1 Ii Semester Optional English History of English

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II SEMESTER OPTIONAL ENGLISH HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE---RESTORATION PERIOD QUESTION BANK Prepared by: 1.What marks the beginning of Restoration period? Basavesh B The Restoration of King Charles II. S.S.C.W. 2. When did Charles II return to England? TUMAKURU In 1660. 3. When did Puritan experiment collapse? After Cromwell’s death in 1658. 4. Who returned to England following the restoration of Charles II? Caveliers. 5. What did King Charles II do? He set the tone for the court wits. 6. What did the court wits of the 17th century initiate? They set the tone for dramatic comedy. 7. What was the quickening force in the realm of spiritual ardour? The conflict between personal religion and ecclesiastical tradition. 8. What happened after the fall of Stuart Dynasty? The constitution of parliamentary England and the laws governing its progress were Fixed. 9. Why did the tone of literature change between 1600 and 1660? It changed when thought became more exacting and more laboured and intellectuality was mingled with imagination. 10.What was responsible for the literary transition from the Renaissance to Restoration? The progressive movement of a spirit of liberty. 11. Who was John Wilmot? He was a skilled practitioner of the witty and polished verses. 12. The Restoration wits were known for…………… The amoral wit and stylized hedonism. 13.Who were ridiculed in Restoration comedy? People from the country. 14. What was the salient feature of Restoration literature? It was metropolitan. 15. What happened to the theatre after the restoration of Charles II? The theatre that was closed during the Puritan government was restored. 16. What were the new changes adopted by the new theatre during the Restoration period? It had picture-frame stage, its actresses took female parts, movable scenery and artificialLights were introduced. 17. What did Restoration theatre represent? It represented the stylization of a deliberately cultivated upper-class ethos. 18. Who were the highly popular playwrights of Restoration period?

2 Beaumont and Fletcher 19. Who was the first accomplished practitioner of the Restoration comedy of manners? Sir George Etherege. 20. What did influence the British thought during the latter half of the 17th century? The continental philosophy of enlightenment. 21. What was founded during the age of Dryden? The Royal Society of Science. 22. What did invade the the field of literature during the Restoration period? The scientific spirit. 23. What became the centre of social and political activity during the Restoration period? The Royal Court. 24. Why did the parliament become the seat of authority during the Restoration period? The King was too lazy and too fond of pleasure to take an active interest in government of the country. 25. What influenced the morals, manners and tastes of the Restoration Period? Aristocracy. 26. What did the aristocrats of the 18th century cultivate? Like Charles II, they too cultivated a taste for all things French; French manners, theatre and literature. 27. Who was the versatile genius of the Restoration literature? John Dryden. 28. Who was John Dryden? He was a dramatist, critic and translator. 29. Who is considered as the father of modern English prose? John Dryden. 30. Mention the two satires of Dryden. Asalom and Achitophel ; The Medal 31. What was the main genre of Restoration literature? Satire. 32. Whom did Dryden sympathise? Tories. 33. Where did Dryden’s perfect mastery lay? In the use of Heroic Couplet. 34. What did the party spirit replace during the Restoration period? Religious zeel. 35. Name the three poets who developed new literature from the old during the Restoration period. Waller, Sir John Denham and Andrew Marvell. 36. Who exposed the hypocrisies of Puritanism? Samuel Butler. 37. Mention the mock-heroic poem of Samuel Butler. Hudibras. 38. What does Hudibras deal with? It dealt with the pretentions and hypocrisies of the Presbyterians, independents and the rest of the ‘Caterwauling brethren’.

3 39. What was the intention of the ‘Caterwauling Brethern? Styling themselves as saints, they helped to overthrow the monarchy and hoped to Establish a sectarian tyranny of which they should be the leaders. 40. What is significant about ‘Hudibras’? It strikes one as a unique poem, racily English and acutely critical, not only of its age, but of hypocrisy of all ages. 41. When did modern English drama begin? It began with the Restoration of 1660. 42. What did the ordinance of 2September 1642 decree? “ Publike stage-players shall cease, and bee forborne”. 43. What did the ordinance of 2 September mark? It marked the end of the great dramatic era which had risen to full height in Shakespeare. 44. What did lead to the establishment of two ‘ Patent theatre’? The letter patent issued by Charles II on 21 August 1660. 45. What distinguished the Restoration theatre from Elizabethan theatre in stage Presentation? It adapted movable scenery and introduced women as actors. 46. Mention any two differences between Elizabethan and Restoration drama.

