Thursday, June 19, 2014

Which people in Gulliver's Travels most often represent English political figures?

It is the Lilliputians who most often represent English political figures in Gulliver's Travels


With the Lilliputian rope dancers who vie for political office, winning a position based on whoever can jump the highest without falling rather than whoever is most qualified for office, Swift satirizes the English government and the manner in which government positions are filled. Further, the feud between the Tramecksans and the Slamecksans—those who wear high heels and low heels on their shoes—represent the animosity between the High Church Tory party and the Low Church Whig party, respectively. When Gulliver describes "his Imperial Highness, the Heir to the Crown" in Lilliput as having "some Tendency towards the High-heels," this royal represents the Prince of Wales, who many Tories—including Swift—hoped would, when he became King George II, show favor to their party.


Moreover, the drama between the Big-Endians and Little-Endians–who war over which side of the egg should be cracked—represents the terrible struggle that existed between Catholics and Protestants since Henry VIII created the Church of England, a struggle which was not only religious but political as well since the monarch was also considered to be the head of the Church of England. Swift seems to downplay the disagreement as something not worth fighting over, a matter of choice that has absolutely no effect on how others perform the same activity.

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