Gulliver's Travels as a menippean satire

Assignment

M.K. Bhavnagar University

Name: Tadha Vanita P.

Class: M.A.-1

Semester: 1

Roll No.  : 31

Paper: 2[Neo-Classical Literature]

Topic: Gulliver's Travels as a menippean satire

Submitted to: Department of English

Guided by: Heena Mam

Batch2014-16

Year: 2014-15

Gulliver’s Travels as a menippean satire

The genre of menippean satire is a form of satire, usually in prose, which has a length and structure similar to a novel and is characterised by attacking mental attitudes instead of specific individuals.
The term is used by classical grammars and by philologist mostly to refer to stories in prose.
A menippean satire is a work that uses fictional elements to satirize mental attitudes instead of peoples or things. By using the structure of a fictional story, the writer is able to demonstrate satire without preach or lecture, instead allowing the reader to understand the satire through fictional events and places. Gulliver’s travels is an excellent example of a menippean satire, placing the everyman Gulliver in to increasingly strange situations and having him try to explain his own hearing stories of positive light. After hearing stories of England the king of Brobdingnag comments:

“… I cannot but conclude the bulk
Of your natives to be the most
Pernicious race of little odious
Vermin that nature ever suffered earth.”

Gulliver gives normal explanation as the author’s commentary through surrogates. Those who speak with Gulliver often think themselves superior, either in society or in manners, and since Gulliver only speaks the simple truth about his society. The reader is at pains to disagree. The social attitudes of each society are strange, but they seem to function far better than the book; Swifts attacks lazy from better sides, leaving the Houyhnhnms society the only one with which Gulliver is entirely enamored.

We find menippean satire in each part

1)     A Voyage to Lilliput
2)     A Voyage to Brobdingnag
3)     A Voyage to Laputa
4)     A Voyage to Houyhnhnms and Yahoo

1)   A Voyage to Lilliput

           Once in Gulliver’s journey he meets with storm and suddenly his spin break and few members escape from them. Gulliver is one of them. He know swim so he reach near beach but in faint situation. When he wake up he found his self on an island and he want to get up but he couldn’t. He feels that he tied with a rope. All around him was the hum of little voice- but I could see nothing except the empty sky. He knew there were people around him, but as far as his eyes could reach there was no one to see.
         Suddenly he feels that large insect moving on his body so he try to see and he found that there was a little man  who walk on his body his height is not more than six inch. There were also fourth little men who marched up on his body. Six inch little man indicate there physical and mental power it means they have not strength to do any work that is the menippean satire. One official man come near Gulliver and he feel hungers but he doesn’t know about Lilliputians official man understanding and call few people and take some food for this man. They bring some basket of fruit and vegetables their all things are look like Gulliver’s county thing but all are tiny than thumb it indicate less development of the country.

          For the indirect satire Swift uses tiny things like vegetables, food and also the people who belonged to that island. Lilliputian thinks that Gulliver keeps in capital so they call engineer to make cart so many engineer come for make cart it suggest that so many people equal not enough strength.
Finally Gulliver keeps in to capital of Lilliput. There is a king who watched him from tower and he comes near Gulliver. King’s behavior is friendly with Gulliver and next day so many people come from village to see him. some of them say that Gulliver will use his strength and destroyed Lilliput so it is necessary to think about him that he has to alive or kill it means they have thought like us first they check like the person is good or not than they take decision king and all people behave with me as he is a friend of them they are always ready for Gulliver’s help like give him food, cloth, water and all kind of help Gulliver think that Lilliputians believe that Gulliver is guest for them
In short we find menippean satire in first part of Gulliver’s travels. Lilliputians are not taller than six inch and their things are also too small.
   For ex
Ø  Glass of water
Ø  Animals
Ø  Sheep, Camel
Ø  Food
Once they make cart for Gulliver because they want to take him in their capital so five hundred people are busy to make cart it means it is too hard for them.

