lawyers

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7. What concept do Houyhnhnms not understand?

A. Dignity
B. Lying
C. Bravery
D. Honor
8. What color is Gulliver's master?
A. Black
B. Red
C. White
D. Grey
9. Who does Gulliver think are the most virtuous?
A. Houyhnhnms
B. Brobdingnags
C. Yahoos
D. Lilliputians
10. How does Gulliver's Houyhnhnm master honor him?
A. By ignoring him
B. By sneezing on him
C. By asking him to sit farther away
D. By walking around him three times
11. What happens to Gulliver when he tries to bathe in the pond?
A. A Yahoo female tries to assault him
B. He is captured by elves
C. He is captured by Brobdingnags
D. He nearly drowns
12. What do the Houyhnhnms discuss during their Great Assembly?
A. Whether or not to execute the Yahoos
B. What do do with the Lilliputians
C. Whether or not to execute Gulliver
D. Whether or not Gulliver is a Yahoo

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13. How do the Houyhnhnms keep track of their history?

A. Through oral tradition
B. They have no need for history
C. They carve pictures in stone
D. They write it down
14. How old does the average Houyhnhnm live to be?
A. 40-45 years old
B. 60-65 years old
C. 70-75 years old
D. 20-25 years old
15. Why is Gulliver asked to leave the island of the Houyhnhnms?
A. They are afraid he will die if he doesn't eat meat
B. They are afraid he'll lead the Yahoos in a revolt
C. Actually Gulliver wants to leave
D. He is disrespectful of his master
16. What does Gulliver do to his Houyhnhnm master before he leaves?
A. He hugs his neck
B. He kisses his hoof
C. He slaps him across the nose
D. He strokes his mane
17. What does Gulliver eat while living among the Houyhnhnms?
A. The stems of various flowers
B. A kind of bread made from oats
C. Corn meal
D. Salmon
18. What does Gulliver do when his master tells him it is time to leave the land of the Houyhnhnms?
A. Cries
B. Cheers
C. Faints
D. Drinks

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19. Where does Gulliver want to live when he leaves the Houyhnhnms?
A. In England
B. With the Lilliputians
C. On a nearby island, alone
D. In Portugal
20. What is the name of the Portuguese captain?
A. Don Javier
B. Don Juan
C. Don Frederico
D. Don Pedro
21. What do the natives do to Gulliver?
A. Run away from him
B. Shoot an arrow in his knee
C. Welcome him warily
D. Welcome him warmly
22. What is Gulliver's reaction to the Portuguese sailors?
A. He can't believe how friendly they are
B. He finds them disgusting
C. He thinks they're rude
D. He thinks they look like giants
23. What does Gulliver do while on the Portuguese ship?
A. Tells the crew about his journeys
B. Helps the captain navigate
C. Stays in his cabin
D. Works as a surgeon
24. How many horses does Gulliver buy when he returns to England?
A. Ten
B. Seven
C. Two
D. Twelve

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25. How many hours a day does Gulliver spend with his horses?
A. Seven
B. Two
C. Four
D. Twelve

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Quiz 1 Answer Key

1. (B) Japan and Amsterdam
2. (A) Captain
3. (A) Mutiny
4. (C) His crew drops him off on their island
5. (D) Yahoos
6. (D) Lawyers
7. (B) Lying
8. (D) Grey
9. (A) Houyhnhnms
10. (C) By asking him to sit farther away
11. (A) A Yahoo female tries to assault him
12. (A) Whether or not to execute the Yahoos
13. (A) Through oral tradition
14. (C) 70-75 years old
15. (B) They are afraid he'll lead the Yahoos in a revolt
16. (B) He kisses his hoof
17. (B) A kind of bread made from oats
18. (C) Faints
19. (C) On a nearby island, alone
20. (D) Don Pedro
21. (B) Shoot an arrow in his knee
22. (B) He finds them disgusting
23. (C) Stays in his cabin
24. (C) Two
25. (C) Four

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Quiz 2
1. How tall are the Lilliputians?
A. About a foot tall
B. Giant
C. Human size
D. 5 to 6 inches
2. How tall are the Brobdingnags?
A. About a foot tall
B. Giant
C. Human size
D. 5 to 6 inches
3. What washes up on the shore of Lilliput?
A. Gulliver's hat
B. Gulliver's glasses
C. Gulliver's boat
D. Gulliver's gunpowder pouch
4. How does Gulliver put out the fire in the Empress's bed chamber?
A. He urinates on it
B. With a hose
C. With thimbles of water
D. He doesn't
5. What is Gulliver's role on his first voyage?
A. Captain
B. Passenger
C. Sailors
D. Surgeon
6. Which of the following is not one of the reasons Gulliver is convicted of treason in Lilliput?
A. He ate too much, causing a famine
B. He refused to continue fighting for Lilliput
C. He urinated on the Empress's bed chamber
D. He encouraged the Blefuscudians in their peace proposals

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7. Who is Gulliver's enemy in Lilliput?

