Why are only the Lilliputians popular??

     Reading Gulliver's Travels I went into it expecting that the book was going to be entirely about mean little people with a giant Gulliver washed up on their island. This may or may not have been from the movie I had seen a few years back starring Jack Black...

 

Reference: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXsxVsX8Eu0qTlANXT53XuO-IlQ09k4yKNqtEvkH5zxgKeuIk2pOb0VQaWfuOkPydjxA0FYe-yJy934Up3VrY_OoX8eFQrpXROoXYkpkwT5LKPiGJTDxA_CwZnqT87hdoTi7fCs-w7EWt/s400/gullivers-travels.jpg 

 

In this movie, I think Jack Black does a good job at portraying Gulliver's naiveté, but the entire movie is focused on the Lilliputians. Everything I have heard or learned about has been about a washed-up giant on a island filled with little people. But class and actually reading the book made me realize that there is much more to this book that Jonathon Swift wanted to say.

    

     The book is about the MANY travels of Gulliver, not just one. This makes me think about why the Houyhnhnms are not as popular. One reason could be the fact that they are horses and not actual people. The Houyhnhnm part of the novel makes fun of all of human nature whereas the Lilliputian only focuses on select flaws that humans tend to display.

 

     This circles back to the fact that one of the greatest flaws is human pride according to the fourth part of the book, and human pride is what keeps that part of the novel from being popular. People do not like to be told that they are in the wrong and that a different way of doing things may be better than theirs. Humans do not like to be under submission to other animals; that is not how the animal kingdom works. However, humans find it more "normal" to submit to the tiny Lilliputians just because they are technically the same animal as humans.

 

     Overall, I think that both parts are just as humorous, and that Swift does a great job of portraying the Houyhnhnms to see how ridiculous some of human culture is and how pride gets in the way of success and greatness.

 

 

Reference: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs4/i/2004/254/1/e/Houyhnhnm_and_Yahoo_by_EmperorNortonII.jpg

 

 

*On a side note: I also believe that Swift is trying to portray the cruelty and inhumanity of enslaving human beings, but that is an entirely different blog.

 

**On a second side note: Spelling Houyhnhnms is extremely difficult.

    

Gulliver: Huge AND Humane

Although some people had a hard time seeing why Gulliver was so kind to the Lilliputians, it was easy for me to see where he was coming from. I have always been taller and, well, bigger than all of my friends and classmates ( and usually my professors, as well). Reading the first book of Gulliver's Travels, I found myself feeling a lot like him in some ways. Maybe not in the description of his bathroom habits, but in the ways in which he reacted to the Lilliputians. When you are bigger, most people tend to expect you to have a very harsh and demanding personality. In fact, most of the friends I have now will explain that they were afraid to talk to me initially...how ridiculous! Of course, they all came to realize that I am a "Gentle Giant," and would not do anything to purposefully hurt them physically or otherwise. ANYWAY, I think this is the judgment we as readers, have automatically put upon Gulliver. As I have to look through my friend's eyes to see how intimidating I may seem at first, Gulliver must do the same for the Lilliputians. He is a giant for goodness sakes! If someone that big came crashing into Maryland, we would tie them down too! The actions that the Lilliputians took, were purely to assure the safety of their people. I can't speak for the way in which the Lilliputians somewhat held him captive, but nobody is perfect! As a giant myself, I felt the need to defend Gulliver's respectful actions. Just because you have the ability to step on others, doesn't mean they deserve it. And it surely doesn't mean that you should take advantage of that fact, either. P.s My computer is doing this wierd thing and it won't let me type in the "compose" section. This is why my entire blog is in one long paragraph. I also wanted to add a picture of me and my shortest friend, but it decided to deny that request too...ahh well!