Elizabethan drama Restoration drama 1.Spontaneous and original 1. Artificial and imitative 2. Creative 2. Imitative 3. Interprets character 3. Reproduces characteristics 4. Adapted material from various sources 4. Borrowed manner as well as matter from Continental manners. 5. National 5. Local.

47. What did the Comedy in Dryden’s age represent? The life of the court. 48. Mention any two salient features of Restoration Drama. 1. Restoration drama lacks breath and scope. 2. It lacks depth of feeling and height of poetic imagination. 3. Comedy abandons poetry for prose. 4. Romantic comedy yields to the comedy of manners. 5. Common sense replaces poetic sensibility. 6. Wit is more common than humour. 7. The intellectual faculties are exalted above the emotional. 49. Name the philosophers of the 18th century. Hobbes and Locke 50. Who was the leading scientist of the 18th century. Newton. 51. What was symbolized by Heroic tragedy. It symbolized the longing of the age for an idealism. 52. What is Comedy of Manners?

1.Comedy of Manners is cynical, elegant and witty, almost as if it were the amoral realism of courtly life. 2 It is a rude play that shows a fairly narrow range of society with its citizens, aldermen, soldiers, clergymen and the occasional doctor. 53. Who was the earliest writer of Comedy of Manners? Sir George Etherege. 54. Mention any two comedies of George Etherege. ‘The Comical Revenge’,’ She Would if She Could’. ‘The Man of Mode’. 55. Who wrote ‘Love in a Wood’ and ‘The Country Wife’? William Wycherley. 56. Who was the last and the greatest Restoration writer of comedy? William Congreve. 57. Mention any two plays of William Congreve. ‘The Old Bachelor’, ‘The Double Dealer’, ‘Love for Love’, ‘The Mourning Bride’, The Way of the World’. 58. Who was the great apologist of Restoration drama? Charles Lamb. 59. How does Charles Lamb defend Restoration Drama? He says that it is artificial and fanciful , therefore harmless. 60. What did lead to the pamphlet warfare? Jeremy Collier’s attack on Comedy of Manners in 1698 through his ’Short view of the Profaneness and immorality of the English stage’. 61. Who was Sir John Vanbrugh? He was an architect and a dramatist. 62. Who wrote ‘The Provoked Wife’? Sir John Vanbrugh. 63. Congreve is known for…………………. His wit. 64. Who wrote Tragic-Comedies? Beaumont and Fletcher. 65. Which work introduced a taste for musical entertainment at the end of the 18th Century? Davenant’s ‘Siege of Rhodes’. 66. What was introduced at the end of the 18th century? The Italian Operas of the regular type. 67. What was the most distinctive type of the play developed during the Restoration Period? The Heroic Tragedy. 68. How did Dryden look at Heroic –Tragedy? For him Heroic play is a tragedy which must have a noble theme, and noble expression, by which he means the heroic couplet. 69. What according to Dryden should be the motives of action in a Heroic play? He states that love and valour and honour must be the motives of the action. 70. Dryden was influenced by…………………………

5 The French prose romances. 71.Mention Roger Boyle’s heroic tragedies. Henry V, The Black Prince. 72. Who composed ‘Aureng-Zebe’ ? John Dryden. 73. Who wrote rhymed tragedies? Thomas Otway. 74. Name the woman playwright of the 18th century. Mrs. AphraBehn. 75. Who wrote ‘The Essay of Dramatic Poesy’? John Dryden. 76. What did the scientists of the 18th century encourage? Simplicity in prose. 77. Mention one of the greatest work of John Locke. “ An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. 78. What distinguishes Hobbe’s prose from Locke’s? Hobbes has a strange acrid beauty in his prose, but Locke has lucidity without Charm. 79. Who was the most famous prose writer of the late 17TH century? Samuel Pepys. 80. What did Pepys reveal in his diary? He revealed the other Pepys, privately for his own eye and without shame, his Pleasures and vanities, his philanderings, and the details of each passing day. 81. Who wrote the “ History of the Rebellion”? Edward Hyde. 82. Name the novelist who contributed to establish English journalism? Daniel Defoe. 83. Who were the two great essayists of the 18th century? Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. 84. What did Classicism in art aim at? Classicism in art sought to invest the universal with beauty. 85. What were the essential elements of Classicism? Restraint, simplicity, serenity and repose. 86. Classicism is……………………….. Objective. 87. Mention any two outstanding qualities of the neo-classical literary mind. Restraint, propriety, an absence of emphasis on intellectual matters, a consideration for others in conduct a willingness to subordinate what is merely personal or a matter of self-impression, a sense of proportion, the Avoidance of mere display, the conscious imitation of the best models. 88. The Augustan age covers the period between ……………………………….. 1660-1745. 89. Why was the period between 1660 and 1745 called the Augustan age? Just as the age of Augustus was the golden age of Latin literature, so also the period between 1660 and 1745 represented the golden age of English literature. 90. What did party politics do during the Augustan age?

