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BOOK REPORTGullivefs TravelsIn this short term, I have read Gullivefs Travel, which is written by Jonathan Swift u British writer From the book, I really acquire a tol of knowledge whichis unknown to me. For exam pie, it makes me know more about British history in the sevenieenth century and the eigliteenlh century. Before that I just know Britain becomes stronger and stronger ut that lime. Il is Gullier's Travels that disclose the dark of the British society.About the author and the background of the bookThe book was published in 1726, was regarded as a children's literary works, but it is actually attacked the British social degradation and corruption of satirical writing- Because at that lime, British society was rather dark,Jonathan Swift was a son of the English lawyer Jonathan Swift. He was bom in Dublin, Ireland, on November 30, 1667. He grew up there under the care of liis uncle. Then he attended Trinity College when he was fourteen. And he stayed there for seven years. He graduated from it in 1688. In that year, he became the secretary of Sir William Temple who was un English polilician und member of the Whig party. In 1694, he look religious orders in the Church of Ireland and then spenl u year us a country parson. He then spent further time in the service of Temple before returning to Ireland to become the chaplain of the earl of Berkeley- Meanwhile, he had begun to write satires on the polilicaL He worked on A Tale of a Tub, which supports the position of the Anglican Church against its critics on the left and the right. And The Buttle of the Books, which argues for the supremacy of the classics against modem thought and literature. He also wrote a number of political pamphicts in favor of the Whig party. In 1709 he went to London to campaign for the Irish church but was unsuccessful After some conflicts with the Whig party, mostly because of Swift's strong allegiance to the church, he became a member of the more conservative Tory party in 1710.Unfortunately for Swift, the Tory government fell out of power in 1714 and Swift, des pile his fame for his writings, fell out of favor Swift had been hoping to be assigned a poshion in the Church of England instead of returning to Dublin, where he became the dean of S(. Patrick^s. During his brief time in England, Swift hud become friends with writers such us Alexander Pope. The third voyage of Gulliver's Travels is assembled from the work Swift did during this time. However, the final work was not completed until 1726, and the narrative of the third voyage was actually the last one completed. Gulliver's Travels was a controversial work when it was first published in 1726. Ever since, editors have excised many of the passages, particularly the more caustic ones dealing with bodily functions. Even without those passages, however, Gulli'er^s Travels serves as a biting satire, and Swift ensures that it is both humorous and critical, constantly attacking British and European society through its descriptions of imaginary countries.Late in life. Swift seemed to become even more caustic and bitter Three years before his death, he was unable to care for himself, and guardians were appointed. Based on thesefacts, some people have concluded that he became insane. However, the truth seems to be that Swift was suddenly incapaciliUed by a stroke late in life, and that prior to this incident his mental capacities were unimpaired. Gulliver's Travels is about a speciflc sei of polilical contlicls, but if it were nothing more than Ihut it would long ago have been forgotten. The staying power of the work comes from its depiction of the human condition and its often des pairing, but occasionally hopeful, sketch of the possibilities for humanity to rein in its baser inslincls.The main content of the bookPart I: A Voyage to Lilli put and Blefuscu4 May 1699 — 13 April 1702The author gives some account of himself and family. This part tells us his first travel. He is ship wrecked, and swims for his life. Finally he got the shore in the country of Lillivpul. Gulliver is made a prisoner, and carried up the country. The book begins with a very short preamble in which Lemuel Gulliver, in the style of books of the time, gives a brief outline of his life and history prior to his voyages. He enjoys travelling, although it is that love of travel that is his downfall.During his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a ship wreck and finds himself caught by a race of people, less than 6 inches high. They are inhabitants of the neighbouring and rival countries of Lilli put. After giving assurances of his good behaviors, he is given a residence in Lilli put and becomes a favorite of the court. From there, the content follows Gulliver's observations on the Court of Lilliput. He is also given the permission to roam around the city on a condition he not hann their subjects- Gulliver helps the Lilliputians to subdue their neighbours the Blefuscudians