                  2] A voyage to Brobdingnag

          This is second voyage for Gulliver and it is absolutely opposite by first voyage. There is Gulliver is smaller than all people. They all are using Gulliver as an entertainment weapon whenever they want to enjoy.
          They are very tall so Gulliver every time afraid by them but he feels happy because there is no chance to limit because he has no power to rule over this world due to his smallness.
Once he afraid from taller therefore he run away from that place to another place (direction). It indicates that they have not physical and mind power. Gulliver want to go back but there is no chance to go back because his companion go far and so now he decide to take some rest because now he tired. He claimed on a hill from which he could see more of the country. Beyond this hill he saw that the ground was cultivated and properly farmed. But this was not the farmland of his home. The grass itself was twenty feet high and other crops were even higher in short they and their things are higher but they have not knowledge.
          In this land all things are taller it shows that this land is more cultivate or developed than first. The people are look like giant so he is trying to find some hole in the fence through which he could go. Here we also find satire that their voice like thunder high above him.
          In short they all are surprise by me because they first time see me. It shows that they were all watching him closely look off his hat and made a low to the farmer. Then he falls on their knees, raised his hands towards me and spoke a few wards as loudly as he could. He knew that they could not understand me. But he has hoped that his manner would shows that he was asking them not to harm me.May be they understand Gulliver’s language and feelings so they start to behave as friend. It means Gulliver always set himself whenever he goes.

      3)   A Voyage to Laputa

          This is the fourth world which Gulliver visits. This is a floating island it suggest the motion of the people. There is too much different between government and common people. Governments are always busy in their life.
For ex

 When there is any work of king at that time people use for wake up them. If he does not wake up by call, then someone touch and then wake up. 

            This island is full of mystery. The people have power and they same look like Gulliver and they have all things but they are busy in their life. Female are also used here for some weapon.The king concern for the people below but he never comes below to meet people. The king is flappers. Servants are with flappers sanding besides their master. Thinker and scientist are busy in their day dreams. Flutier attempt of educate people. They are so called educated. It is not for the betterment of society. Human should be taxed according to his/her skill or status. There is gap between authority and common people. There is also we find satire on culture.

                                          “Everything is done by individuals
                                           Everything is destroyed by society.”

         There is no stability that we see on island and it is full of corruptions. Gulliver tries to improve his position in hierarchy and is denied to do so. He has self-conscious narrator and his position is limited. This island also indicates society is not flat and life is not stable. In short we have to struggle and not stop till the still the goal reach.

4)   The land of Houyhnhnms and yahoo

          In this land Gulliver meets to horse and he find that animals are far better than human beings. Houyhnhnms and yahoo use for contrasting nature both are extremely different by nature and whole things. Houyhnhnms has a sense so he always ready for Gulliver’s help .One horse moving around him and he wants to be a friend of horse.
          By this part we find transformation in Gulliver. Now he starts to hate human society and he has no longer care for human society. He quickly learns the language of Houyhnhnms. Gulliver tells them about his country where human beings rules and horse are trained to work them. Houyhnhnms are not ready to believe in Gulliver’s view. Here animals are rational and cultured. The shocking part of this part is the revolution of yahoos and their identity is human beings. No family planning orphan degradation.
         In short here we fiend satire that animals are far better than human beings because they have sense so always ready for Gulliver’s help and Gulliver learn their language so it is helpful for him. Europeans described as yahoos greed and selfishness in human nature. Gulliver thinks of his people as Europeans yahoos and his prefer to live with barbarians than with his own people. Swift is challenging the traditional idea that humans are rational animals.

Conclusion

             Thus, we can say that voice is controlled by upper people others are also tormented by the social hierarchy. Everybody has to obey to king. Gulliver tries to improve his position in hierarchy and is denied to do and he is a self-conscious narrator his position is limited and his concept was to earn money, to get position. But at the end he gets nothing except good behavior of Houyhnhnms.