Sunday, June 1, 2014
Possible Theme For Gulliver's Travels
Physical power or moral righteousness is a theme found in Gulliver's Travels. Gulliver has the upper hand in physical power as he is considered a giant in Lilliput. Gulliver was able to defeat the Blefuscudian navy due to his immense size. But once he got to Brobdingnag, it was all different. Gulliver is the one being harassed because of his size. Everything in Brobdingnag was larger than him. Besides the physical powers of one, there is also the power based on moral righteousness. The Blefuscu and Lilliput are different, not just a cultural difference, but also in their interpretation of their holy book. Through the differences of their holy books, war sparked. Moral superiority and physical power are both hard to justify to dominate others in the end.
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I agree with you Tony in that each country, despite differences in culture, can not find themselves "stronger" than the other.
ReplyDeleteWhile physical domination may be evident in a comparison between Gulliver in Lilliput and Gulliver in Brobdingnag, it is not quite a theme of the book or even the section. Despite Gulliver's large size, the Lilliputians still secured him under their rule. Similarly, at the Brobdingnagian court, Gulliver was able to exert considerable influence over the royal leaders and members of the court.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as Gulliver's Travels was written as a satire, deeper, more causative themes and events are at hand as the original inspiration. Rather than physical power and moral superiorty as a theme, it is more of a mockery of obtuse arguments and absurd customs of Europeans.