Gulliver's Travels

what reason does gulliver give for the king's reaction? what comparison does gulliver make between brodingnagion and european politics? what makes this comparison funny? what message does swift actually mean to communicate?

From Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Asked by
Last updated by jill d #170087
Answers 1
Add Yours

Gulliver and the king spend a great deal of time discussing politics. Gulliver explains how things work where he is from. The king laughs at English politics, which puts Gulliver off at first. Soon, however, Gulliver realizes that his adventures have begun to sway him to the same opinion; his perspective has begun to change.

The king and Gulliver have long conversations about politics, but the king never really considers Gulliver's opinions on important matters. Being small, Gulliver is considered petty, and the idea of gaining power through gunpowder is anathema to the king. Through Gulliver's discussions with the king, the reader learns that perspective extends beyond size to opinion. After several days of discussing the governments of England and Brobdingnag, the king declares the English to be "the most pernicious Race of Little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth." Again Gulliver's Travels brings light to the fact that people from different backgrounds often have different opinions on the same subjects, even though people tend to follow similar patterns. Gulliver finds that each people prefers its own ways, but a traveler who spends a long time elsewhere might (or might not) come to prefer the foreigners' ways over his own. Experience, thought, and tradition are important considerations in making this choice.

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/gullivers-travels/study-guide/summary-part-ii-a-voyage-to-brobdingnag