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Gulliver’s travel lecture 2

This section of the book is very important, important in the sense that Because in the section for
Gulliver provides brutal critique of mankind, and it is absolutely cynical here. in the previous
three part, in the first book we find Lilliput and in the second book we found the Brobdingnag,
and in the book 3 will find many other races, if you compare book on and book to, we can find
that the size of people, the Lilliput and were very tiny where the Brobdingnag, and Brobdingnag
was very tall, the objective of the writer is very clear in the text. he provides kind of a
microscopic portrayal of humanity as he replaced humanity under the microscope, and in the
second book reader can find the Telescopic portrayal of humanity.

The role of Gulliver reversed, in the first book he was the savior, who was the person of
everybody’s interest: he was saving the Lilliput from the attacked of neighboring people, he was
a man of great skill, he was a great navigator. All of those things are going to completely
reversed in the book 2.

What is the objective of providing such a reversed portrayal of Gulliver in book one and book 2?

Jonathan Swift was trying to make the readers understand that you have many reasons to be
proud, to feel superior, to impose your ideas and concepts on others. He provides insightful
criticism of colonization. Those who colonized had a kind of condescending views of those who
were colonized by them, particularly the British people have very Orientalist opinions on those
they colonized. It is easily understandable by the example of Robinson Crusoe. For example,
crossovers vary from to assume that the native people wear cannibals that they wear services
they did not have any culture that was there and civilized, I found it really let's eat to enslave this
native people as they were civilized. and moreover, we have Behn who is really like that if you
won't be able to observe many African people then she justifies that it is not necessarily
inherently African qualities but this guy was Prince, and he came from a noble family and was
taught by French teacher. The difference qualities that make a person sophisticated or cultural
are basically European. and it has to be exported to non-European parts of the world through
different machineries. In this way many writers of the time tried to justify the brutal treatment.
The first book of Gulliver's Travel is a very insightful critique of colonization because at the time
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colonization was taking the form as a recognized Enterprise as well as institution. people at the
time did not have any informed knowledge about it. In the previous century people were
exploring different parts of the world, there was Columbus and Vasco da Gama, these people or
explorers, they were trying to discover the unexplored places of the world. they did not have any
intention to recognized formally invade and colonized those parts because did not have any
accurate ideas weather the Other Nation of that place is superior than them or not. Upon
discovering different parts of the world particularly The Red Indians as well as American, they
realized that we are the most superior, we have chronological advancement, as well as we have
the religion advancement with Bible, with this thing they initially start to enter into the spaces,
ultimate later became rulers. the force the people of the invaded parts of the world to work for
them and transported the people back to their country.

Moreover, their writers did not have any fast hand experiences. Disbursed unknown words they
can know from other people, Afra Behn and Swift and other writers, they came to know other
parts of the world by other people's accounts. How well back home people are very curious to
know about these places. As a writer they understand that this is the arena they should work on.
because of this they started to write the travel narrative. and the immensely successful.
Restoration people were very fascinated to know about travel. and they put on their Biased point
of view on other people, you just make up stories about other people, you physically making the
otherwise,

Gulliver is made by Jonathan Swift, and through this instrument saved presents the world and at
the same time through this instrument Swift criticizes different British qualities. fundamental
idea of colonization. In the first book Gulliver was the outsider, he comes and views Lilliput, he
is so arrogant at the same time thinks that he is the someone who can help them. Very soon this
proud feeling that he had for himself is been going to them. Very completely rejected by Swift
because after he is facing the Brobdingnag. and now seen and being seen, this are the two very
important theme of the text. He sees other people and whereas other people are seen him. If there
is not meaningful communication, if you are not able to communicate with the people who are
seeing you, you will not be able to develop a kind of understanding about them. That was the
problem of colonization. the colonizer always provided a kind of one sided Biased partial
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representation of colonized people. because first of all they are not able to speak the language of
colonizer, even after some time they are able to communicate with the colonizer, they remain
inferior.

First of all, Gulliver was very potential and very proud that he was from a very civilized part of
the world in the first three books. but in the part 4 we can see that, Gulliver is developing as a
person who is reflecting, for the first time he was able to Gulliver juxtaposed his position with
the sophisticated and refined wit hands. It’s through this reflection Gulliver is finally able to
understand his position as a human. this is fire Jonathan split is completely creative and is
reflecting Critical as well as he is completely lost his faith in humanity. and this loss of faith is
reflecting is reflecting artistically explained through the interaction between Gulliver and the
Hyponyms. the conversation that happened between his master and him it is really very crucial,
because through this conversation Gulliver is providing the critic of Hyponyms the different
modern values that we find in in Europe. Gulliver's talk about laws education, he talks about
medical science, he talks about politics he talks about religion. readers can find that different
institutions that represents us as civilized people, this Institutions are sterically represented and
criticized by Gulliver.

