Being one of the most famous satirical pieces in the history of literature, Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, has obvious targets that he makes sure to satirize. From the British-colonized world that Swift lives in, to the government, his satire is not subtle. Particularly in Swift’s time, literature was a powerful tool many authors, especially Swift, use as a political weapon to make people believe as the author does. Literature was one of the only ways to get a point across- there was no television or social media at the time to influence the general public. Using literature as an advantage, Swift, an Irishman- born in Dublin-, publishes Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. He uses satire to inform his audience on the politics of Great Britain. Swift is a popular satirist, and he is famous for Gulliver’s Travels and his many satirical novels and works, such as A Tale of a Tub, The Battle of the Books, and A Modest Proposal. Due to his almost excessive satirical work, he is known as “The Father of Satire.” Gulliver’s Travels is commonly mistaken as a children’s fantasy book. Nonetheless, it is unquestionably a work of satire. His targets of satire in Gulliver’s Travels distinctly connect with the main character of the novel- Lemuel Gulliver- and the politics of England during Swift’s era, and Swift’s take on humankind.
Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon, living in the country of England, important to know when understanding the targets of Swift’s satire. Though he is a