6 It degraded the general tone of political life and led to a general decay in national Feeling. 91. How was literature regarded during the reign of Queen Anne? It was regarded as a political instrument and an intellectual stimulant. 92. What is the essence of Augustan literature? It is integrated with social life and treats , in natural idiom the interest of man In society 93. What was the concern of the political thought during the Augustan age? It was concerned with the needs of normal man. 94. What was evident in every sphere of thought during the Augustan age? Philosophical Newtonism. 95. What did influence the thought of the Augustan age? The rationalism of Locke 96. Who was the self-taught genius of the Neo-Classical age? Alexander Pope. 97. Who wrote “The Essay on Criticism” and “The Rape of the Lock”? Alexander Pope. 98. What did Alexander Pope give to English literature? He gave it order and movement. 99.What is characteristic of Pope’s Satiric poetry? It is didactic. 100. What was Pope’s achievement? He perfected the heroic couplet. 101. What invaded English poetry during the 18TH CENTURY? Sentimentalism 102. Poetry of sentiment gave prominence to……………………. The emotional theme of Nature. 103. What was characteristic of the poetry of sentiment? A note of melancholy. 104. Who were the representatives of the poetry of sentiment? William Collins and Thomas Gray. 105. Why do we consider the last three decades of the 18th century as a separate age? It was because of the awakening of imagination, the feeling for the past, the Thirst for the picturesque, and the longing to probe the mysterious. 106.Who are the two leading pre-romantic poets? William Blake and Robert Burns. 107. Who wrote the songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience? William Blake. 108. What was Robert Burns’ background? Scottish. 109. What did Robert Burns condemn in his poems? He revolted against the sanctimonious hypocrisy of the religions and social Barriers that divided man from man. 110. What does Robert Burns’ poetry reflect? His poetry reflects his private life, his friendship, his love affairs, his marriage And his paternal feelings.

1 BELINDA’S TOILET

ALEXANDER POPE

Alexander Pope, the dominant poetic figure among the Augustans, reflects the social tone of the urban literary world of his day. Bon of Catholic parents, he was denied a formal education both in schools and the universities. Therefore he was a completely self taught genius. He chose special poetic themes. They are either satirical, or didactic, or even literary criticism. He was not a great philosophical systematizer. But he succeeded in his satiric and didactic intentions by his mastery of form.

“The Rape of the Lock” belongs to that species of composition called ‘mock-epics’. This is Pope’s masterpiece, and one of the greatest poems of the neo-classical age. The essential action of “The Rape of the Lock” revolves around Lord Petre’s cutting off a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor’s hair(Belinda of the poem). The five Cantos, in brief, deal with Belinda at her toilet, a game of Ombre, the snipping of the lock while Belinda sips her coffee, the wrath of Belinda, her demand that the lock be restored, and the final wafting of the lock as a new star to adorn the skies. The peculiar force of Pope’s mock-heroic treatment lies in the discrepancy between a truly epic grandeur of treatment and the comic triviality of the things presented. The more trivial an episode, the more dignified its style of treatment. An example is the description of Belinda’s toilet.

The exaltation of Belinda into something more than mortal is to be seen when she is at her toilet. The episode is described in such a way, that parodies a religious ritual. There is drama in the opening line of the passage, with the sudden unveiling of Belinda’s dressing table. The ‘unveil’d’ hints that the toilet has an altar like quality. The Cosmetic pots are set out like sacred vessels. The perfumes and ointment are laid in “mystic order”. Belinda, ‘rob’d in white like a priestess, “adores” those wonderful powers that enhance a woman’s loveliness. As if in response to her adoration a ‘heavenly Image’ appears and the rites begin. It is her own reflection which becomes the goddess. The ritual formality appropriate to a religious ceremony is seen in the activities of the maid and in the movements of Belinda herself: “ From each she nicely culls with curious toil To that she bends, to that her eyes she rears.” The repetition of “to that” suggests incantation. “The casket...... box” These lines with their incantatory tone and their heavy and dignified movement embrace all the world in their cosmic sweep.The couplet also suggests that all the nations have been plundered so that Belinda might appear even more lovely. Like a true epic hero, who arms himself only with the best the world has to offer, Belinda dons the “offerings of the world”. Even nature co- operates, the ivory of the elephant and the shell of a tortoise are magically transformed into combs for Belinda.

