Men Vs Women

In the Enlighten Period there was a great difference socially, educationally and generally between me and women. In Gulliver's travels the narrator and the Houyhnhnms show how in their time period women had a place. The narrator portrays women as uneducated, vale, unclean, as servants and conning. He stated "I could not reflect without some amazement, and much sorrow, that the rudiments of lewdness, coquetry, censure and scandal, should have place by instinct in womankind"(Swift 463). The Houyhnhnms saw women as flirtatious "that a female Yahoo would often stand behind a bank or bush, to gaze on the young males passing by, and then appear, and hide, using gestures and grimaces;.."(Swift 463), also as animals and mean to other women. They classified their women as servants and used them for reproduction, "When the matron Houyhnhnms have produced one of each sex, they no longer accompany the consorts, except they lose one of their issue by some casualty, which very seldom happens;.."(swift 466). The narrator portrayed men as smart, in power, that they were raised from youth for a purpose to rule over others.

In today's society women are more educated, we work and still work within the home. Even in today's society we still have some people that believe women are stepping out of their place in the jobs that we do and the power that we hold. We have to stand up and be counted just as men because some have to carry the role of the men and women in some households due to the increase rate of single parents. Men also in today's society are stepping out of the box and being single parents.

It's amazing the changes that have occurred over the centuries and there's more to come.

Educated vs. Ignorance

Educated vs. Ignorance

From the beginning of the story Gulliver shows that he is an educated man. When he first meets the Houyhnhnm Gulliver belittled himself by calling the Houyhnunm Master. The houyhnhnms feel as if they are a superior species, than humans which they refer to as Yahoos. The houyhnhnm shows his ignorance throughout the story; by telling his prospection of human without having a full understanding of humans. The Houyhnhnm believes nothing human do makes any since. From the way humans treat women, clothing ourselves, the way we eat, and even our language. My master continuing his discourse said there was noting that rendered the Yahoos more odious, than their undistinguished appetite to devour everything that came their way whether herbs, roots, berries, corrupted flesh of animals, or all mingled together (swift 460). The Houyhnhnm thought it was just dumb that we did not educate the women of our species. I agree with him on that, but at that time it was apart of the culture. Gulliver also shows the reader his intelligence and class by being very passive of a lot of the criticism the houyhngnm or master has of yahoos. Gulliver simply enlightens his master of how people are where he comes from and tries to change his views of people.

I see the Educated vs. ignorance as talking about all humans especially Americans. Being that we see the way that we do things as being perfect; we often look down on other societies and cultures when we don’t have a full understanding of their ways.

REASON VS. PASSION

While reading Gulliver’s Travels, I have been noticing a lot of reason vs. passion through out the story. Reason, in my point of view is thinking before doing; making the right decisions. While on the other hand passion is making decisions based on emotions. This story explains how the Yahoo’s decisions are not thought out so they act in a form passion. The Yahoo’s have been described as a group with reasoning and acting upon their emotions according to this quote from the story one can see that the Yahoo’s care about themselves only, “ For if you throw among five Yahoos as much food as would be sufficient for fifty, they will, instead of eating peaceably, fall together by the ears, each single one impatient to have all to itself” ( Swift 460). To me this is a good example to give the reader a good example to let the reader know how passionate the Yahoos can be when it comes themselves. In contrast of the yahoos way of being, Gulliver insist that people need to be govern by reason, in the story he states “ That our institutions of government and law were plainly owing to our gross defects in reason, and by consequence, in virtue, because reason alone is sufficient to govern a rational creature” ( Swift 460). I took this as him saying that reason is all you need to govern people.

