Because of his renowned satire, Gulliver’s Travels, Swift was labeled as a misanthrope. This, however, is

far from the truth. Jonathan Swift was a satirist. A satirist cannot be a misanthrope. Thus, deductive

reasoning prevails; Jonathan Swift is a not a misanthrope.

A satire is a piece of writing that exposes fault, may it be society or human nature, exposes fault none the

less. Next, the satire mocks the fault. Lastly, it suggests a better way of doing something. a satirist, one

who writes a satire, cannot be a misanthrope. This statement is true because he is making an effort to

improve the condition of or relinquish the problem. A misanthrope, on the other hand, would make no

attempt to better any condition because he simply hates man. thus, by definition, a satirist cannot be a

misanthrope.

Swift’s satirical masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels, appeared in 1726. Written in four parts, it describes the

travels of Lemuel Gulliver to Lilliput, a land inhabited by tiny people whose size renders all their pompous

activities absurd; to Brogdinnags, a land of roaming giants who are amused when Gulliver tells them

about the glories of England; to Laput and its neighbor Lagado, populated by quack philosophers and

scientists; and to the land of Houhynhnms, where horses behave with reason and men, called Yahoos,

act like uncivilized beasts (“Gulliver’s Travels”).

This satire reveals many faults in society. first of all, Gulliver is symbolic of the citizens of England:

gullible, eager to please, and proud. Another satire is England’s government in part I which is symbolized

by the Lilliputians and all their flaws. Also, Swift takes another shot at England’s government in Part III

where the floating island symbolizes how England never interact with people but instead deals out

punishments and laws without considering the people. Swift also satirizes the complacency of Europe;

that is, the idea that they are the greatest in the universe- the size of the Brogdinnags mirrors this

perfectly. Lastly, the sub-cultures chosen by Swift satirized society’s way of always being drawn towards

the extremes such as the Epicuriansim and savagery of the Yahoo’s and the painful stoicism and

refinement of the Houhynhnms.

Swift completes the satire with a suggestion of how society should be.

The audience, through a basic understanding of this piece, can accept the fact that Gulliver’s Travels is a

satire. Swift, through exposing fault, mocking it and suggesting an alternative, is a satirist. Restating the

fact that a misanthrope cannot be a satirist, Swift is not a misanthrope.