《格列佛游记》英文读后感.pdfVIP

《格列佛游记》英文读后感

OneofthemostinterestingquestionsaboutGulliversTravelsiswhetherthe

Houyhnhnmsrepresentanidealofrationalityorwhetherontheotherhand

theyarethebuttofSwiftssatire.Inotherwords,inBookIV,isSwiftpokingfun

atthetalkinghorsesordoesheintendforustotakethemseriouslyasthe

properwaytoact?IfwelookcloselyatthewaythattheHouyhnhnmsact,we

canseethatinfactSwiftdoesnottakethemseriously:heusesthemtoshow

thedangersofpride.

FirstwehavetoseethatSwiftdoesnoteventakeGullverseriously.For

instance,hisnamesoundsmuchlikegullible,whichsuggeststhathewill

believeanything.Also,whenhefirstseestheYahoosandtheythrow

excrementonhim,herespondsbydoingthesameinreturnuntiltheyrun

away.Hesays,Imustneedsdiscoversomemorerationalbeing,even

thoughasahumanheisalreadythemostrationalbeingthereis.Thisiswhy

SwiftreferstoErasmusDarwinsdiscoveryoftheoriginofthespeciesandthe

voyageoftheBeagle-toshowhowGulliverknowsthatpeopleareatthetopof

thefoodchain.ButifLemuleGulliverissatirized,soaretheHouyhnhnms,

whosevoicessoundlikethecallofcastrati.Theywalkontwolegsinsteadof

four,andseemtobemuchlikepeople.AsGulliversays,Itwaswiththe

utmostastonishmentthatIwitnessedthesecreaturesplayingthefluteand

dancingaVienesewaltz.Tomymind,theyseemedlikethegreatesthumans

everseenincourt,evenmoredextrousthantheLordEdmundBurke.Asthis

quotedemonstrates,Gulliveristerriblyimpressed,buthisadmirationforthe

Houyhnhnmsisshort-livedbecausetheyaresoprideful.Forinstance,the

leaderoftheHouyhnhnmsclaimsthathehasreadalltheworksofCharles

Dickens,andthathecansinglehandedlyrecitethenamesofalltheKingsand

QueensofEnglanduptoGeorgeII.SwiftsubtlyshowsthatthisHouyhnhnms

prideismisplacedwhen,inthemiddleoftheintellectualcompetition,he

forgetsthenameofQueenElizabethshusband.

SwiftssatireoftheHouyhnhnmscomesoutinotherwaysaswell.Oneofthe

mostme