Gullivers Travels By Jonathan Swift

Many authors write books about events, their lives and their environment,

and their corrupt government. One satirical author who wrote a novel about

living in a corrupt society is Jonathan Swift who wrote Gulliver's Travels.

The places the protagonist had visited reflected on the author's English

government. The life of the author will be shown similar to this book

because of the way he lived.

Jonathan Swift was well educated and graduated from Trinity College in

Dublin in English literature. He not only had a life in literature but also

had a life in politics. This experience helped him write many satirical

essays and novels against England and Ireland. His first political job was

to work for the remarkable statesman, Sir William Temple from 1689 to 1699.

During that time, he also became a minister for the church of England in

1694. After Sir William Temple died in 1669, Swift became a pastor of a

small Protestant parish in Laracor, Ireland. He was ordained in 1694. His

skill as a writer was greatly appreciated within the church and was well

known in Dublin. If one were to divide Swift's career into "periods," the

years 1710-14 would naturally fall into the "Middle Period."(Cook, V) In

1710, he became a powerful supporter of the Tory government in England.

Through many of Swift's articles and pamphlets in defense, he became one of

the most effective public relations men any English administration ever had.

The Tories saw how good Swift's literature was and hired him as an editor

for their journal, The Examiner. His political power ended when a new

government came to power. This was the Whig party. The Tory government and

the Whig party were against each other and shared different views like the

republicans and democrats in the U.S. The last stage of Swift's life shows

him transformed from an English into a Irish favorite, and this almost in

spite of himself.(Swift, XIV) He was betrayed and exiled to Ireland by his

friends. The unbearable lifestyle he endured while living in Ireland forced

him to write his brilliant satirical essay, A Modest Proposal. This essay

suggested that the people of Ireland should use their children for a cash

crop.

In the book Gulliver's Travels, the author reflects his life on the main

character to Prove a point, mankind are savages. All that was necessary

was that he take on a deliberate persona in the form some self-deceived