Gulliver’s Travels, written roughly 296 years ago, is a novel about the epic voyages Lemuel Gulliver takes throughout his lifetime. Each individual voyage is unique and more interesting than the last. Though the places Gulliver goes may not exist exactly like it is in real life, the author, Jonathan Swift, gives a good impression of it. During his stay at each place, Gulliver learns more about the outside world and is able to see the differences between his home country, England, and the others he’s been to. The many places Gulliver goes to include Lilliput, a place where all humans are roughly 6 inches tall, Brobdingnag, a place where everyone is as tall as a giant, Laputa, where the residents are devoted to math and arts, Balinibarbi, where everyone is deeply buried in science, Glubbdubdrib, where there is magic, Luggnagg, where struldbruggs (immortal beings) live, Japan, a country in Asia, and finally to the Land of the Houyhnhms, the land of magical horses.
A utopia describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities. In our lives, we know that this is not possible. No matter how hard we try, we, humans, will never reach that perfect standard. However, in many stories, utopia’s, or dystopia sets up the story’s plot. The famous story The Giver is set in a utopia town. When GUlliver travels to different places, the land/country there is very different. Though he [GUlliver] may not realize, he is actually stepping into a utopia. The people there are perfect and flawless. In Lilliput, they have a strict way of raising their children. The way they send their children to school and the way they teach them. In the Land of Houyhnhnms, there is an even STRICTER way of raising children, specifically starting a family. It is said that the child of two females should be shared with two males to create a balanced family. Obviously, it wouldn’t be like this in real life. Nobody would force another parent to raise a kid a certain way. And in our world, no parents would have to SHARE a kid. Utopias and dystopias are common in many sci-fi and fiction books.
Moral versus might is an important life concept one should master. Moral, is the knowingness of right and wrong. Might is the strength of one person and how they put it into power. A lot of times when we have the power to do something, even if it is bad, we may fall into that trap. It is always important to choose the right thing over the wrong thing. When GUlliver travels to Lilliput, the humans there are tiny, so much smaller than him. Even though the king and queen weren’t nice to him, Gulliver could have easily overpowered them and perhaps killed them. But GUlliver, knowing that that isn’t right, choose kindness. In Brobdingnag, the tall giants were so much more powerful than Gulliver, they also chose to be more kind to him. The reason the Houyhnhnms call humans yahoos is because the Houyhnhnms have a much better moral than us yahoos do. Many times we may be tempted to choose the easier/wrong route when given two or more choices. This is when a good conscience comes in. When given two choices, choose the right action, the one that would benefit the majority more.
Even though humans are intelligent, their understanding of the world around them is limited resulting in a narrower path of knowledge. Albert Einstein may have been the smartest person to ever live, but his knowledge didn’t include all in the world. In Issac Newton’s words: “A great ocean of truth lies before me.” The example of the Laputans shows that even though they knew so little, they took so much pride in the little amount they thought they knew. We humans tend to take so much pride in the little bits of facts and understandings we think we know. However, there is much more to discover in this world than there is now. Societes like Brobdingnag and the Land of the Houyhnhnms emphasize that to be smart isn’t to have a complete knowledge of all the facts in the world but to be able to live a wise and meaningful life. To live isn’t to gain as much facts and knowledge as you possibly can. If one is super smart but doesn’t know how to be efficient and make meaning out of the things they do, then that action is a waste. The knowledge we think we know will only come into use when we’ve discovered the key to life.
While going on a lifelong voyage, Gulliver teaches us many important life lessons. We explore the topic of utopias, how our world can never be perfect and flawless like those in our imagination. We discover that a good conscience is the way to live a rightful life. We also explore the fact that the amount of knowledge we know is maybe enough for us to get that A+ we’ve always wanted in school but not enough to live the most meaningful life ever. In Lilliput, Gulliver approaches them with kindness though they aren’t always kind to him. In Brobdingnag, Gulliver is shown kindness and a little too much respect. In Laputa we see how they take pride (too much) in what they know. In the Land of the Houyhnhnms, we see how they live a steady life though they might not know as much. Gulliver’s travels is a story about the four long voyages a man faces throughout his lifetime.
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