This passage is very complex in its effects.There is a comic element in the very elevation of such an ordinary event. Putting on makeup is described on a par with religious ceremony. The comic element is also present in the ridiculously round about descriptions of the dressing-table items. At the same time, it makes clear the importance attached by society ladies to the appearance they put forth and suggests the falsity of their values. There is a brilliant subtlety in the simple line, “ puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, Billet-doux”. It makes us laugh at the ridiculous conglomeration of objects. It also suggests that in Belinda’s scale of values the items are of about equal importance. The alliteration on ‘p’ and ‘b’ is significant in creating this effect. Finally Belinda herself is referred to as a goddess arming for battle. “ Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms” Here she is transformed into the young lady of fashion ready to make her conquests. The Sylphs, the mock-epic counterpart of real epic gods and goddesses, help arm Belinda. Just as an epic hero has the aid of supernatural beings, so the Sylphs led by Ariel, put the final touches on Belinda’s beautification, but ,”Betty’s praised for labours not her own”. Belinda’s rites are of pride, and pride, especially as developed in this poem, is excessive self- admiration. It is opposed to love because love is primarily a feeling for someone else. Belinda is in some sense, a goddess, the personification of beauty. She is not merely denigrated and belittled by the satire because she has battles to face.

A SONG FOR St.CECILIA’S DAY------JOHN DRYDEN

John Dryden was a poet,critic, satirist and dramatist of the 17th century. ‘A Song for St.Cecilia’s Day’ was written for performance with orchestra, to celebrate the festival of St. Cecilia’s Day (Nov. 22)in 1687. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. There are legends of her attracting an angel to earth by her singing and she even came to be spoken of as the inventor of the organ.

It is a formal and ceremonial poem. It is an ode. Originally an ode was a poem or choral song sung to the accompaniment of musical instrument.It is a lyric poem, “dignified, or exalted in subject, feeling and style”. Dryden’s ode is rhetorical rather than lyrical in feeling. The central idea of the poem is that the whole universe is a stage. It was created by the power of music and will be dissolved by the music of the last trumpet.The music thus connects the two ends of creation and destruction.

The poem begins with the description of the role played by the music in the beginning of creation. It opens with a great declamatory statement: “ From Harmony, from Heav’nly Harmony This universal frame began”: The repetition of the word ’harmony’ emphasises the power of music. The use of the adjective ‘heavenly’ qualifies and expands the meaning of ‘harmony’. It is the greatest and the most universal kind of harmony. ‘Universal frame’ suggests the total universal pattern. It also

3 suggests the truth that harmony is an essential quality of the universal frame. This kind of word-order is an essential quality of the rhetorical poetry.

Then Dryden describes the process of creation. At the beginning, the ‘jarring atoms’ of Nature were lying scattered in a chaotic manner. Nature was unable to raise her head. Then the harmonizing power of music brought together all the elements of nature to create the universe. The theory that the universe is composed of four elements (-cold, hot, moist and dry) was first propounded by Epicurus.Dryden says that these elements act in a spontaneous way but are obedient to the organizing power of music. The lines, “Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in man”. expose the culminating position of man in the creation. Inanimate nature has been evolved into Man, the summit of the creation. It is man who brings the music to a close. Hence, the cycle which started with nature in line 3 closes with Man at the end of the stanza. The last couplet adds gravity, poise and completion to the stanza as a whole.

The second section consisting of lines 16 to 47 poses a question about the power of music— “What passion cannot Music raise and quell!” This section deals with human passions and the tremendous impact of music on these passions. Music imposes order over disorder. There is a reference to the Biblical Jubal. According to the Bible, Jubal was the first musician who represented the elemental force of primitive music. The poet imagines him with his “corded shell” performing a primeval ceremony of public worship.

