Text -part 2
The critics go on and are always heavier, especially in the last part of the novel, when Gulliver arrives in the isle of Houyhnhnms.
However, men have something Yahoos don't have : the reason, and exactly the reason caused the development of Yahoos behaviour : while Yahoos act naturally in their wish of luxury, men are a lot meaner than them , because they could use their reason to stop acting like that, but they don't.
When Gulliver finally returns to England , he doesn't think anymore that England is the best country in the world and he's not proud of being human : "humans are all yahoos, and yahoos they will remain".
He begins to wonder and to ask himself questions : "why do we human beings fight each other?
Isn't there a better way to live?" .
This is a very important thought, and Swift wants the reader to understand that humans, because of their pride, their thirsty of power, their meanness and violence , can only create wars, which bring to death, sadness, misery.
Talking about the land of horses, Swift dreams of a better world, where "there are no diseases, no crimes, no wars".
But unfortunately this perfect world would never exist, because human nature would never change and "is the same in every country".
To write the novel, the author used a witty and satiric style, and the language , which belongs to a medium tone, is full of metaphors which describe humans' vices.
Personally, I really liked reading this novel, and I think that Gulliver's travels can be considered as one of the best masterpieces of all the times.
Gulliver talks about his adventures in first person, and this is very important because it makes the reader much more participating and emotionally involved.
In fact, while I was reading, I completely identified myself with the character of Gulliver, and I felt the emotions that he felt.
Gulliver is a very sensitive man, and Swift makes us understand that by writing "I cried" several times.
Gulliver cries because of the injustices of the people he meets.
Gulliver is someone who, despite all the misadventures, can't stay long at home, because of his thirsty of knowledge.
This reminds me of a character that I studied at school and of whom Dante Alighieri talks about in his Inferno : Ulysses.
"I wanted to see more of the world".
He, like Ulysses, is continually attracted by the unknown and by the adventure.
He's also very brave : "..tell the king, ..
That I am ready to give my life to save him or his country ", but at the same time he still remains sensitive and reasonable, and when the king asks him to steal all the enemy's ships, Gulliver refuses : "Lilliput and Blefuscu should live in peace now".
Gulliver is not a mean man, and even if people behave badly with him, he doesn't want to hurt them : " I could attack the capital and kill all the Lilliputians, but when I remembered the king's past kindness to me , I did not want to do that".
He's very patient and he doesn't rebel even when people laugh at his country : "there was nothing I could do about it, and I simply had to accept the situation".
"I had wanted to prove my bravery, but I failed, because to them I was only an unimportant creature".
Swift uses the Giants to criticize European governments and he uses Gulliver (talking in first person) to defend them, in order that the reader can have the impression the author is defending his country, and not the opposite thing.
Gulliver is a right and sincere man: "..
I only do so because of my love of the truth .
I must tell you exactly what happened, even if I do not agree with it".
Reading the book in English, a language that I'm studying as I'm an Italian student, I also learnt a lot of new words, like "ladder", "cattle", "lawmakers", or verbs like "to crawl" , "to neigh".
There weren't words or phrases very difficult to understand because I read a simplified student edition, but I also have the original book, which I hope to read when I'll have more time, so that I can write down and translate each word that I don't know.
In order that people can understand and reflect over human nature, which can have both positive and negative sides, I deeply suggest to read this book , it's worth it, really.
January 2016
Stem nu! 