Reason VS Passion

After Gulliver met and lived amongst the Houyhnhnms, he noticed that their race was more thought driven and thereby more orderly and controlled by what they considered to be reason and rationality. “As these noble Houyhnhnms are endowed by Nature with a general disposition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or ideas of what is evil in a rational creature; so their grand maxim is to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by it” (Swift 465). Here is where you just know that they are a humble and docile race; they know nothing of arguing or disagreeing with one another, nothing of evil. To live within a society that holds everyone and everything to a strict discipline was new and unknown to him. Hence he was from a society that was corrupt and vile to say the least. Is it because his race was ruled by passion which to them is being governed by emotions?To show any type of an emotional display of affection or opinion would be classified as improper and unheard of. Therefore, the Houyhnhnms exempted themselves from any and all affiliations with emotion. “They have no fondness for their colts or foals; but the care they take in educating them proceedeth entirely from the dictates of reason” (Swift 466). They did not allow themselves to become servants of their feelings; they maintained the conduct that ruled their society. To see how they associated any acts of passion with sub-human conduct is reflected in the way they reason with thought instead of emotion. Thus here we see that the Enlightenment Period does illustrates these same implementations of rules pertaining to the era of man being governed by reason instead of passion.

Reason VS Passion: Reason VS Passion

Reason VS Passion: Reason VS Passion: "Reason VS Passion After Gulliver met and lived amongst the Houyhnhnms, he noticed that their race was more thought driven and thereby more ..."

Educated Vs. Ignorant

How is education defined? How is ignorance defined? These definitions can vary depending on the person, their lives, and up-bringing. In Swift’s, “Gulliver’s Travels” Gulliver is portrayed as a well educated man. In which he is in his own respect. But he classifies the people he sees and studies as ignorant. When in their own society, they may be well educated. As well as Gulliver may seem ignorant to them. For instance in today’s society you can take a well educated business man from a big city, place him in the middle of the country to farm. Something he doesn’t know, he becomes ignorant and the farmer is the intelligent one. But in the opposite scenario, and more commonly known and accepted, put a farmer in the city and he is ill-educated compared to those in the city. So you see one can be educated, yet still ignorant in many aspects, which people seem to over look now days. Gulliver noted how these people were the lesser people compared to himself, labeled ignorant. Then at one point came to a realization stating; “When I happened to behold the reflection of my own form in a lake or fountain, I turned away my face in horror and detestation of myself, and could better endure the sight of a common Yahoo than of my own person” (Swift 472). I believe this moment captures his realization of their similarities through their differences along with regret in his writings, putting these people down, before understanding them. When before believing he was the educated one and they were the ignorant ones, but that idea changed.

Chaos

Gulliver comes from a land of society and order, government and classes. As a traveler he should know by now that there are some places in this world that are not civilized. The horses represent these unexplored or discovered land and people. Their chaos in Gulliver's eyes in their eyes it is order and in Gulliver's society the Horses see it has chaos. Order needs chaos and chaos needs order. I think about the phrase, "organized chaos," and that is what the horses have. Their society works for them it is order and to other, their lack of emotion and social manners might look and appear to be chaos. Gulliver critizes his society of order, I think this is an over use of persuasion. Everything Gulliver states is wrong; murder, slavery, classes and royalty can be chaotic when being established. If the horses could see the greater good of it, which by the way Gulliver seems to be hiding. Yes, we are still working out hte kinks. The horses remind me of the Avatar movie, the people (like the horses) have their own society and order. We see them as savages that are crazy and random. Them, along as the horses, are all connected whether it be their surrounding or sharing of off springs. This may seem chaotic but it presents a common slate. There connot be an anarchy when everyone is somewhere close to being on the same page. Now let me be clear, I am not syaing there is a hierarchy among the Horses, it is hust not as dramatic leap in class as there was in the Enlightenment period.

Nature Meets Fact and Fiction

Gulliver's Travels is full of fact and fiction, with loads of biased opinion about nature and society. While Gulliver tries to inform his Master (and the reader) about his society, he omits and adds truth and fiction. However the Houyhnhnms' ( more importantly, his Master) have no way of knowing anything but what he says. Therfore since the Houyhnhnms are beings of "reason" and very rational that have no conception of decit and dishonestey. This is owing to the fact they don't even have a word for lying in their language leading them to use "the thing which was not" (Swift 445-446). Through their discourse the two teach each other about society and nature. Gulliver inadvertently learns about how his society could improve and gleams insight into the wonderful way of the Houyhnhnms rational life. Moreover Gulliver's Master was informed of our "unrational" ways of life, often to the point of information overload. While both parties are trying to understand each other, it becomes obvious that Gulliver's master struggles with accepting Gulliver as something then a "Yahoo" (Swift 442). Gulliver himself is in denial about how he really is a verison of the Yahoos. Even in his early meeting of the Yahoos, Gulliver comes face to face with this fact but turns it into fiction in his head. Gulliver's first close up view of the Yahoos proves their likeness; "My horror and astonishment are not to be described, when I obseserved, in this abominable animal, a perfect human figure..." (Swift 442).

