A Critical comment on Gulliver’s Travels منقول
Swift's greatest satire, Gulliver's Travels, is considered one of
the most important works in the history of world literature. Published
as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four
Parts; by Lemuel Gulliver in 1726,
Gulliver's Travels depicts one man's journeys to several strange and unusual lands. The general theme of
Gulliver's Travels is as a trial examination of human nature, man's potential for depravityقدرة او امكانيات الانسان على الفساذ ,
and the dangers of the misuse of reasonوخطورة استخدام
المبررات والاعذار . Each of the four books has a different theme, but all are
attempts to deflate human prideالغرور البشرى .
Book I, written between 1721 and 1725, may reflect the concerns of Swift's own
day, and of his own life it may be a politico-sociological treatise in the form of a
satire; a protest against Imperialism and Colonialism;الاستعمار
an attack on the corruptفساد Whig oligarchyحكم الاقلية which had displaced the Swift's Tories حزب المحافظين الذى كان سويفت ينتمى اليه in London a defense of Tory policies, an attack on the Prime Minister,
Robert Walpole, and on the expensive and bloody trade wars which had accompanied
the twelve years of Whig government but it is also, on a deeper level, a satire on the universal human
tendency to abuse political power and authorityاساءة استعمال القوه السياسية, to manipulateothers and deceive
ourselves. It is at once a
folk-myth, a children's story, and a misanthrope's gift
to mankind: in Lilliput, which is, quite literally, a microcosm, the
vices and follies not merely of England but of all
mankind are epitomizedيلخص . Swift points out
that when men are six inches tall, their squabbles تبدو seem pettyتافهه وبسيطة, and their pomp and ceremony ridiculous:
he leaves it to us to take his point. When the
ship Gulliver is traveling on is destroyed in a storm, Gulliver ends up on the
island of Lilliput, where he awakes to
find that he has been captured by Lilliputians, very small people approximately six inches in height. Gulliver is treated with
compassion and concern. In turn, he helps them solve some of their problems,
especially their conflict with their enemy, Blefuscu, an island across the bay
from them. Gulliver falls from favor, however, because he refuses to support
the Emperor's desire to enslave the Blefuscudians and because he "makes water" to put out
a palace fire. Gulliver flees to Blefuscu, where he converts
a large war ship to his own use and sets sail from Blefuscu eventually to be
rescued at sea by an English merchant ship and returned to his home in England.
The Lilliputians are men six inches in height but possessing all the pretension
and self-importance of full-sized menلديهم كل الرغبة
فى حب التظاهر وحب الذات تماما مثل الاناس العاديين . They are
mean and nastyسيىء الطباع , viciousفارغين , morally corrupt, hypocriticalمتعالين and deceitfulمخادعين
, jealousغيورين and enviousحسودين ,
filled with greed طمع and ingratitudeالجحود they are, in fact, completely human. Swift uses the Lilliputians
to satirize specific events and people in his life. For example, Swift's model
for Flimnap was Robert
Walpole, the leader of the Whigs and England's first prime minister in
the modern sense. Walpole was an extremely wily politicianسياسى ماكر , as Swift shows,
by making Flimnap the most dexterous ماهر of the rope dancers. Reldresal, the second most
dexterous of the rope dancers, probably represents either Viscount Townshend or
Lord Carteret. Both were political allies of Walpole. The articles that
Gulliver signs to obtain his freedom relate the political life of Lilliput to
the political life of England. The articles themselves parallel particular
English codes and laws. Similarly, the absurd and complicated method by which
Gulliver must swear to the articles (he must hold his
right foot in his left hand and place the middle finger of his right hand on top
of his head with the right thumb on the tip of his ear) exemplifies an aspect of
Whig politics: petty, red-tape harassing الروتين الحكومى
البغيض . Swift also uses the Lilliputians to show that English
politicians were bloody-minded and treacherous. In detail, he records the
bloody and cruel methods that the Lilliputians plan to use
to kill Gulliver; then he comments ironically on the mercy, decencyاللياقة , generosityالكرم ,
and justice of kings. The Lilliputian emperor, out
of mercy, plans to blind and starve Gulliver a direct reference to George's treatment of captured Jacobites,
whom he executed after parliament had called him most merciful and lenient.
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