Jonathan Swift is often criticized and labelled as a misanthrope, as he always talks about
negative aspects of humanity?

That was the time of enlightenment, people had a strong belief that human beings are only
capable of doing good things through continuous practice, that human beings are capable of
improving themselves, that they are not frauds, they are not inherently irrational, they are not
selfish. These are all the ideas that represent the values of enlightenment, the reason the logic
then the positive approach to life. at that moment people are talking about this thing that they are
civilized, as they have all the good values among themselves, but the next moment they are
enslaving different part of the world, they are in wedding and other parts of the world, they are
killing and brooding the invading parts, they are forcing other people to work for them, they are
bringing their religion and forcing the other people to accept their release date in their point of
view about the world. If they were really aware, rational and civilized, they were not able to do
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that. It does not seem sound to understand human beings. The idea of superiority of mankind
only capable of doing good things are book ideas. They invent the ideas quiz they do not really
exercise in their life, with reference to Crusoe, the three stages of life that father tries to explain
to Cruise so when he decided to take a journey over the unknown. Now this thing through this
different stage of life on point become clear that there is class discrimination in the British
society, many people are able to enjoy the different privileges. Because England at the time very
rapidly shifting from feudal society 2 pre modern society.

They were talking that they have a kind of universal identity as human beings, they were only
capable of doing good things, these are the views that are criticized by many European thinkers.
Explaining that they are tormenting humankind with all their typological discoveries and
inventions. But they have the audacity to claim that they are superior, they have the audacity to
proclaim that human beings are capable of doing only good things. These ideas were rejected by
many European thinkers like Dostoevsky. They claim that human beings are inherently Evil,
human beings need to work hard to be human. These are the ideas which Jonathan Swift for the
first time articulated in this text that what Europeans are saying is a kind of false representation
of Europe, it is the false sense of Europeanness. And this pretentious representation is ridiculous
and at the same time it is going to be dangerous because if they really don't know who they are,
if they have a false sense of self, whatever they are going to do will be false. For example, you
are a very religious person, you think that what you do is endorsed by the holy book, that's why
you are thinking that what you do is justifiable.

For example, the criticized leader of Hifazat a Islam, on the surface level he was a religious
scholar, he was physically trying to defend our Islami identity by protesting the visit of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. By claiming that as Islamic country in Bangladesh there is no place for
sculpture. On the surface level he was talking about things from a very fundamental aspect, deep
down he is split personality, he had one wife and children with money he earned a kind of
adulterous relationship with other women. It is the case of many European people. They write
beautiful poems, beautiful pics of work, claiming their love for one person, they can die for her
because they are composing the Sonnet and lyrics about their infinite love for that person, and
after that they have mistresses, they go and visit and have a kind of relationship with them. The
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European at that time were very proud, they thought about the final stage of development,
science was improving, they have steam engines and several things, they had the belief that what
they think cannot be criticized. Those who supported colonization, the superiority of Europeans,
also claim that human beings are bound to do only good things. From the definition of humanity,
good and progress the contribution of other people where may not exist. Fundamentally in the
definition of human being, the place could not have been given to the other people. In their
definition of men others do not exist.

Because you do not look like me, because you are not from the part of the world where I am
from, in terms of religion culture other factors I cannot consider you as a human being. As I do
not consider you as a human being, I can definitely torture you, and there is nothing wrong to
force you doing or for me. These things are first done not by the socialist, not by some religious
leaders not by some political leaders but by the artist, novelist and people who are involved with
the creative works.

This Artist and writers were forming the ideas of inferiority among others. Over 100 or 200 years
the different ordinary people of the society were conditioned to believe that they are superior as
the other do not have any culture so they have rights to invade them, torture them, to force them
for the European. This is what Jonathan swift as a person as a writer as well as a philosopher
goes against the entire group of people, poets and writers, and going against them he was not
able to directly e criticize colonialism. It was something that is enrolled by the state. States have
invented millions of dollars. For example, Vasco da Gama and Columbus and many other
explorers were funded by the kings and queens of that time. It was not possible for a writer from
Ireland to stand against all who run different enterprise projects in discovering the world.
Because of this he had to invent a way through which he would be able to share his message with
the readers.