A. Himnaptude
B. Frank
C. Flimnap
D. Redresal
8. How does Gulliver arrive on Lilliput?
A. He is dropped off there by a bird
B. He swims ashore after a shipwreck
C. He and his crew land there
D. He can't remember
9. How do the Lilliputians decide who will take a high position in the court?
A. Thumb wrestling
B. A tight-rope jumping contest
C. Foot races
D. Elections are held
10. What is Gulliver's sentence after he is found guilty of treason in Lilliput?
A. Execution
B. Solitary confinement
C. Having his eyes put out
D. Tickling
11. Who are the enemies of the Lilliputians?
A. The Brobdingnags
B. Human beings
C. The Blefuscudians
D. The Laputians
12. Why did the Lilliputians divide?
A. They wore different sized heels on their shoes
B. They cut their eggs at different ends
C. They couldn't decide who should be emperor
D. They couldn't decide what to do with Gulliver

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13. When Gulliver awakens on the shore of Lilliput, what is his condition?
A. Lying on his back tied up by hundreds of ropes
B. Well-rested and comfortable
C. Healthy but without any memory
D. Having a terrible headache from having too much drink
14. What did Flimnap say about Gulliver in order to slander him?
A. That Gulliver was conspiring with the enemy
B. That Gulliver slept with his wife
C. That Gulliver was a god
D. That Gulliver hid the queen's brush
15. How did Gulliver scare the people of Lilliput?
A. He fired his pistol
B. He stomped his foot
C. He sneezed
D. He clapped his hands loudly
16. How does Gulliver get home from Blefuscu?
A. He is picked up by a large bird
B. He finds a boat floating off shore and repairs it
C. He swims
D. He doesn't
17. How does Gulliver learn to speak the Lilliputian language?
A. A young girl teaches him
B. He reads their newspapers
C. Six scholars are employed to teach him
D. He reads their books
18. Who wrote Gulliver's Travels?
A. Alexander Pope
B. Henry Fielding
C. Jonathan Swift
D. Lemuel Gulliver

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19. Why does Gulliver flee to Blefuscu?

A. The Lilliputians are going to put his eyes out
B. The Lilliputians are going to execute him
C. The Lilliputians won't grant him his freedom
D. The Lilliputians are going to starve him to death
20. How does Gulliver gain his liberty in Lilliput?
A. He never gains his liberty
B. With his gentleness and good behavior
C. He tricks the Lilliputians
D. He breaks free
21. Which of the Lilliputians is the nicest to Gulliver?
A. Flimnap
B. The Emperor
C. The Empress
D. Redresal
22. How do the Lilliputians hurt Gulliver when they first find him?
A. They let their animals bite him
B. They hit him with stones
C. They shoot tiny arrows at him
D. They pull his hair
23. What is the punishment for the Lilliputians who bother Gulliver?
A. They are given into Gulliver's hands
B. Death
C. They are put in prison
D. They are forced to walk the tight-rope
24. How does Gulliver's time in Lilliput end?
A. He is convicted of treason
B. He is carried away by a whale
C. He stays until he dies at the age of 83
D. He is given a grand boat filled with supplies

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25. Who raises the Lilliputian children?

A. Their parents
B. Animals
C. The government
D. Gulliver raises them while he's there

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Quiz 2 Answer Key

1. (D) 5 to 6 inches
2. (B) Giant
3. (A) Gulliver's hat
4. (A) He urinates on it
5. (D) Surgeon
6. (A) He ate too much, causing a famine
7. (C) Flimnap
8. (B) He swims ashore after a shipwreck
9. (B) A tight-rope jumping contest
10. (C) Having his eyes put out
11. (C) The Blefuscudians
12. (B) They cut their eggs at different ends
13. (A) Lying on his back tied up by hundreds of ropes
14. (B) That Gulliver slept with his wife
15. (A) He fired his pistol
16. (B) He finds a boat floating off shore and repairs it
17. (C) Six scholars are employed to teach him
18. (C) Jonathan Swift
19. (A) The Lilliputians are going to put his eyes out
20. (B) With his gentleness and good behavior
21. (D) Redresal
22. (C) They shoot tiny arrows at him
23. (A) They are given into Gulliver's hands
24. (A) He is convicted of treason
25. (C) The government

