GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

AND

“A MODEST PROPOSAL”

BY

JONATHAN SWIFT
VOCABULARY TO KNOW
●Satire - A literary technique in which customs,
ideas, behaviors or institutions are ridiculed in
the hopes of improving society. Satire may be
biting or mild and often uses bold exaggeration
to capture the attention of readers.
VOCABULARY TO KNOW - CONTINUED

●Verbal Irony – what is said is the opposite of

what is meant.
●Sarcasm – the use of a mocking ironic tone.
VOCABULARY TO KNOW - CONTINUED
Etymology – the study of word origins:
Mutton (Gulliver’s Travels line 74) is the word for the
meat of a sheep. It comes from the French word for
sheep. The meat from a pig is called pork. The meat
from a cow is called beef.
Pity comes from the Latin pietas, which also means
“piety.”
Posterity comes from the Latin posterus meaning
“coming after.” Posterity refers to those who will come
after us (future generations).
FANTASY
In fantasy, the limits of reality are disregarded in
●

order to entertain or to convey a serious message. In

Gulliver’s Travels, Swift creates four imaginary
settings to present his satire of 18th-century England.
He criticizes European society and human nature by
comparing them to the strange beings and societies
Gulliver observes in his travels. As you read
Gulliver’s Travels, notice how Swift’s fantasy worlds
parallel and comment on ours.
SATIRE
●Satire – The use of satire began with the
ancient Greeks. In ancient Rome, the “fathers”
of satire were Horace (1st century B.C.) and
Juvenal (2nd century A.D.) who wrote scathing
critiques of the Roman society. During the
latter half of the 17th century, satire began to
flourish in Europe.
●Horatian Satire - playfully amusing, seeking to correct
problems with humor.
●Juvenalian Satire - often bitter or angry, criticizing

corruption with scorn and outrage. (Example: Gulliver's

Travels and "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift)
SATIRE – CONT.

John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift,

and Samuel Johnson were some of England’s
greatest satirical writers. They attacked
hypocrisy, greed, vanity, stupidity, and
arrogance as “guardians of the culture.” Henry
Fielding one wrote, “The satirist is to be
regarded as our physician, not our enemy.”
Although most satirical writing faded, political
cartoons and television shows have shown a
resurgence of satire.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN READING SATIRE

●What is the object of the satire? The character or

custom that is being criticized is generally the one
that provokes laughter.
●What is criticized? This helps identify the beliefs of

the writer.
●Where is the irony? This often points to the object of

satire.
●What is exaggerated?

●Is the satire Horatian (playful) or Juvenalian (critical)?

UNDERSTAND SATIRE IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Travel books were widely used to describe

writers’ visits to foreign lands. This is the form
Jonathan Swift chose for his four-part fantasy.
Having been a member of both parties, Swift
was keenly aware of the struggle between
England’s two political parties, the Whigs
(wanted to limit the powers of the crown and
the Church of England) and the Tories (loyal to
the crown and the Church of England).
UNDERSTAND SATIRE IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT

●Swift’s role as a clergyman helped him

understand the religious differences between
Catholics and Protestants in England that
divided Europe for 200 years. These conflicts
inspired much of his satire in Gulliver’s Travels.
●Swift disdained politicians who advanced in

their positions by political maneuverings:

●“rope dancers” line 135
●“cut a caper on the strait rope” line 146

●“do the summerset” line 148

UNDERSTAND SATIRE IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT

●The Whig party is referred to as the “low-heel party”

in lines 266 and following. The Whigs promoted the
Low Church (Protestant) aspects of the Church of
England.
●The Tory party is referred to as the “high-heel party”

in lines 266 and following. The Tories promoted the

High Church (Catholic) aspects of the Church of
England. George I turned the Tories out when he
came to the throne since most of them had not
supported his succession.
“A MODEST PROPOSAL”
●The English considered the Irish people to be inferior.
The Catholic majority was not allowed to vote, buy
land, hold office, or receive an education. The
repressive policies of England, along with failed
crops, caused great poverty in Ireland. Since
Jonathan Swift was born in Ireland, he was outraged
by this injustice. He used his pen to fight this injustice
with words just as people do today (speeches,
newspapers, magazines, Internet).
 “A MODEST PROPOSAL” CONTINUED
Swift identifies the problem (lines 1-15) of poor
●

children being a burden to their parents and their

country:
●“These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are
forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless
infants . . .”
●“this prodigious number of children . . . Is in the present deplorable state of the

kingdom a very great additional grievance”

●* sustenance – to keep in existence. This means food needed to sustain their bodies. The connotation
implies the daily requirement to stay alive.

