A study of satire in Jonathan's swift gulliver's travels

Mariana, Adi Rily (2001) A study of satire in Jonathan's swift gulliver's travels. Bachelor thesis, Petra Christian University.

Abstract

Most of the works of Literature contain the writers' ideas including their social criticism. To express them effectively, many writers use indirect methods to arouse the reader's sympathy and to avoid didactic writings. One of the indirect methods is satire in which the writers do not say what they really mean but the opposite. In this case, satire can be an essential device to bring about their thought. This thesis concerns with the study of satire in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels Through Gulliver'sTravels, Swift attempted to satirize the super-confident Eighteenth Century people who were too proud of the rapid scientific progress. Thus, it makes the thesis writer wants to know how Swift uses Gulliver to satirize the society in the Eighteenth Century and what is being satirized in Swift's Gulliver's Travels. In showing Swift's satire of the society condition, the discussion of the Lemuel Gulliver's voyages to four different lands conveys the relation with the England society. By doing the study, the writer of this thesis wants to show the way Swift uses Gulliver in satirizing the society and also to show the objects that is satirizing in his Gulliver's Travels. In order to be able to find out the answer, the thesis writer conducts an analysis by using literary approach and library research. Swift occupies Gulliver in four different voyages. The first voyage is to Lilliput, the land of little people which Swift`s satirizes the ?littleness? of human beings. The second to Brobdingnag, the land of giants, is the satire on the meanness of humanity. The third, to the flying island of Laputa, is satire on the scientists and philosophers. And the final journey to the strangest land of all, that of the Houyhnhnms which is the satire in the denunciation of human species. Based on the result of the analysis, it is concluded that Swift?s Gulliver?s Travels is ridiculing the English society in his time.

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