The Assignment Question: Define satire and examine how it functions in Gullivers Travels::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Satire within Gullivers TravelsNumerous literary works either poetry, drama or fiction are presented throughout the idea of satire. This technique represents one of the most permanent devices to create a type of humour in the mind of the audience. Satire helps the author to achieve hybrid objectives within the same text. For example, the writer could present his/her ideology within a type of humour. Satire is used in literature as a way of expressing moral outrage at contemporary life. It also helps to create a kind of criticism to particular ideas within the society where the writer lives. Throughout satire the writer could deliver his/her message to the audience attractively and humorously. Satire can be also realized as a genre. Actions, events, characters within the novel are exposed by means of irony to bring development of the plot (Harry, 1991). For any reader, satire is witty. It is often very funny. However, for any writer the purpose of satire is not to make readers laugh but to criticize an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner. One of those writers is Jonathan Swift who composed the novel of Gullivers Travels. His style is recognized as satire within the novel. The novel of Gullivers Travels was entitled as Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World. But its familiar name now is taken from the main character, Gulliver. This character is plays the role of a surgeon who travels when his business fails. He goes on four voyages. After each voyages Gulliver returns to his wife, Mary. The functional load of Swifts satire is not limited but fully provable in the contemporary analysis of the fictional discourse. Satire in the novel arises from contrasting between the appearance and reality of the characters. It is also between what Gulliver says and what he really means to convey. It is created also throughout what Gulliver thinks himself to be and what he really is. The character of Gulliver produces a comic effect to amuse the reader. Satirically, ideas Gulliver satires philosophical, political, religious, literary issues in the contemporary society (Daiches, 1969). In Gullivers Travels there is a abundant use of satire where swift carries the audience from the country of the dwarfs where people who are no more than six inches in height to that of the giants. In the end he carries the audience to the country of the yahoos and of the noble horses. Mankind cuts a sorry figure in all these strange countries to make himself a master of irony. In each case the author gives the audience a portrayal of human beings themselves though the description of the various kinds of residents of the different countries, (Baugh and Cable (2002).

In part one, Gulliver seems to be bourgeois who is primarily interested in money, acquisitions, and achievement. Gulliver says My Father had a small Estate in Nottinghamshire . . . . my Father now and then sending me small Sums of Money. . . . by the Assistance of him and my Uncle John . . . I got Forty Pounds. It is as a type of satire from this class of the society (Gullivers Travels, Part.1). It is also shown through how this life goes around these desires. It is clear through the phrase of small Estate. It means that there is no hope of inheriting something. He satires that there is romantic attachments. This lack of an emotional inner life is traceable throughout lives of several persons. In the second part, there is also a strong satire from polices of a large number of government systems within several countries. It is throughout the conversation between Gulliver and the king of Brobdingnag. Gulliver he knew no Reason, why those who entertain Opinions prejudicial to the Publick, should be obliged to change, or should not be obliged to conceal them. And, as it was Tyranny in any Government to require the first, so it was Weakness not to enforce the second. Here the king has a sable belief that people own the right to their beliefs. But they do not the right to express their beliefs at will. It could be said that there is a favor of suppressing all social criticism entirely by Gulliver. All of the audience could understand this conversation between the two characters as a reference to certain issues of censorship and freedom of speech. Also there is a reference to the equitable place of indirect forms of criticism.

This novel is the work of an author to create satire on the life of the main character throughout continual disappointment. Satire is his complaint and his defense against his enemies and against humankind. Gulliver believes that persons are generally ridiculous and petty, greedy and proud. People are blind to get the ideal of the mean. For example, in the last adventure of Gulliver seems to be between symbols of sterile reason and symbols of gross sensuality. The main idea to be understood here is that Man is a mixture of sense and nonsense. For me as one of the novels audience, the author wants to say that man accomplishes much. However, man falls far short of what he is and what he does. It is confirmed through the scene where Gulliver leaves the Houyhnhnms I took a second leave of my master, but as I was going to prostrate myself to kiss his hoof, he did me the honor to raise it gently to my mouth (Gullivers Travels, part 3). The horses within the novel are idealized for Gulliver. The horses embody pure reason. Although those horses are not human but figuratively they seem an ideal for humans. Swift presents them as dull, unfeeling creatures, thoroughly unhuman. The horses take no pleasure in sex. They do not overflow with either joy or melancholy. They are bloodless. Additionally within the novel, science and reason needed limits for the author. Both of them needed a good measure of humanism. They did not require absolute devotion. For example, the part of Houyhnhnms embodiments of science and reason that are carried to ridiculous limits. So it could be said that the public are given a new moral lens by presenting them new insights into the game of politics and into the social follies of humans, (Baugh and Cable (2002).

Finally, the strongest satire within the novel refers to the phenomenon of colonization. It is known that several countries had a revival to colonize other countries. It is the great brutish empire that control several countries during the previous centuries. Gulliver identifies the reasons behind colonization saying they go on Shore to rob and plunder (Gullivers Travels, Part.4). It represents the real intonations of colonizes. Also he explains the process of political integration when the imperial forces control the colony, they declare that this colony becomes as a part of their country and under their rule they see a harmless People, are entertained with Kindness, they give the Country a new Name. He satirically presents the process of killing those native who stand against the colonialist murder two or three Dozen of the Natives. The tyranny of imperialism is set up a rotten Plank or a Stone for a Memorial. In my opinion, the most dramatic speech in this novel to create the strongest satire is the earth reeking with the Blood of its Inhabitants to show how the blood and souls of persons become cheep with no value or price.( Algeo and Pyles (1990). In conclusion, Swift presents Gullivers Travels as a type of social criticism throughout a satirical style. What is mocked in the novel seems to be Gullivers nave and unthinking acceptance of his own society. The author raises the issue of ideology where a social arrangement could be criticized and improved. The idea of Dystopia or Anti-Utopia is described through Gullivers eyes alone showing his hatred of everything human. Swift concerns through Gulliver those values and criteria of a different world. Gulliver seems to be as an unmasked character who reveals a grave face. However Gulliver satires himself showing his guilty of the same hypocrisy that he condemns. He presents himself as unaware of his own human flaws throughout his travels. In short, this writer managed to employ the device of satire that is comical in its essence to criticize the social conventions and various human behaviours or beliefs. References

1- Blamires, Harry, A History of Literary Criticism, Macmillan, London, 1991, part three, social issues in literature, (p.112-130). 2- Daiches, David, A Critical History of English Literature, vol. 1, 2, London, Secker and Warburg,London, 1969. 3- Daiches, David, The Novel and the Modern World, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1960. 4- Gulliver's Travels(1939):Max Fleischer's animated feature-length classic of Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput. mostly for children.

5- The Three Worlds of Gulliver(1960): a loose adaptation starringKerwin Mathewsand featuring stop motion effects byRay Harryhausen.6- Algeo, John and Thomas Pyles (1990). The Origin and Development satire. 5th edition. U.S.A.

7- Baugh, A. C. and Thomas Cable. A History of the irony. 5th edition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2002.Word count without extracts (1500)

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