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Impact of Houyhnhnms on Gulliver and His Views: Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift
Gulliver’s Travels – Reading Response
1. What are your reactions to reading Book IV of Gullivers Travels? Did you find it interesting, surprising, amusing, challenging? Why?
I find it interesting and amusing as Jonathan Swift very creatively swapped human nature with that of animal nature and gifted the animals a privilege to be human like. Swift portrayed animals to be better than humans as they didnt even know about words like war, power, lie and many more. He sarcastically used his satire nature in the writing.
2. What do the Houyhnhnms see as the main point[s] of difference between Gulliver and the Yahoos?
Gulliver seemed weaker to the houyhnhnms as he did not have strong nails and couldnt walk on four feet and Gullivers clothes were also a symbol of weakness as he had to use his protective clothing. But after interaction with the master he came to know about the hold humans have in their country unlike Yahoos. The Yahoos were primitive creatures obsessed with ‘pretty stones’ that they find by digging in mud, thus representing the distasteful materialism and ignorant elitism Swift encountered in Britain. The main difference was that the Yahoos were enslaved by the horse-like Houyhnhnms unlike Gulliver. Although they were human in form and feature, the Yahoos were indeed, animals.
3. Why does Gulliver like Houyhnhnm land so much, and not want to return home to England?
Houyhnhnms were corruption free and godly creatures. As there was no such thing as war, hatred, power over others, and government. Being such a peaceful and loving land Gulliver wanted to stay there. It is actually a satire by Swift to show our society how cruel we have become. Further, the horses were so intelligent that Gulliver even concluded that they are magicians who have transformed themselves into horses. It was quite a wonderful experience for him on this magical land that he didnt wanted to return to his home in England
4. When Gulliver returns to England, how does he act? How does he treat his family?
When Gulliver returned home he never wanted to leave his home and he even made vows not to leave his country he treated his family with love and more care. He also shouted at everybody as he had to do this in his last adventure when he became very small. He loved being in the company of the family but soon was ready to leave for another adventure because of his adventurous nature and willing to explore more.
5. In your view, are the Houyhnhnms and their society appealing? Are they likable? Why? Why not?
Yes, they are indeed appealing. Their way of living is what we need right now to be at peace. Swift wrote this amazing adventure that showed the negatives of humans perfectly and though animals being low witted enjoy much better life free of lies and war and the lust for power. These creatures are actually the ones to learn from and are quite likable.
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