Nature Vs. Society

In today’s world we think of society with strong order to be able to keep things under control. Well during Jonathan Swifts story Gulliver Traveler he will try and explain and show how he lived in his world to the creatures of the nature. Even though throughout the story, Gulliver tries on many occasions to explain to the horse like creatures of his society. On the other hand he sees that nature is a free way of living even though in nature they have still some short of government and chain of command. For example when Gulliver was captured by the horse like creatures he could see that they had servants, masters and young ones some sort of a government, just like in his society that he tries to explain to his master. While also having some sort of language so they could have communication between them. (Swift 445). On the other hand, when Gulliver is trying to explain to them about the lawyers and how is government is the only thing that did was make them more confused about who he was. Gulliver went on by saying “Power, government, war, law, punishment, and a thousand other things had no terms, wherein that language could express them: which made the difficulty almost insuperable to give my master any conception of what I mean.” (Swift 451). By stating this quote, we can see that yes he did try to explain to them where he came from to only confused them more because he could not fully express the capableness of what he was unlike and untamed yahoo.

Men vs. Women

In today's society the roles of women an men have changed. Where as back in time the man was the head of the household, the sole provider, and had the power and say so over women, and the women was suppose to obey. The woman's role was to stay home cook, clean and nurse the children. Today the roles have switched and both women and men share alot of the responsibilities. Women are more educated now, they were not allowed to be back then. Now there are alot of single women providing for they're families on their own without a husband or a male role model. In reading Gulliver's Travel, I noticed how the yahoo female were referred to as prostitutes, and said that they were spreading diseases. He stated that the prostitute female yahoos acquired a certain malady, which bred rottenness in the bones of those who fell into their embraces. Let's take into consideration that the yahoos were uncontrollable, free, and living at thier own risk basically, so they were open to any kind of harm, tragedies, and all kind of diseases. Although I'm not a big fan of the story, I find it kind of interesting. I mean really, talking horses. The travelor also had a way with the words he chose, but being that he was the one that took the journey, he can only give the reader his perception of what he had seen.

Educated vs Ignorant

The word educated as well as ignorant are very strong words. It depends on how people interpret and use them. Jonathan Swift portraits Gulliver as an educated traveler, who was on top of his game. He was a Captain of a ship, searching for an unknowing land. The Indians that he took on his ship to replace his men were also on top of their game, giving the story an unpredictable twist. In the beginning of Chapter 1, Gulliver portrays the Indians of the south as dishonest, knavish people who, “debauched my other men, and they all formed a conspiracy to seize the ship and secure me; which they did one morning, and binding me hand and foot, threatening to throw me overboard, if I offered to stir.” (Swift, Pg. 438) Gulliver planned to have the Indians work for him in place of the men he lost, but he underestimated the Indians. Not only did the Indians refuse to work for him, they also took government of the ship.
Throughout Gulliver’s experiences in his adventure, he often refers to himself as the traveler; a humble English man who thanks to his bad luck, ended up in the shores of this new and mysterious country. Gulliver very well makes the point that he is an educated man, with knowledge of the world, when he compared the pronunciation of the Houyhnhnm language to that of the High Dutch or German: “In speaking, they pronounce through the nose and throat, and their language approaches nearest to the High Dutch or German, of any I know in Europe; but is much graceful and significant.” (Swift, Pg 445) Gulliver even goes on to say that, “The Emperor Charles V made almost the same observation, when he said, that if he were to speak to his horse, it should be in High Dutch.” (Swift, Page 445) With this last remark he was letting the reader know that he knew what someone as the Emperor Charles V would joke about, giving more credibility to his education and knowledge of the world.

