Gulliver's Travels Rhetorical Analysis

The Ancient Art of Corruption

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver's Travels: Part II. A Voyage to Brobdingnag implicitly reveals the corruption taking place in the dawn of the eighteenth century, almost ironically foreshadowing political occurrences taking place in today’s modern age, such as the privatization of prisons in America.

Jonathan Swift grew up in the late seventeenth century. As Collin Wells pointed out, “Jonathan Swift is generally recognized as the English language’s most accomplished prose satirist. Born of an Anglo-Irish family in Dublin” (Wells), Swift acquired significant fame and respect throughout his life. Growing up, Swift worked as a statesman's assistant, which gave him a hands on approach to politics and a firsthand look into the corruption of the eighteenth century. Subsequently, his political influence ended when he returned to Ireland and became Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.

The story takes place in the early 18th century, where Gulliver ends up on an island called Brobdingnag. When stranded on the island, Gulliver learns about the peculiar occupants, giants, that call this strange place home. As the story unfolds, Gulliver notices that he ironically resembles the lower social

Thus creating a further divide between social classes and further bolstering politician’s and business owner’s social positions and ranks, which is frequently present in Gulliver’s Travels. Rebekah Higgitt says, “Meanwhile, the folly of being satisfied simply with the wonder of astronomical prediction, experimental apparatus and exact measurement, while outside people continue to starve, is one we should always be reminded of by the best critics and satirists” (Higgitt). By doing so, she supports the idea that no matter how exceptional Gulliver’s ideas and actions are, he will forever be trapped in the lower social class without any hope of