●Swift blames the lack of jobs for the people’s

thievery. He ironically proposes treating the symptoms
(stealing and begging) rather than the problem
(poverty). Even though Swift seems to be
unconcerned about the poor, he is actually writing on
their behalf
“A MODEST PROPOSAL” CONTINUED

Swift gains shock value by applying cooking

terms to humans (stewed, baked, roasted,
boiled, fricassee, ragout).
Overstatement and exaggeration are used by
Swift to emphasize his point (the amount of
food one child could produce and the wearing
of children’s skin for fashion thus comparing
children to animals).
SUMMARY

●In “A Modest Proposal” Swift notes the

problem of Ireland’s poor and proposes relief
by decreasing the population, finding a new
food source, and reducing begging. To
accomplish this, Swift suggests breeding a
portion of the children to be eaten. He includes
facts, statistics, and figures to support his plan.
Through satire, Swift bitterly criticizes
England’s treatment of the Irish.
SUMMARY
●In Gulliver’s Travels, a British ship’s doctor, Lemuel
Gulliver, is shipwrecked by a storm and finds himself
in Lilliput where the people are tiny in stature but
obsessed with petty conflicts (mirroring English
politics of Swift’s time). Gulliver’s next voyage takes
him to Brobdingnag where giants reside. These
beings are shocked to learn of the wars and vices of
England and conclude that Gulliver’s people are a
“pernicious race of little odious vermin.” Two other
voyages are included in the full-length text.
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

Swift makes lines 21-41 more believable by

describing how Gulliver manages to loosen the
strings even though he is tied down and by
describing the pain Gulliver feels when he is
shot by the tiny arrows.
It is ironic that the tiny leader of Lilliput, a tiny
country, is praised for his size and power (lines
197-205).
IDENTIFY PROPOSITION AND SUPPORT

●Many of the reasons and evidence Swift uses

to support “A Modest Proposal” are ironic.
●Identify problem: Ireland’s poor are neglected.
●Propose solution: The children can help feed and

clothe thousands.
●Provide support with reasons and evidence

●Other possible solutions

DICTIONARIES AND THESAURI
●Lines 36 and 37 use the words reckoned and
calculate.
●Use a dictionary or thesaurus, to find

synonyms for reckon and calculate.

 ANALYZE WORD CHOICE
●In “A Modest Proposal” Swift uses disparaging
(reproachful) nouns to refer to the Irish. Many
of the terms are normally used to refer to farm
animals not humans. The use of these nouns
brings attention to the English view of Irish
citizens.
●“dam” - Female parent (this term normally refers to
farm animals).
●“breeders” – women

●“fore” and “hind quarter” – a child’s arm and leg

 GRAMMAR AND STYLE
Subordinate clauses create connections
●

between ideas. An author can use them to:

●link cause and effects (because - lines 332-333)
●establish time order (when – line 334)

●specify characters (whom – line 335)

GRAMMAR AND STYLE
Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone as complete
●

sentences, rather they provide additional information

about some aspect of the main clause. They answer
questions such as where, when, how, what kind, and
which one.
●“I lay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, where I slept
sounder than ever I remember to have done in my life, and as I
reckoned, above nine hours: for when I awaked, it was just daylight.
●These subordinate clauses are introduced by which, where, than, as

and when.
●Other subordinate clauses may be introduced by words such as after ,

that, while, who, and whose.

MEDIA STUDY: GULLIVER’S TRAVELS
●Gulliver’s Travels entertains with its fantastic adventures and
criticizes with its biting satire. In 1996, Charles Sturridge
directed a TV miniseries version of Swift’s novel. This film won
five Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries and
Outstanding Special Visual Effects. It was nominated for six
additional Emmys, including one for Charles Sturridge’s
direction.
●What special effects do you expect to see?

●The elements of the scene must be combined just right to draw the
viewer into the story as though six-inch people are real. Charles
Sturridge stated, “The word we used all the time was ‘unspecial’ effects.
We don’t want the effects to look special. We want them to look
invisible.”
MEDIA STUDY: GULLIVER’S TRAVELS
●Ted Danson, the actor who played Gulliver, acted alone in a
blue room. Was he successful in convincing you that he was
part of the scene’s setting?
●For fiction, the reader/viewer must suspend disbelief to accept

the fiction as possible. This is accomplished through realistic

details, convincing reactions by the characters, and tone (i.e.
matter-of-fact tone). This creates a “realistic” experience.
What techniques do Swift and Sturridge use to “suspend
disbelief” in Gulliver’s Travels?
●Click the link provided to view a clip from Gulliver’s Travels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG_-_lzp8H4&NR=1
FORUM RESPONSE:
●Read “The Restoration and the 18th Century
1660-1798” on pages 562-573 from your textbook OR
read about this time period from an online source.
Post a response to the following question:
●Were Jonathan Swift’s criticisms of English society
justified? Why or why not?
● Respond to at least two other students’ posts.
WIKI

●Conduct additional research. Using the

Wiki, please post one or two notable quotes
from Jonathan Swift. If possible, please
include the work from which the quote is taken.
●"I hate and detest that animal called man."

●"Am I a freeman in England, and do I become

a slave in six hours by crossing the channel?"

from The Drapier's Letters
ASSIGNMENTS

●Activity 6.1: Journal 6

●This journal will only be visible to your

instructor. Write a paragraph or two describing

your reactions to “A Modest Proposal.” How do
you think Swift’s audience may have reacted to
his proposal? Please explain your answer.
ASSIGNMENTS CONTINUED

●Activity 6.3 Analyze Artwork - William Hogarth

(1697-1764) created this drawing in 1751 illustrating a
scene that corresponds with Swift's description of the
begging crowds. This scene is set in London rather
than Dublin, however, it illustrates the life of the poor
without hope.
●What is life like for the poor based upon this

drawing? What details support your conclusions?

●Discuss this question in the synchronous chat.