Men vs Women

to have passion or to reason?

I am perplexed by the idea that a species that has the ability to reason can exist without passion as the Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's travels do. Their lives on a day to day basis seems mudane and chore filled. On the other hand, the Houyhnhnms are wise and able to make decisions without the confusion of emotions being involved. But i have to wonder... which is better... reason or passion? The Houyhnhnms are described as follows "courtship, love, presents, jointures, settlements, have no place in their thoughts or terms whereby to express them in their language"(swift 466). Of course, i have to admit that I as a human cannot fathom the thought that there is no possibility that they can not even express a feeling if they had one because of the lack of words to describe it. They do not have to worry about others feelings or their own but at what cost to them. They are going through their lives without love and to me that seems impossible to do. But if you have never felt love than how do you know what you are missing?
When speaking of the differences between humans and Houyhnhnms Gulliver states "Neither is reason among them a point problematical as with us,where men can argue with plausibilty on both sides of the question; but strikes you with immediate conviction;as it must mingled, obscured, or discolored by passion and interest" (swift 465). I believe passion can cause confusion when it comes to solving problems but that it is necessary to look at issues from others perspectives too. The Houyhnhnms are completely one sided and see no other options. But here is the real issue, can we as people exist without passion? If we could look at life with reason instead of passion, could we solve problems that we could never solve otherwise. The Houyhnhnms do not have war, hunger, or disputes. They go through life never wanting or feeling. But as humans would we give up love, passion, or happiness for the life of a Houyhnhnm?

Educated vs. Ignorant

Educated vs. Ignorant
We live in a society that rewards those who are educated. Who are we to say who is educated and who is not? In the story about Gulliver’s travels, we are faced with the realization that reading books and writing papers are not the only things that can make one “smart.”

The horses, or Houyhnhnms, are very intelligent creatures but have no literary means to which they have become intelligent. “To help my memory, I formed all I learned in to the English alphabet, and writ the words down with the translations. This last, after some time, I ventured to do in my master’s presence. It cost me much trouble to explain to him what I was doing; for the inhabitants have not the least idea of books or literature” (Swift 445). Houyhnhnms may not have literary means of intelligence, but they are considered the civil creatures of their land. In our society, we base so many thoughts to what books have taught us; why can we not use the common sense that lies within to be considered smart?

The Houyhnhnms of this land were very curious as to how Gulliver was so opposite of the Yahoos that resembled him so accurately. “My master was eager to learn from whence I came; how I acquired those appearances of reason, which I discovered in all my actions; and to know my story from my own mouth…” (Swift 445). The horses were eager to know more and expand their knowledge base.

Ignorance is the fact of not being familiar with different ways; education is just ignorance mixed with curiosity and an open mind.
(274 words)

What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: Truth, Li...

What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: Truth, Li...: "What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: Truth, Lies, and Travel Stories: 'In the opening pages of Gulliver's Travels, I find myself struck ..." In Gulliver Travels" by Johathan Swift you find a mixture of truth and lies. Purposely lies were told to be truths. Gulliver faced many different types of societies in his travels and some societies were much easier for Gulliver to get an exact understanding of than others.With good credibilty at first his credibility started to fade as the stories grew own. When in doubt he would ezaggerate to make his stories more fun to read. He admits this on Page 435 and 436. "Do these miserable animalss presume to think that I am so far degenerated as to defend my veracity. Yahoo as I am, it is well known through all Houyhnhnmland, that by the instructions and examples of my illustrious master, I was able in the compass of two years(although I confess with the utmost difficulty) to remove that infernal habit of lying, shuffling, decieving and equvocating so deeply rooted in the very souls of all my species; especially the Europeans."
He admitted to having a decieving, a lying problem. In his opinion he wasn,t as bad as the Europeans. This set the stage for his writings. Were they true or not . Did he conquer his lies or was this a lie also.
I believe anothe example of truth vs. lies was brought out in "Gullivers Travels" writings titled, "A Letter from Captain to His cousin Sympson." Gulliver was complaining about the pressure place on him by his cousin to publish his works. Causing in Gullivers opinion a incorrect version to be published' Gulliver states "I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it, that by your great and frequent urgency you prevailed on me to publish a very loose and uncorrect account of my travels;with direction to hire some young gentlemen of either university to put them in order, and correct the style, as my my cousin Dampher did by my advice. in his book called " A Voyage round the World." but I do not remember I gave you power to consent that anything should be omitted and much less anything should be omitted, and much less anything should be inserted."
Was Gulliver trying to be more readable with exaggerations
to his travels by blameing his cousin for publishing a incorrect version of the travels or did his cousin publish exactly what was given him by Gulliver and he was trying to save face. This is noted on Page 433 and 434. This was discussed more on pages 436 and 437 where Gulliver tries to explain that if he had not in some instances made adjustments his book volumes would be twice as large. So he tried to adjust his works to the reader.