Many readers had positive aspect about colonization, for example if in the 17th century you
asked a street person that colonization is good or bad, as he born into this system, as he grew up
in the system, believing and understanding the superiority, he won't be able to provide a kind of
unbiased or neutral analysis of colonization. Because of this the author was bound to invent a
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way to make the reader understand or see his own image from a distance. Swift makes the
European people come out on their kuku and look at themselves from a distance, through the
conversation between Gulliver and Houyhnhnms, Jonathan Swift not necessarily makes the
British people, but he makes the people of other races as well to look at themselves. This chapter
was a mirror that the writer created and held it in front of the superior.

I have my flaws, I have my limitations, then if you come and start narrating my limitations on
my face, I am not able to accept all of the criticism because humans are inherently incapable of
accepting criticism. Because of this many of his contemporaries, whether they were progressive
or not, whether they were supporters of colonialism or not, they were not able to accept the
representation of humankind in the condition of Gulliver’s Travel. If the European thinkers
accepted the representation of humankind in the Gulliver’s Travel it is going to be suicidal, it
means they are going to accept the disturbing self-criticism. Gulliver himself is a British person
and Jonathan Swift was also a British person as at that time Ireland was a colony of Europe. The
point here is that Swift is providing a kind of Criticism, representation of Europe as pretentious,
morally and philosophically. He presents the people who are fraud, the people who are spiritually
dried, the people who are motivated by commerce and money, the people who do not have a
sense of spirituality among themselves. He is saying all these things, then what about him?
Because he was absolutely right, because he was absolutely honest, it was impossible for Swift
to remain saint, and morally sound for a long time.

He shows that Gulliver, living after sometimes with Houyhnhnms in faraway Island, became
completely disoriented. He understood that he was pretentious, he understood that the values that
he thought to be representative of his superiority were basically the false values. This falsehood
is cleared through the conversation with his master. Gulliver makes different voyages in the
different parts of the world; he is a captain and at the same time he is a doctor. Moreover, he was
unhappy after the last voyage, and returned home and found it impossible to reintegrate with his
society, he found it difficult to live with his wife, because he lost faith in humanity. He
understood that what we say and what we do, there is a gap. This is the gap which is larger than
our believe. This gap is something that made him completely disoriented. That made him lose
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sense of his own self, and this is a sense through which all in our society was taught to embrace
from childhood.

We say that honesty is the best policy, we say that we should always speak the truth, we say that
we believe in social equality, we say that as a citizen of this country, it invests a lot of money for
our education for our security, so we have to do something for society. But in reality, the people
who make billions of dollars, the people could take billions of dollars from Bangladesh to other
places of the world, they are not from other planets, they were born in the society. They got the
same education and they follow the same relation, they believe the same things. People generally
have two personalities, one is the uncontaminated selfish humanness, that personality basically
defines a person. The other side is the profession where you are a doctor or a teacher, but in
reality, one is a cruel person who is always there to make money, to make money who is ready to
kill his parents. This is something that Jonathan Swift understands and at the same time he has
the courage to speak about those things. Different philosophers like Rousseau and Karl Marx
they talk about the one side of mankind socially economically and philosophically. When we are
talking about economically it means the views of Karl Marx, when we talk about the ideology of
social condition, we are referring to David Hume, because those scholars supported different
revolution; they spoke for social equality. But in reality, they are not in a position morally or
philosophically to accept me as a human being. For them the Indians and the African Asian the
native Americans are not considered as human. They were very biased. And Swift for the first
time did it in the text. Because of this he was rejected by the mainstream philosopher of the time.
Jonathan Swift stated that you can fool yourself by saying that you are rational, but the reality is
we are always irrational and selfish. The only logic that dictates is the illogic of perfectness,
logic of lust, logic of self-qualification. And the author shows the contemporary European
philosophers are quoting all the bookish ideas.

