Gullivers Travels
Claudia Harris
Dr. Thornton
World Literature: SRJE 02
January 28, 2013
Summary/ Response Journal Entry 2
Jonathon Swift was a very creative writer in the way he deviously mocked society, political, and religious values. His way of writing in the genre of satire was very known in the 18th century. Much of his life played out in his writings. The people that he came in counter with were portrayed in his writings as fictional characters, (Norton, 265). Swift had to be careful about the way that he mocked politics with the scare of being imprisoned, “In this political context, satirical writing flourished” (267). Swift was in great demand with politicians who were looking for writers to be “on their side” (267). For his way of writing political satire he gained popularity and was the topic of most discussions on the subject of literature. In Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver generates many ironies in a naive way when he tells about his people and land. When he speaks he tells in a way of many innuendoes and in a way that masks the truth behind his tales, (267). “Swift opts for a naive narrator, allowing us to identify with him at times but also to distance ourselves from him at times to draw out the larger implications of his stories”, (267). However, not all of the readers agreed with the way Swift presented the satire of his stories with hidden meanings. Many thought they were childish and not relevant. Many saw the tales as a way to “make his readers see themselves from an outsider’s perspective”, (267). This type of writing with the wit of making them look deeper into their ways of life made many look at the things they were taking for granted and how they affected their lives. Swift was very clever in his way of portraying society in his writings. Many could see his ways as incoherent and inconclusive but he received many applauds for his work.
Works Cited
W.
Dr. Thornton
World Literature: SRJE 02
January 28, 2013
Summary/ Response Journal Entry 2
Jonathon Swift was a very creative writer in the way he deviously mocked society, political, and religious values. His way of writing in the genre of satire was very known in the 18th century. Much of his life played out in his writings. The people that he came in counter with were portrayed in his writings as fictional characters, (Norton, 265). Swift had to be careful about the way that he mocked politics with the scare of being imprisoned, “In this political context, satirical writing flourished” (267). Swift was in great demand with politicians who were looking for writers to be “on their side” (267). For his way of writing political satire he gained popularity and was the topic of most discussions on the subject of literature. In Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver generates many ironies in a naive way when he tells about his people and land. When he speaks he tells in a way of many innuendoes and in a way that masks the truth behind his tales, (267). “Swift opts for a naive narrator, allowing us to identify with him at times but also to distance ourselves from him at times to draw out the larger implications of his stories”, (267). However, not all of the readers agreed with the way Swift presented the satire of his stories with hidden meanings. Many thought they were childish and not relevant. Many saw the tales as a way to “make his readers see themselves from an outsider’s perspective”, (267). This type of writing with the wit of making them look deeper into their ways of life made many look at the things they were taking for granted and how they affected their lives. Swift was very clever in his way of portraying society in his writings. Many could see his ways as incoherent and inconclusive but he received many applauds for his work.
Works Cited
W.
Cited: W. Norton & Company. The Norton Anthology Of World Literature. Volume D. New York: Norton , 2012. Textbook.