The Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

     Jonathan Swift 

   Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland in November 30, 1667. He was the second child and only son of his parents. Jonathan Swift’s father died in Dublin before he was born and his mother returned to England after her husband’s death. Jonathan Swift was left in the care of his influential uncle, Godwin.

   In February 1702, Jonathan Swift received his Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity College, Dublin. Then he was starting his visit to England and other countries. He was spending his most of the time in England then. During his visits to England in these years, Jonathan Swift published A Tale of a Tub and The Battle of the Books (1704) and began to gain a reputation as a writer.

   The Gulliver’s Travels is regarded as his masterpiece. A large portion of this novel which Jonathan Swift wrote at Woodbrook House in County Laois and it was published in 1726. As with his other writings, the Travels were published under an anonym, the fictional Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon and later a sea captain. The base of this book is a great and sophisticated satire of human nature based on Jonathan Swift's experience of his times. The Gulliver's Travels is an anatomy of human nature, a bitter looking-glass, often criticized for its clear misanthropy.

   Each of the four books of this series, recounting four voyages to mostly-fictional isolate and exotic lands. These all books have a different theme, but all are attempts to let down the human pride. The critics were explained the work as a satiric reflection on the shortcomings of Enlightenment thought. He was died in October 19, 1745.

            The Gulliver's Travels - Part 1

                     - by Jonathan Swift

    
   Long ago, there was a landlord in England. He had son named Lemuel Gulliver. When Gulliver grew up he used to sail in the ship as a doctor. He earned enough for that job. Once again he set sail in a ship, named Antelop from the shores of Bristol. Bristol was a small port town in England that time. The ship was on a voyage to the East.

      
   After few days when the ship was passing through the high seas, a violent storm rocked the ship. It hit a hard rock. Gulliver, along with many passengers on board the ship was tossed into the sea. He did not know the fate of other passengers. But from thereon, Gulliver’s travel started.

The Gulliver's Travels

   Gulliver struggled hard from being drowned. When the sea became calm, he found himself landed on a shore! He walked a little distance. He found that there was no sign of life around. By then he was extremely tired, hungry and fell fast asleep.

   When Gulliver opened his eyes, it was day light. To his utter surprise, when Gulliver tried to get up, he could not move at all. With fine thin ropes tied all across his body and he was nailed to the ground! Gulliver felt something moving up his chest towards the chin. He moved his eyes to see what was happening around.

   To his dismay, he saw a very little man, not more than six inches high, crawling on his chest with bow and arrow in his little hand! And there were at least forty more following behind!!
 

   “Who are you and what are you doing?”, roared Gulliver. This sent a little man helter-skelter. Gulliver then tried to loosen his strings by jerking his body and head vigorously. Seeing this, the little men yelled something, followed by a shower of needle-thin arrows aimed at Gulliver’s hand and face. It was painful and mad him still for a while.

   Gulliver could hear the little men talking in a strange language. He tried to see sideways from where a tapping sound was coming. He saw a platform being raised. The Emperor of Lilliput talked to him from there.  Gulliver pointed towards his mouth to saw how hungry he was! The Emperor ordered the little men to provide food. Immediately ladders were erected against Gulliver’s sides. The little men went to and fro carrying baskets of food and barrels of wine.

   “Ah, what a joy!”, muttered Gulliver in relief after having his food and tasting wine. After Gulliver had his fill, his bonds were loosened. Pleasant smelling ointment was rubbed on his sores and part of the body struck by arrows. This lulled him to sleep.

   As Gulliver slept, five hundred little men built a carriage to bear his weight and haul him by pulleys, ropes and poles. This horse drawn carriage had fifteen hundred horses, each not more than four and a half inch high. Five hundred little men stood guard at night.

   The journey continued for two days till they reached a temple. That was the largest building in the kingdom. Gulliver was made to stay there. He could enter the gate by bending and crept into the room to sleep. His leg was chained to a window. The big chain was made by the royal black-smith by joining a dozen small chains, the size of the wrist watch.

   “Oh! What a giant of a man!!”, exclaimed the passersby on glancing at Gulliver. Their amazement was great on seeing him stand up and walked around. From there, Gulliver could see the countryside, fields and trees as high as seven feet. Animals too were of small size.

The Gulliver's Travels

   One day the Emperor came to see Gulliver at the temple. He was a handsome little man, finely dressed with a helmet in gold and a magnificent little sword in hand. They did not know the language the other spoke. When the king left, he put a strong guard to keep the curious crowd under control. Still some managed to shoot arrows at Gulliver.

   The soldiers on guard caught six of them and brought before Gulliver for meting out punishment to them. He stuffed five of them in his pocket. The sixth one he squeezed in his palm and brought near his mouth, pretending to eat him. The little man panicked and screamed.

   Gulliver then released him and five others. This act brought awe and admiration to him from the little men. The Emperor gave orders to his men to prepare a large bed suitable for Gulliver. One hundred and fifty beds were put together to make one for him, hundreds of tiny blankets and sheets sewn together for covering him. For the food being served to Gulliver, six cows, forty sheep, baskets of bread and barrels of wine were brought from the villages every day. Three hundred tailors were put on the job for stitching a suit.

   Six scholars were asked to teach Gulliver their language. Gulliver worked hard and was soon able to talk to the Emperor in their language. The Emperor started liking him. Gulliver requested the Emperor to set him free. On condition of making peace and signing a royal document, the Emperor promised him freedom.

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