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Quiz 3
1. What does Gulliver kill on his first night in Brobdingnag?
A. A butterfly
B. A cat
C. A rat
D. A beetle
2. What does Gulliver call his caretaker in Brobdingnag?
A. Ardipcluft
B. Grildrig
C. Grumdalclitch
D. Lorbrulgrud
3. How does Gulliver end up in Brobdingnag?
A. He swims ashore
B. He is left behind by his shipmates
C. He follows a map to find the island
D. He can't remember
4. Who is Gulliver's biggest enemy in Brobdingnag?
A. The farmer's workers
B. Glumdalclitch
C. The farmer
D. The Queen's dwarf
5. What does the King think Gulliver is at first?
A. A mechanical creature
B. A squirrel
C. A work of magic
D. Artwork
6. How does the Queen get Gulliver?
A. Gulliver asks for santuary in the palace
B. She buys him from the farmer
C. She has her dwarf steal him
D. She finds him in the marketplace

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7. Who stays with Gulliver at the palace?

A. Glumdalclitch
B. The farmer
C. The farmer's wife
D. Frumighty
8. How does Gulliver travel in Brobdingnag?
A. In a shoebox carried by a cat
B. Sitting in the Queen's lap
C. In a specially made box
D. In a wheelbarrow
9. Why does the Queen's dwarf hate Gulliver?
A. He's jealous of Gulliver
B. Gulliver punched him in the nose
C. He actually likes Gulliver
D. He's afraid of Gulliver
10. What English invention does Gulliver tell the King about?
A. Fire
B. Gunpowder
C. The butterchurn
D. The plow
11. What does Gulliver make from the King's beard?
A. A broom
B. A hat
C. A comb
D. A rope
12. What does Gulliver make from the Queen's hair?
A. A stuffed bear and a brush
B. A purse and a stuffed bear
C. A brush and a chair
D. A chair and a purse

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13. How long is Gulliver in Brobdingnag?

A. About ten years
B. About two years
C. About five years
D. About fifteen years
14. How does Gulliver get off of Brobdingnag?
A. He is carried away by an eagle
B. He makes a boat
C. He finds a boat
D. He swims
15. What will happen to Gulliver if he talks about gunpowder again?
A. He will be rewarded
B. He will be executed
C. He will be exiled
D. He will be put in jail
16. Who finds Gulliver's traveling box?
A. Yahoos
B. The army
C. Sailors
D. The navy
17. Why doesn't Gulliver like Brobdingnagian music?
A. It is too low-pitched
B. It has an awkward rhythm
C. It is too high-pitched
D. It is too loud
18. What brings Gulliver to the top of the roof in Brobdingnag?
A. A giraffe
B. A squirrel
C. A monkey
D. A bird

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19. Why won't Gulliver sit on the chair he's made?

A. He doesn't want to offend the king
B. The queen won't let him
C. He would disgrace the queen by sitting on her hair
D. It is too small
20. Why is it difficult to adjust to life back in England after being in Brobdingnag?
A. He is disgusted by their use of gunpowder
B. He feels like a Lilliputian
C. He feels mentally inferior
D. He feels like a giant
21. What do Gulliver and the King discuss most often?
A. Government
B. Algebra
C. Astronomy
D. Zoology
22. Why do Gulliver's shipmates leave him behind in Brobdingnag?
A. They have to go find food
B. They hate Gulliver
C. They're being chased by a Brobdingnagian
D. They're chasing a whale
23. How long is Gulliver at home between his second and third voyages?
A. Two years and ten months
B. Ten years and two months
C. Two months and ten days
D. Ten months and two days
24. What is Gulliver's post on this third voyage?
A. Stoker
B. Passenger
C. Captain
D. Surgeon

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25. What disrupts Gulliver's third voyage?

A. The ship capsizes
B. The ship crashes on a deserted island
C. The ship is attacked by pirates
D. The ship sinks

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Quiz 3 Answer Key

1. (C) A rat
2. (C) Grumdalclitch
3. (B) He is left behind by his shipmates
4. (D) The Queen's dwarf
5. (A) A mechanical creature
6. (B) She buys him from the farmer
7. (A) Glumdalclitch
8. (C) In a specially made box
9. (A) He's jealous of Gulliver
10. (B) Gunpowder
11. (C) A comb
12. (D) A chair and a purse
13. (B) About two years
14. (A) He is carried away by an eagle
15. (B) He will be executed
16. (C) Sailors
17. (D) It is too loud
18. (C) A monkey
19. (C) He would disgrace the queen by sitting on her hair
20. (D) He feels like a giant
21. (A) Government
22. (C) They're being chased by a Brobdingnagian
23. (C) Two months and ten days
24. (D) Surgeon
25. (C) The ship is attacked by pirates