What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: Truth, Lies, and Travel Stories

What Does World Lit Have to Do with It?: Truth, Lies, and Travel Stories: "In the opening pages of Gulliver's Travels, I find myself struck by the insistence on the truth by the narrative. Because it is a work of fi..."

From Passion to Reason

I think that one of the main aims of Gulliver’s account is to present us with four distinct groups, each with varying degrees of reason and passion. On one end, the Yahoos who are almost entirely void of reason, and then on the other the Houyhnhnms, who are all but void of passion. Leaving Gulliver and his crew as the two middle groups, each with an opposing allotment of reason and passion.

Gulliver’s crew, display a mixture of reason and passion in their mutiny, when on one hand “Their design was to turn pirates and plunder the Spaniards. . .” (Swift 438), yet at the same time they spare Gulliver’s life (and in fact go to some pains to do so). As for Gulliver, he is more reasonable than his crew, but when he first encounters a Yahoo, he responds to the Yahoo’s curiosity violently, and Gulliver takes his sword and “. . . gave him a good blow with the flat side of it” (Swift 439). The Yahoos demonstrate curiosity (as when Gulliver first encounters them), and some basic level of learning as they both recognize the Houyhnhnm, and for reasons we’re not shown, fear them. As for the Houyhnhnm, even though they avoid violence, they are not ignorant of it and understand (and even accept it), for self defense.

All four groups show a progression from passion to reason, but none of them is truly a pure form. The four groups while very distinct, all share the same basic characteristics of Passion and Reason, just in differing measures. While it may be a stretch, I believe that Swift was trying to demonstrate (through Gulliver’s story), how it is impossible to have one, without at least some measure of the other.

Men VS. Women

In Gulliver’s Travel he touches on men and women and the roles of both. Although Men had more say so women had say so as well but only in particular areas. “In this sense, the public world belonged entirely to men, who determined the course of government, defined the limits of the important, enforced their sense of the fitness of things /in France, such social life took place often in salons gathers to engaged in intellectual as well as frivolous conversation. Women typically presided over these salons, thus declaring both their intellectual authority and their capacity to combine high hand” Introduction to Gulliver’s Travel. As you can see women had power but they only had enough power to share amongst themselves. At this time is was an outrage for a woman to stand upon her two feet and present information to the world as if nothing would be wrong with that picture. Although women had intellect men also blamed the women for the things that were happening in their country. They blamed them for diseases that came about. Women were known as prostitutes. “That prostitute female Yahoos acquitted a certain embraces: that this and many other diseases were propagated from father to son: so that great numbers come into the world with complicated maladies upon them: that it would be endless to give him a catalogue of all diseases incidental to human bodies; for they could not be fewer than five or six hundred, spread over every limb, and joint; in short; every part, external and intestine having diseases appropriated to each.

I’m Blogging I’m Blogging I’m Blogging!!!

(In my Lou Costello voice) I’m Blogging I’m Blogging I’m Blogging!!! Pardon my excitement but this is my first blog, ever. Thanks Mrs. Baldwin for the opportunity.