by stealing their warships. However, he refuses to make the countiy become a province of Lillipul. But it displeases the King and the court, Gulliver is charged with treason and sentenced to be blinded. With the help of a kind friend. Gulliver flees to Blefuscu, where he finds an abandoned boat. He asks for the king of Blefuscudians to restore the abandoned boat. At first, the king refuses to do it. But a few days later, the king promises to restore the boat. With the help of the king, Gulliver restores the boat successfully and sails out. On the way, he meet with a strong storm. Fortunately, he is rescued by a passing ship. Then the captain of the boat sent him back to Britain,Part 2: A Voyage to Brobdingnag20 June 1702 —3 June 1706When the sailing ship is steered off course by storms and have to go in to land for searching for fresh waler, Gulliver is aba nd oned by his com pan ions and found by a farmer who is 72 feet tulL He brings Gulliver to home and usk his daughter cares for Gulliver The farmer treats him as a curiosity and exhibits him for money. The word gets out and the Queen of Brobdingnag wants to see the show. She loves Gulliver and he is then bought by her and kept as a favorite at court.Since Gulliver is too small to use their huge chairs, beds, knives and forks, the queen asks the craftsman lo build u small house for Gulliver so that he can be carried around in it. This is referred to as his "travelling box." In between small adventures such as fightinggiant wasps and being carried to the roof by a monkey, he discusses the state of Europe with the King, The King is not interested with Gulliver's accounts of Europe, especially upon learning of the usage of guns and cannons. On a inp lo the seaside, his travelling box is taken by a giant eagle which drops Gulliver and his box riglil into the sea. Then he slays in the box tor some days until he was found by some sailors- At first, he thinks that he still in Brobdingnag. But he is wrong when he gel oul of the box. He is glad lo see these people who are as big us him. Then he returns Britain again.Part 3: A Voyage to Laputa. Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan5 August 1706— 16 April 1710After Gullivefs ship is attacked by pirates, he is marooned close to a rocky island, which near India, Fortunately he is rescued by the flying island of LapiUa, a kingdom devoted to the arts of music and mathematics but unable to use them for practical ends.Laputa*s method of throwing rocks at rebellious surface cities also seems the first time that aerial bombardment was conceived as a method of warfare. While there, he tours the country as the guest of a low-ranking courtier and sees the ruin brought about by blind pursuit of science without practicul results, in a satire on bureaucracy und the Royal Society and its experiments. Al The Grand Academy of Lagado great resources and manpower are employed on researching completely preposterous and unnecessary schemes such as extracting sunbeams from cucumbers, softening marble for use in pillows, learning how lo mix paint by smell, und uncovering political conspiracies by examining the excrement of suspicious persons (see muckraking).Gulliver is then taken to Balnibarbi to await a trader who can take him on to Jap an. While waiting for passage, Gulliver takes a short side-trip to the island of Glubbdubdrib, where he visits a magician's dwelling and discusses history with the ghosls of historical figures, the most obvious restatement of the "ancients versus modemstheme in the book. In Luggnagg he encounters the slruldbrugs, unfortunates who are immortal, but not forever young, but rather forever old, complete with the infirmities of old age and considered legally dead ut the age of eighty. After reaching Japan, Gulliver asks the Emperor "to excuse my performing the ceremony imposed upon my countrymen of trampling upon lhe crucifix'*, which the Emperor grants. Gulliver returns home, determined to slay there For the rest of his days.Part 4; A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms10 September 1710-2 July 1715Despite his earlier intention of remaining ut home, Gulliver returns lo lhe sea as the captain of a merchantman. But he is bored with his employment as a surgeon. On this voyage he is forced to find new crews to his crew who he believes to have turned the rest of the crew against him. His crew then mutiny, and after keeping him contained for some time resolve lo leave him on the first piece of land they come across and continue us pirates. He is abandoned in a landing boat and comes first upon a race of terrible deformed and savage humanoid creatures. And they make him disgust. Then he meets a horse and comes to understand that they call themselves Houyhnhms (which in their language means ''the perfection of nature"), and that they are the rulers, while the deformed creatures calledYahoos are human beings in lheir base form.Gulliver becomes u member of the horse's household, and comes to both