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Quiz 4
1. Why is Gulliver punished by the pirates?
A. He is too tall
B. He insults their captain
C. He doesn't speak the language
D. He kills their captain
2. What punishment is given to Gulliver by the pirates?
A. His left thumb is severed
B. He is forced to walk the plank
C. He is sent adrift in a canoe
D. He is punched in the face by the captain
3. Where does Gulliver land after the pirate attack?
A. Lilliput
B. Brobdingnag
C. Laputa
D. Balnibarbi
4. What kinds of symbols do the Laputans wear on their clothes?
A. Mathematical and musical
B. Religious and agricultural
C. Agricultural and mathematical
D. Astronomical and musical
5. What is different about the bodies of the Laputans?
A. They can't stand for more than an hour
B. They have four legs
C. Their heads slant to the left or right
D. They have no fingers
6. What does Gulliver notice about the women of Laputa?
A. They are very well dressed
B. They stand primarily on their hands
C. Nothing out of the ordinary
D. They are very sexual creatures

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7. Why don't the men of Laputa notice that their wives are cheating on them?
A. They are too wrapped up in mathematics
B. They have poor eyesight
C. They don't love their wives anyway
D. They are distracted by government
8. Who do the Laputan women prefer to their own husbands?
A. The Brobdingnagians
B. Gulliver
C. The Balnibarbi
D. The Lilliputians
9. Why does Gulliver ask to leave Laputa?
A. He doesn't like the way they dress
B. He is bored
C. He is too smart for them
D. He is being treated poorly
10. With whom does Gulliver stay in Balnibarbi?
A. Glumdalclitch
B. Munodi
C. Rusalkirk
D. Flimnap
11. How does Gulliver describe Munodi's home?
A. Beautiful and well-kept
B. In disrepair
C. A mound of dirt
D. Small
12. How does Gulliver describe the country on Balnibarbi?
A. Hot
B. Wet
C. Barren
D. Lush

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13. How are towns in Balnibarbi punished?

A. They are never punished
B. They are charged a tax
C. They are forced to walk a tight-rope
D. Laputa is moved above them
14. Which of the following is not one of the experiments being tried by professors at the academy?
A. Turning excrement back into the food it began as
B. Harnessing wind to make power
C. Extracting sunlight from cucumbers
D. Making gunpowder from ice
15. What are the Laputians' talking sticks called?
A. Blumptufts
B. Flappers
C. Gumpfuds
D. Sinkers
16. How do the professors hope to catch traitors?
A. By examining their excrement
B. By checking the color of their nose hair
C. By looking under their tongues
D. By asking them
17. What is special about the Glubbdubdribians?
A. They can bring back the dead
B. They are excellent mathematicians
C. They are tiny
D. They are giant
18. What does Glubbdubdrib translate to?
A. Island of firefighters
B. Island of acrobatics
C. Island of giants
D. Island of magicians

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19. Which dead person does Gulliver talk to first?

A. Caesar
B. Alexander the Great
C. Homer
D. Jesus
20. Which of these deceased people does Gulliver NOT speak to?
A. Descartes
B. Alexander the Great
C. Aristotle
D. King Charlemagne
21. Why is Gulliver disturbed after he brings back dead English Yeomen?
A. They are sickly
B. They are heartier than the English of his time
C. They are insulting
D. They are missing limbs
22. When Gulliver goes to Luggnagg what does he disguise himself as?
A. A horse
B. A Dutchman
C. A sorcerer
D. A Lilliputian
23. In order to see the King of Luggnagg what must one do?
A. Dance for thirteen minutes
B. Balance on one foot
C. Lick the floor
D. Cry real tears
24. What does the King of Luggnagg do to courtiers he doesn't like?
A. Exiles them to Brobdingnag
B. Feeds them to Brobdingnagians
C. Puts them in prison
D. Poisons the floor they have to lick

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25. What is a Struldbrug?

A. An immortal Luggnaggian
B. A young Luggnaggian
C. A Luggnaggian magician
D. A Luggnaggian who mops the floor

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Quiz 4 Answer Key

1. (B) He insults their captain
2. (C) He is sent adrift in a canoe
3. (D) Balnibarbi
4. (A) Mathematical and musical
5. (C) Their heads slant to the left or right
6. (D) They are very sexual creatures
7. (A) They are too wrapped up in mathematics
8. (C) The Balnibarbi
9. (B) He is bored
10. (B) Munodi
11. (A) Beautiful and well-kept
12. (C) Barren
13. (D) Laputa is moved above them
14. (B) Harnessing wind to make power
15. (B) Flappers
16. (A) By examining their excrement
17. (A) They can bring back the dead
18. (D) Island of magicians
19. (B) Alexander the Great
20. (D) King Charlemagne
21. (B) They are heartier than the English of his time
22. (B) A Dutchman
23. (C) Lick the floor
24. (D) Poisons the floor they have to lick
25. (A) An immortal Luggnaggian

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Copyright Notice
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form or by
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