Fact verses fiction has to be expressed as an opinion especially in this “Fictional” writing. Gulliver contradicts himself to the extent that I almost expect him to do so, as my reading progressed. “It is justifiable to enter into war against our nearest ally, when one of his towns lies convenient for us or a territory of land, that would render our dominions round and compact ” (Swift 453). Swift points out indirectly of course, that in our language even though friend and ally are similar and death and war are similar we at times use the word “justify” to take from our allies or war with them. Could it be that he’s not just educating his master? It seems to me that he’s letting the reader listen in as he points out some of the contradicting facts that we as a society face. Yes!! He was explaining our customs to someone who know absolutely nothing about our world but at the same time the reading opened my eyes. As if I hadn’t witnessed these customs first hand. So are they allies and friends or are they enemies or death? The fact is that their only friends when the convenience is there. But, if our friend’s property is wanted or needed by us now we justify making our friends enemies.

Gulliver’s Master shows not only his ignorance of the power of a more advanced species but his innocence is almost childlike. The facts are that the Houyhnm are not abreast of Gulliver’s sciences and warlike methods. But actually they seem to be a happy and adapted culture. “What you have told me, said my master, upon the subject of war, doth indeed discover and admirably the effects of that reason you pretend to; however, it is happy that the shame is greater that the danger; and that Nature hath left you utterly incapable of doing much mischief; for your mouth laying flat with your faces, you can hardly bite each other to any purpose, unless by consent.” (Swift 453). This shows Gulliver’s master attempting to make fun of Gulliver and reason war and killing. It’s almost like, the Houyhnm is thinking it can’t be as bad as Gulliver says, they scratch and claw each other and go on their merry way. The Houyhnm couldn’t comprehend this information or maybe he felt Gulliver was embellishing a bit. Could you imagine his surprise when Gulliver told him about the different weapons that man had and the destruction they can produce. Or Gulliver’s thoughts when his master attempted to make fun of his flat face.

Truth, Lies, and Travel Stories

In the opening pages of Gulliver's Travels, I find myself struck by the insistence on the truth by the narrative. Because it is a work of fiction and not a true travel story (and are those really all true anyway?), the narrator's accusations seem almost comical: "But I do not remember I gave you power to consent that anything should be omitted, and much less that anything should be inserted..." (Swift 434). Gulliver continues his rant and specifies passages that he did not write some of the material.

I am curious, too, about his assertion that "your printer hath been so careless as to confound the times, and mistake the dates of my several voyages and returns; neither assigning the true year, or the true month....[A]nd I hear the original manuscript is all destroyed" (435). Gulliver's focus on the errors and the belief that the original is destroyed puts his tale into question--which parts are "true" and which parts are omissions, deletions, or errors? [168 words]

Swift seems to be both creating a comical, whimsical, and fantastical travel tale (don't we all exaggerate a bit when we tell about our adventures, especially if they happened in a faraway land?) that also speaks the truth about human nature and society. I think of it is as his way of criticizing society without taking a direct hit from those who feel he is criticizing them. He also takes his "power" of the pen (notice in my first quote his narrator speaks of the power that the publisher has usurped) and, through narrative conventions, gives his power away, or at least seems to, to those who were responsible for publishing the manuscript. [278 words]

Okay, now I am confused! :) Swift seems to be trying to confuse his reader on purpose--Is this a true story or not? If true, are there parts that are not true and who is responsible for them? And whether true or not, do they speak a truth about human nature? I think Swift wants us to see ourselves, correct errant behavior, and then not blame him for pointing it out. [The whole post is 350 words. Mine is a little long, but you get the picture--no need to count the words as I have; am just doing that for your benefit]

Hey, everyone! I know this isn't supposed to be my first real post, but I thought I would say "hey!" to see if this thing works. I really liked the video we watched about people in the world and how many are in different countries, have different religions, and the like. I also thought the poem construction exercise was interesting--never done that before--and I guess it shows that everyone can interpret literature differently.

Thinking about world literature and what it all means

August 10, 2010
I am about to embark on another semester at my college and am teaching World Literature II for the first time in 6 years. I want to figure out a way to make it engaging and relevant for students. I am going to have students keep a blog throughout the semester, subscribe to classmates' blogs, and to find other blogs to subscribe to that have a connection with world literature. The goal is to create a space that is culturally, academically, and technically relevant. Wish me luck!