In Russia you can say that Laden and Putin are trying to kill the opposition leader, initially who
was poisoned in London. Now he is in prison. The same thing is done by American people; they
have their CIA than FBI, if anytime you try to do anything against the establishment you are
going to be killed. the same thing is here. Jonathan Swift understands it better than anyone else.
He is not blaming the liberal form, he is blaming the human kind that you are going to be
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corrupt, and if you remain in absolute power you are going to be absolutely corrupt. And at this
point if we called him misanthrope; Having a misanthrope attitude is not kind of having a
representative of critical disease. have to be disoriented if you are Saint enough, if you claim that
you are a normal human being. If you claim that you are a normal human being you have to be
disoriented when you misanthrope; Having seen so many corruptions and so many unwanted
things going on in the society. because we are not condition and to accept all this accepted thing.
So, there is no room to be disoriented for us. As a result, we need in life of wastage. We cover
our head in veil and forget everything like nothing is happening. the moment someone is going
to be normal, he or she is going to be killed. Swift had the courage to talk about the things from
an unbiased perspective. Because of those reasons he is caused by he is wastage
contemporaries.in fact those who you say that he was misanthrope basically they were
disoriented people. they are unable to see the reality. they are unable to see the reflection in the
mirror created by the narrative.

The famine East critique claims that he was misogynistic as he left his children and wife alone.
He was not there to take care of them, he was not a responsible husband. that is absolutely true.
for example, Robinson Crusoe did not think about his family about his parents. The early
explorers every on left their family behind to explore the colonization next level. moreover,
capitalism is inherently Misogynistic. colonization was a mail Enterprise, women did not have
any space there, For exam for Marlow was in on part of Africa called Congo, not because he was
interested in exploring how colonization works, but he has his friend Brides who what they are
as an administrator He had his beloved in Denmark, he was in Congo but he had his Fiancée
living in the Europe but the sad thing is that he had his African mistress with him, he was
abusing that girl, that was the nature of the colonization, capitalism. that considered everything
as a product. There is nothing spiritual about capitalism. as they saw the earth in terms of profit.
and to your point of view your beloved who is in Europe waiting for you wearing your children
you considered herself as an instrument through which you are able to improve financially. as
you have 3 or 4 children and they are going to take care of your Enterprise. The Reader can
accuse swift as a misogynistic but he was a product of his time. And it is not possible for
everyone to transparent limitation that is imposed by them by their societies.
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You need to study his biography written by others. there is one particular text is entitled as
Jonathan Swift and women. he had relationship with many women you should not take ideas on
Gulliver's Travel as representative of Swift as an individual.

Now the concept of otherness is fundamentally important in post-colonial studies. The concept of
otherness for the first time explained and then extended by Jonathan Swift from different
perspective. For example, in Robinson Crusoe everything has seen from the perspective of
Crusoe. Crusoe was a British though he was an educated. If we look at the anecdote given by
Gulliver, there are numerous points of view where readers are made to see the enterprise not only
from the perspective of a British guy but also from the different angles. This is how the presence
of others and the self is ensured by Swift. Previously Aphra Behn was trying to do it, she almost
did but she could not she was showing everything from her perspective as she was a female
writer, she was a victim of patriarchy. So, she has different point of view about colonization.

The Other up till then was silent the other is represented as mute without any ability to speak but
it is with Shakespeare The Other speak for the first time. And in the Tempest the other is
Caliban, he is given a linguistic space where he articulates his position as someone who
discriminated, then in Othello and Antony and Cleopatra we see that the other is emerging even
though with less power compared to main stream characters in tragedies and comedy. With
Milton the other is Satan, with Milton it is not the non-European people, with Milton it is the
discriminated British people in the European society.

You can have other in your family for example in the family if you are a girl then you are the
other and your brother is this self. Aphra Behn in Oronoco portrayed it differently but without
any meaningful agency. Oronoco is portrayed as a sentimental guy, capable of leading the people
so that they could wage against their operation. However, the real other is the Friday in Robinson
Crusoe, this other is transformed to be a replica of the self. Through dialogue it is shown that the
other is forced to visit his world of view his culture and his way of life, the other is conditioned
to embrace Christianity that the self-formed. Swift shows that what European is doing it in the
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name of civilization, in spreading knowledge; they are doing dangerous service to humanity
because humanity is not a Number Chart humanity is larger than that, one should not have the
universal definition of humanity, everyone should have his own definition of humanity, the
British has given the European definition of humanity, and they are going to impose it on the
non-Europeans. It is wrong because they are going to kill when they saw diversity, the other. In
the text the author states, when the European accounts diversity they considered it as a threat.

When they consider other as threat it is common for them to neutralize the other. These ideas
were the core of many contemporary schools, the other is not necessarily the Indians or any non-
European. The Other can be different in term of sexual orientation, in term of classes status, in
term of religious application. When you are talking about colonization.

you can use it anywhere anytime when it sees that there is discrimination, when we see that
there is one who is predominant. The dominant group always try to false represent and at the
same time dehumanized who are dominated of other. Those who dominate other because they
saw everything from their perspective.