Book Report on Gulliver’s Travels
Recently, I have read a book named “Gulliver’s Travels”. Gulliver’s Travels is a fairy tale written by Jonathan Swift. It’s a very interesting
story full of imagination. Besides, the description is vivid and appealing, when I read it I feel like I’m traveling with the Gulliver in the story.
The author, Jonathan Swift, was born in Dublin, Ireland, but his
father was a British who settled in Ireland. He was a posthumous child, dependent adult by his uncle. His masterpiece "Gulliver's Travels," published in 1726, was regarded as children's literary works, but it
actually attacked the British social degradation and corruption of religion and prejudice of scholar authority. Swift died in 1745, and he said in his testament that he would give all his property to the charity.
Gulliver’s Travels tells a story of Captain Gulliver’s unique
experience. And this book contains four parts. The author, Jonathan
Swift, built a magical world through the fairy tale of fantasy, and because of the accurate, exquisite, fitting description, people can hardly feel it’s fictional.
The first time, Gulliver’s boat encountered a storm and he swam to the shore. When he woke up he found himself surrounded by small men who were only six inches tall, twelve times smaller than the normal human beings. Later he realized he had come to the country “Lilliput”, which was a country of small men. In the country, Lilliputians treated him
very friendly, they gave him food and drink and wine. He lived happily and he was nice to them as well. Then, he was presented to the emperor, who was entertained by Gulliver. At first, the royal family liked him and gradually set him free, which turned out a scheme to use him in the war against the people of Blefuscu, whom the Lilliputians hated for
differences concerning the proper way to crack eggs. Gulliver helped to defeat Blefuscu but things changed when he refused to destroy that
country. Finally, he was convicted of treason for putting out a fire in the royal palace with his urine and was announced to be shot in the eyes with poisoned arrows. The emperor eventually pardoned him and he went to Blefuscu, where he was able to repair a boat he found and set sail for England.
The second time, Gulliver undertook his sea voyage again, which
took him to a land of giants called “Brobdingnag”. A farmer discovered him and treated him as a little animal there, keeping him for making money. Finally, the farmer sold Gulliver to the Queen. The Queen liked him very much and had him dine with her every day. So Gulliver lived comfortably here, but underwent several dangers from fighting with bees, a monkey and even a frog. In the process, he also explained the political system of Britain to the royal members, but they did not
understand and often doubted its correctness. In the end, Gulliver left Brobdingnag when his cage was plucked up by an eagle and dropped into
the sea.
Then, Gulliver set sail again and, after an attack by pirates, arrived at Laputa, where a floating island inhabited by theoreticians and
academics oppresses the land below, called Balnibarbi. The scientific research undertaken in Laputa and in Balnibarbi seemed totally to be impractical, and the residents too appear out of touch with reality.
Gulliver took a short trip to Glubbdubdrib, and witnessed the conjuring of calling out figures from history, such as Julius Caesar and other military leaders, whom he finds much less impressive than in books. After visiting the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs, which were
immortals, senior but unwise, he was able to sail to Japan and from there back to England.
On his fourth journey, Gulliver set out as captain of a ship, but after his crew mutiny, he arrived at an unknown land, on which lived
Houyhnhnms, rational horses who ruled, and Yahoos, immoral
humanlike creatures who served the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver began to
learn the horses’ language, and when he could speak he told his voyages to them and explained the constitution of England. He was treated with kindness by the horses and gradually adored their noble culture. He wanted to stay with the Houyhnhnms, but the horses still thought that he was very much like a Yahoo, and he was banished. He made his way to a nearby island, where he was picked up by a Portuguese ship captain
who treated him well, though Gulliver could not help seeing the
captain—and all humans—as Yahoolike. Gulliver then concluded with his narrative that the lands he had visited belonged to England, as her colonies, even though he questioned the whole idea of colonialism.
After reading the whole book, I am impressed with Jonathan’s
peculiar imagination and the vividness of his description of Gulliver’s travels in the story. For example, when Gulliver is in the Lilliput, he is regarded as a giant by Lilliputians who are afraid that Gulliver may trample on them. Besides, when in Brobdingnag, Gulliver becomes a Lilliputian. He is cautious of his life all the time, because even a small
insect can kill him. The most interesting thing in this book is that Gulliver fights with bees for food in Brobdingnag. That sounds ridiculous!
However, Jonathan’s interesting imagination brings me a world of pleasure, while his accurate description make it appear to be a true
adventure, the combination of which gives me an exciting experience of adventures in the wonderful lands.
In addition, by describing Gulliver’s travels in four places---- Lilliput, Brobdingnag, the flying island of Laputa and the land of the
Houyhnhnms, Swift bitterly satirizes the petty, envious, selfish, foolish, and cruel characteristics of humanity and its corrupt institutions,
especially government. For example, in Lilliput, the candidates compete for a great employment by entertaining his majesty and the court with a
dance on the rope and whoever jumps the highest without falling
succeeds in the office. I think this is a satire of the political institution, especially the hereditary nobility system in Britain. They do not get the position by their wisdom and noble morality but by entertaining the royalty. And China also has the same situation. Some government
officials get their position through entertaining the higher officials. I believe this is unfair for those who have made contributions to the
country but failed to be government officials. Another satire is that the former king of Lilliput publishes an edict, commanding all his subjects to break the smaller end of their eggs just because his son happens to cut his finger breaking the larger end, while the emperors of Blefuscu
approve that all true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end. This leads to the most abstinent war between the two countries. It may seem very absurd, but it is exactly the fact of the religious
oppression in Britain. There are many more bitter satires on human’s evil, degeneration, like the envious and wicked dwarf in Brobdingnag and the selfish, foolish, and cruel Yahoos. These phenomena are worth
pondering for us.
I envy Gulliver lucky enough to Houyhnhnms, where is the ideal
region which we pursue and yearn for, in this place you don't have to worry whether others' words are true or not. But in the realistic society, some people swindle others' hard-earned money with the honeyed
words; some people kidnap and sell the child to seek the sudden and
huge profits; some people even abandon their birth parents for money…I am hoping one day our society can be like Houyhnhnms, so there is no anxiety in children's eye, meanwhile, the education and the reality are unified. I hope everyone can try their best to make our society more harmonious.
As far as I am concerned, the great satire work “Gulliver’s Travels” still has its current significance for the modern society and there are
many things in it deserving our deep thinking. So I strongly recommend it to all of you and I am confident you will never regret.