admire and emulate the Houyhnhnms und tlieir lifestyle, r<yecting his fellow huinans us merely Yahoos endowed with some semblance of reason which they only use to exacerbate and add lo the vices Nature gave them. However, an Assembly of the Houyhnhnms rules that Gulliver, a Yahoo with some semblance of reason, is a danger lo their civilization. As a result, Gulliver is expelled. He leaves the land by boat. And then rescued by a Portuguese ship, Gulliver is surprised to see that Captain Pedro Mendez, a Yahoo, is a wise, courteous and generous person. He returns to his home in England, but he has difficulty adjusting himself lo live among Yahoos. Even he is disgust about his wife and children. Some days later, he buys two litlle horse and regard them as his best friends.My review of Gulliver's TravelsAfter reading Gulliver's Travels, I really benefit much from it. The stories in the Gulliver's Travels are ironic, humorous, exaggerated und fantastic. The hero of the travels 〜Gulliver traveled around the world 4 times und suffered numerous adventures, which were dangerous but interesting.In Gulliver's Travels, the voyage lo the Lilliput and Brobdingnag really attracts me. Lilliput is a country of small people who are less than 6 inches high. It is certain that Gulliver is a giant to them. When Gulliver stayed in Lilliput, he helped the small people a lot. In the contrast, Brobdingnag is a country of giant. Gulliver was a small people to them. He was appreciatcd by the queen of the Brobdingnag. So he could live in the palace for a long time- It is unbelievable that there arc so small and giant people in (he world. But the travel that impresscs me most is the voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms- The hero was abandoned by his crews in un island. And he found that it was an island ruled by horses. Horse was the master of this country. These horses were called Houyhnhnms,The horses on the island were kind, friendly and honest. There were no words such as "cheat” or "lie" in their language. As a result, they also did not understand these meaning. They did not know what was "suspicion” and what was ''distrusf\ In lheir country, everything was authentic and trans pa rent.Gulliver had a good time in that horses* country. He blended in the society entirely so that he was quite digest about contact with Yahoos. Because Yahoos always distrust and cheat others like the humun. From that, the author may wanted to tell us the human's society's gloom.I quite admire Gulliver^s adventure in Houyhnhnms. The Houhnhnms is the ideal country that many people pursue, just like Platons utopia. In that country, we do not need to consider o(her*s words are true or false. But it is really unp radical to the real world we live. In our real world, the events we aren't willing to see often hap pen: someone cheat others for money, even someone abandon their parents for fame. So it is no wonder that our teacher and parents always remind us of not being cheated by others when go out alone. And it cun not fit with the morality of morality of loving others and helping each other I often hesilanl when I have the notion of giving help lo someone who is in trouble.I often dare not to receive the help from strangers when they are willing to help me. It really a tonnent lo me and also to somebody who want lo help others. Not only losing the opportunity of helping others, bul also missing lhe helps from others', isnS it a sorriness? The author of the book-Jonathan Swift also made a crack at the tireless struggles of the Whig Party and Tory Party. I have learned that period of history from ilie high school history textbook. These two pallies fighted with each other for its own profits, Maybe it was lhe origin of the society's gloom in Britain.The impression that Swift give lo me is that he is a very righteous person. The Gulli\er，s Travels can reOecl lhe author^ aversion to the society. He pointed out the features of the Britain at that time ironically: greed, hypocrisy, faithlessness, atrocity, rage, blackness and careerism. He described the strange phenomenon that the creatures take the place of humans. Horse becomes the carrier of the logos. And human becomes a dirty and rap acinus inferior animals-Yahoos. He talked about human's nature which were willing to be subjected to money, extravagant and insatiable.Wlien we learn something from this book, we have to look ourselves ugain. Is there any bad root in our mind? Il is inconceivable that a bot)k for children lakes on such a serious issues. Though our society are not as descended like lhe Britain at that lime. There are still numerous negative factors in our community. As the members of it, we should take some actions. Although our strength is vety tiny, wc can just do the things which we are compctent to. I hope our country will like the Houyhnhnms someday. There arc no doubts in children's eyes and no distrust in communications. All of us could do something lo make society more flourisliing.。