Jonathan Swift’s Ideal Society
Jonathan Swift’s Ideal Society
Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, is a literary satire written in the 1700’s. Swift separates the story into four parts where he critiques different parts of society and its abuse of wealth and power. In part four the main character, Gulliver, takes a voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms where he finds a creature that he believes lives peacefully and without any flaws. It is during this voyage that Swift lays out what he believes to be his “ideal society”. In Swift’s ideal society, he uses ideas from John Locke such as being in a state of nature and working towards a public good; yet he overlooks measures that Locke deems necessary in a society in order to create one of his own. As we know from our knowledge of history, ideas can seem to be faultless, yet when put into practice many things go wrong. This is clearly seen through the notion that there is yet to be a society that is without any flaws. Although the land of the Houyhnhnms has been laid out by Swift as a place where peace and prosperity can thrive; there are some weaknesses that exist which could be detrimental to a society and therefore could not be carried out in practice.
Gulliver arrives at the land of the Houyhnhnms after being set ashore by his crewmen. During his first encounters he sees animal-like creatures that resemble the human form but appear to be much more ravenous. Gulliver soon finds out that these creatures are called Yahoos and they act without reason, often being cowardly and cruel. His next encounter is with horses. These horses are called Houyhnhnms; Gulliver soon learns that these horses have their one language as well as their own societal structure in which they live as rational beings and rule over the land.
During his stay on the island, Gulliver soon begins to speak the Houyhnhnm language. He learns of their societal structure which consists of only spoken language, excluding written texts, but allows the
Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, is a literary satire written in the 1700’s. Swift separates the story into four parts where he critiques different parts of society and its abuse of wealth and power. In part four the main character, Gulliver, takes a voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms where he finds a creature that he believes lives peacefully and without any flaws. It is during this voyage that Swift lays out what he believes to be his “ideal society”. In Swift’s ideal society, he uses ideas from John Locke such as being in a state of nature and working towards a public good; yet he overlooks measures that Locke deems necessary in a society in order to create one of his own. As we know from our knowledge of history, ideas can seem to be faultless, yet when put into practice many things go wrong. This is clearly seen through the notion that there is yet to be a society that is without any flaws. Although the land of the Houyhnhnms has been laid out by Swift as a place where peace and prosperity can thrive; there are some weaknesses that exist which could be detrimental to a society and therefore could not be carried out in practice.
Gulliver arrives at the land of the Houyhnhnms after being set ashore by his crewmen. During his first encounters he sees animal-like creatures that resemble the human form but appear to be much more ravenous. Gulliver soon finds out that these creatures are called Yahoos and they act without reason, often being cowardly and cruel. His next encounter is with horses. These horses are called Houyhnhnms; Gulliver soon learns that these horses have their one language as well as their own societal structure in which they live as rational beings and rule over the land.
During his stay on the island, Gulliver soon begins to speak the Houyhnhnm language. He learns of their societal structure which consists of only spoken language, excluding written texts, but allows the
Cited: Swift, Jonathan, and Louis A. Landa. Gulliver 's Travels. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960. Print.