Gulliver's Travels
Literary Devices in Gulliver's Travels
1. Satire - a way of conveying serious criticism of people, in-stitutions, and society by wit and irony in order to improve the object of the attack.
2. Irony -
a. verbal irony - the discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.
b. dramatic irony - discrepancy between what the speaker says and what the author means. The speaker's words may be perfectly straightforward, but the author, by putting these words in a speaker's mouth, may be indicating to the reader ideas or attitudes quite opposed to those the speaker is voicing.
c. Irony of situation - discrepancy between actual circum-stances and those that would seem appropriate, or between what one anticipates and what actually happens.
3. Imagery - representation through language of the sense ex-pe-riences of sight, sound, smell, touch, etc. The sight of the coarse skin, full of blemishes, of the Maids of Honor and the smell would be an image of disgust.
4. Metaphor - implied comparison between two things of unlike nature. Comparing man to an insect or vermin is an example of a metaphor in this book.
Book I A Voyage to Lilliput
1. Who is the narrator of Gulliver's Travels?
2. What was Gulliver's profession before his voyage on the Antelope?
3. Why did Gulliver accept an offer to sail on the Antelope, as the ship's surgeon?
4. When does Gulliver's first voyage begin?
5. What misfortune befalls the Antelope?
6. Who is the lone survivor of the shipwreck?
7. After the ship wreck where does Gulliver find himself?
8. When Gulliver tries to break his bindings, what does the army of small people do?
9. Why does Swift describe the quantity of food that Gulliver eats and translate it into human terms with such detail?
10. Do we get a favorable impression of the Lilliputians in Chapter I?
11. Where are Gulliver's lodgings while in Lilliput?
12. Is Gulliver allowed complete freedom of movement while in his lodgings?
Chapter II
1. How does Gulliver describe the physical appearance of the Emperor of Lilliput?
2. What is the satire of this description?
3. How does Gulliver treat the six ringleaders who have at-tacked him with arrows?
4. Why is this clemency important to the story?
5. What things does the Emperor demand that Gulliver hand over to him after the search of his person?
6. What does Gulliver hide from the Lilliputians and why is this important?
Chapter III
1. What is one of the diversions practiced in court by candi-dates for high office?
2. What is the satire of this entertainment?
3. What does Swift mean when he says that Flimnap, the First Lord of the Treasury, would have broken his neck in the rope dancing contest if one of the King's cushions that lay on the floor had not weakened the force of his fall?
4. What is another diversion practiced by candidates for high office at court and performed only before the Emperor, the Empress, and the first minister?
5. What awards are given to those who perform with the most agility?
6. What is the satire of this diversion?
7. What is the meaning of Swift’s use of thin, silken threads for these awards?
8. For what does Gulliver use his handkerchief?
9. What is the satire of this entertainment?
10. What is the irony of Gulliver's remark, "I repaired my hand kerchief as well as I could; however, I would not trust to the strength of it any more in such dangerous enterprises"?
11. What do the Lilliputians do when they find Gulliver's hat?
12. What is the satire of this incident?
13. Who draws up the articles of Gulliver's freedom?
14. How does the first paragraph of these articles describe the Emperor of Lilliput?
15. What is the irony of this description?
16. What is the satire of this passage?
17. What are the terms under which Gulliver is set free?
18. How do the Lilliputians arrive at the figure of 1728?
Chapter IV
1. Why does Swift describe the city of Mildendo, the Lilliputian capital, in such detail?
2. What two great difficulties does Reldresal, Principal Secre-tary of Private Affairs, tell Gulliver beset the nation?
3. What is the topical satire of the controversy between the High-Heels and the Low-Heels?
4. What is the universal satire of the political controversy?
5. What is the topical satire of the controversy between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians?
6. What is the universal satire of this controversy?
7. After explaining Lilliput's two problems, what favor does Reldresal ask Gulliver?
Chapter V
1. How does Gulliver conquer fifty of the Blefuscudian war-ships?
2. How does he protect his eyes from the arrows that the Blefuscudians are shooting him with?
3. What award is bestowed to Gulliver by the Lilliputian Em-peror for his ingenious and brave deed?
4. Is the Lilliputian Emperor satisfied with Gulliver's having captured all the enemy's warships?
5. Why is this request important to the plot?
6. Are the Blefuscudians grateful to Gulliver for refusing to reduce them to slavery?
7. How does the attitude of the Emperor toward Gulliver change after this episode?
8. What is the irony of Gulliver's getting into trouble by capturing the Blefuscudian warships and refusing to reduce Blefuscu to slavery?
9. What strange adventure does Gulliver have several weeks after the capture of the fleet?
10. How does Gulliver extinguish the fire?
11. Does the Empress thank Gulliver for saving the palace from being burned?
12. Does this incident hurt Gulliver later?
Chapter VI
1. What are some of the most unusual laws in Lilliput?
2. In selecting people for high government positions, are the Lilliputians more concerned with morals or ability?
3. Can a man hold a public office if he is an atheist?
4. Are these admirable and almost utopian beliefs described by Gulliver in practice by the present Lilliputians?
5. To what does Swift attribute these corruptions?
6. What does this realization of Lilliputian corruptness show about Gulliver?
7. What do the Lilliputians think of ingratitude?
8. Do the Lilliputians believe that children owe gratitude to their parents?
9. Is there much difference between education of noble, eminent males and females?
10. Why do the Lilliputians believe in giving their females a good education?
11. What is the rumor spread throughout Lilliput about Gulliver and Flimnap's wife?
12. How does Gulliver defend himself against this accusation?
13. What is the satire here?
Chapter VII
1. Just before Gulliver is preparing to pay a visit to the Emperor of Blefuscu, what news is brought to him?
2. What are the four counts against Gulliver in the articles of impeachment?
3. How do the Treasurer and the Admiral want to put Gulliver to death?
4. What mercy does Reldresal, Gulliver's friend, urge?
5. What is the satire here?
6. What compromise is made by the King and his cabinet?
7. Who suggests what should be done with Gulliver after he is blinded, and what are his recommendations?
8. What is Swift satirizing in his description of the disposal of Gulliver's body?
9. How are Gulliver's eyes to be put out?
10. What is Swift's satire here?
11. What does Gulliver decide to do after he hears the news of the blinding?
12. Why does he not choose to defend himself, declaring his innocence of the charges made against him?
13. Why does he not use his strength and force to resist the Lilliputians?
14. Why does Swift have Gulliver decide against destroying the Lilliputians?
15. What irony does Swift show in Gulliver's mercy?
16. How does Gulliver escape?
Chapter VIII
1. What does Gulliver discover in Blefuscu that will help him return to England?
2. What action does the Emperor of Lilliput take when he dis-covers that Gulliver, after many days' absence, does not return to Lilliput?
3. What is the satire in the Lilliputian Emperor's action?
4. What is the Blefuscudian Emperor's reply to the Lilliputian Emperor?
5. What is Swift showing us in the Blefuscudian Emperor's reply?
6. What compliment does the Blefuscudian Emperor pay Gulliver?
7. Why does not Gulliver accept this offer?
8. What change does this show in Gulliver?
9. What does the King of Blefuscu give Gulliver at the leave-taking ceremony?
10. What does Gulliver stock his boat with?
11. By whom is Gulliver picked up at sea?
12. How does Gulliver convince the captain and crew that the stories he tells them of Lilliput are true?
13. When Gulliver returns to England, how long has he been away from England?
14. What have we learned from the first book of Gulliver's Travels?
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