The Life And Time Of Jonathan Swift

Essay, Research Paper

When a writer develops a novel, he/she often incorporates events, people,

and places from his/her own life into the story he/she creates. Gulliver.s Travels,

written by Jonathan Swift, is a prime example of this theory. In every book,

chapter, page, and even word, Swift can be seen. His moral, scientific,

philosophical, and political views made for a story of awesome potential. A story

that touched upon every aspect of human nature.

Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin on November 30, 1667. He had a rather

warped childhood being that he was brought up by his uncle Godwin and without a

mother or father. His father died before he was born and his mother just couldn.t

afford to take care of him. Though emotionally impoverished, he was still well

provided for and attended only the best schools in Ireland.

After graduating from Trinity College, Swift became secretary of the

statesman Sir William Temple. He wished to enter politics but settled for the

church, in which he was ordained in 1694. In 1702 he moved to England in hope of

political appointment. There, in 1704, he published his first works, the Tale of a

Tub, a satire on corruption in religion and learning.

In 1710 the government passed from Whig to Tory control. The Tories,

recognising Swift.s abilities, quickly made him the editor of their journal, the

Examiner . Thus, he became an unofficial power in English politics as well as a

leading writer. Swift wrote in support of the Peace of Utrecht, which ended the War

of the Spanish Succession with France and Spain. This war is recounted in Book I

as the war between Lilliput and Blefuscu. He managed to turn the stream of

popularity against the Whigs. And in fact, dictated the political opinions of the

English nation. He delivered Ireland from plunder and oppression with such force

as an author he could in fact persuade the people(Johnson 430). Because of this he

became a largely respected man, but a largely hated man as well. Swift.s political

power ended with another change in government in 1714. He became the deanery

of St. Patrick.s Cathedral in Dublin, a post that carried prestige but also limited

him to Ireland,where he would have to remain the rest of his life.

Ireland in the 18th Century was a colony of England, denied self government

and held back by English landlords. He devoted the rest of his life criticising

British rule in yet more satiric pamphlets such as .A Modest Proposal,. and his

most famous satire Gulliver.s Travels.

In this work, he used Gulliver, as a tool in which he could anonymously

speak(Hunting 92). Each of the four voyages releases a fantasy or dream situation

to reflect the thoughts of Swift through the use of satire.

In Book I of Gulliver.s Travels, Gulliver.s ship is destroyed in a great storm,

and he wakes up in a land of little people, less than six inches tall, who call

themselves Lilliputians. Gulliver is gradually accepted by the Lilliputians, and

granted more and more freedoms over time. He eventually learns that the present

emperor.s grandfather had issued an edict ordering all subjects to break their eggs

at the small end only. Soon a civil war broke out between those who broke their

eggs at the big end and those who broke their eggs at the small end. Many of the

Big-Endians sought exile on a nearby island known as Blefuscu.

When the Emperor demands that Gulliver seize the Blefuscu fleet he does

so, but when the emperor demands he destroy their empire he refuses. In no time

at all, Gulliver goes from ahero to a criminal accused of treason. His

punishment would be loss of sight but Gulliver manages to escape and take shelter

on Blefuscu. There, he found a small boat and left for England. He was picked up

by an English merchant ship and brought back to England.

All of Part I of the travels is an allegorical account of British politics during

the turbulent early 18th Century. England was a limited monarch, led by a king,

queen, and parliament. The Lilliputians small size exemplifies their incredibly

ridiculous quarrels, and their natural inferiority to something larger. The war

between the big-endians and small-endians most likely depicts the tensions

between France and England over religious differences. In addition, the two

Lillipution parties clearly represent the two main English political parties, the

Tories and the Whigs(Ross 467).

In Book II of Gulliver.s Travels , Gulliver is left on a strange island full of

giants. He is discovered by a harvester and placed in the care of his nine year old

daughter. Eventually he becomes jester for the queen and is granted a luxurious

box in which to stay. One day, by the shore, the box is carried away by a great bird

and dropped in the sea. Once ageing, he gets picked up by English sailors and

brought back to England.

Now Gulliver is smaller and ridiculous one

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