“His listening brethern stood around And, wondering, on their faces fell To worship that celestial sound.” They stood around him in admiration. Soon the admiration turns into complete devotion. They surrender to the music of the shell as the abode of some god. In the following lines, “ The trumpet’s loud clanger Excites us to arms,” the poet draws our attention to the violent passion in man. The rhythm of the poem changes according to the martial notes of trumpet and drum. Tripple use of ‘double’ suggests the urgency often seen in war. Here sound becomes a vehicle of sense. In “The soft complaining flute ...... The woes of hopeless lovers” the poet talks about the woes of disappointed lovers. The dejection and melancholy of the lovers is expressed in ‘dying notes’. The following lines are in perfect contrast with the ‘duller notes’. Dryden here refers to the more violent love emotions of jealousy, anger and dejection. The central idea here is the adoration of the organ, the instrument of divine worship. It is

4 beyond any art of human voice to praise it. The notes of this organ lead to ‘holy love’ and ‘ heavenly ways’.Thus Dryden illustrates the effect of music on human passions with reference to worship, martial courage, unrequited love, jealousy and religious feeling.

The last section (lines-48 to 63) introduces St.Cecilia. A comparison is made between St.Cecilia and Orpheus. Orpheus was the great classical singer who could control both man and nature through his music. ‘The savage race’ and ‘trees’ represent undisciplined nature. Yet they were tamed by the music of Orpheus. But Cecilia does more than Orpheus. The music that emanated from Cecilia’s organ was so marvellous that an angel mistook the earth for heaven. Thus Dryden establishes the superiority of Christian musical power of St.Cecilia over the pagan musical power of Orpheus.

Dryden concludes the poem with grand chorus. The power of music made the spheres resound: similarly the end of the universe will be announced by the powerful beat of the trumpet. “ The trumpet shall be heard on high, The dead shall live, the living die, And music shall untune the sky.” The poem ends with a prophecy that as the universe was created from the power generated out of the musical harmony, so the universe will cease to exist with the end of that harmony.

ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD Thomas Gray

5 of the evening is occasionally disturbed by the ‘tinkling of the cattle’, ‘the drone of the beetle’, and the ‘ sound of an owl’. The still evening suits the poet’s meditative mood. The fields are deserted and the poet is left alone to his thoughts. ‘The moping owl’ strikes an ominous note as the poet moves on to talk about the dead and buried peasants. He says that nothing can wake them up. He laments that they cannot enjoy the pleasures of family life again. The dead are simple village folk. They enjoyed farming while living, “ Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield; Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; How jocund did they drive their team afield! How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!” Then the poet cautions the rich not to mock at them for their humble existence. He reminds those who look down upon the poor, that death is a great leveller Everyone irrespective of his wealth, status, beauty and glory has to succumb to the final blow of death. He adds that nothing can make man immortal. The poet meditates on the dead with nobility and wonder. He says that the graves in the Churchyard may have the people of great worth and dignity in them. By apostrophising the rich who want to be remembered even in their death, he reminds them that these poor remained so not because of lack of talent, but because the doors of opportunity were not opened to them. He laments that the poor village folk were not able to obtain the knowledge of the world. “ But knowledge to their eyes her ample page, Rich with the spoils of time, did ne’er unroll; Chill penury repressed their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul.” In these and the following few lines, the poet laments their lot and explains how their poverty stood in their way and blocked their way to glory and greatness. The use of personification and metaphor is very significant in these lines. Their desires and noble ambitions were defeated by their poverty. The poet continues to mourn their misfortunes. He compares them to the gems that were ‘ never found’, and the flowers that were never seen or smelled. He wonders that there could be worthy people like Milton, John Hampden or some noble politician among the buried. But due to their poverty, they were not able to make a mark on the world. The poet goes on to speculate that poverty might have stopped some of the dead from doing evil. As a result, they were free from the guilt of shedding blood like Cromwell. They remained far from the “ ignoble strife” of the world. Here Gray applauds them for being morally superior to others. They lived away from the city. They remained innocent, kind and honest throughout their lives. Their poverty kept them away from the vices of the civilized world. They lived in the quiet corner of the countryside. They were free from the confusing bustle and unworthy struggle for money and power. They led a quiet life in their calm abodes, never deviating from the path of virtue or decency. The poet feels that even these unfortunate men deserve homage. Their tombs with unpolished verses inscribed on them deserve a sigh or a tear. The poet speaks of the wrongly spelt inscriptions upon the tomb-stones of the dead poor. “ Yet ev’n these bones, from insult to protect,

6 Some frail memorial still erected nigh, With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked, Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.” The poet muses on the pain of death. No one can go away from the earth without having a last look at what he is leaving behind. Even after a man is dead and buried, he wishes to be remembered. No human desire is completely quenched, even if the body is reduced to ashes. “On some fond breast the parting soul relies, Some pious drops the closing eye requires; Ev’n from the tomb the voice of Nature cries, Ev’n in our ashes live their wonted fires.” In the succeeding lines the poet speaks of himself. Reflecting upon his own death, the poet feels that just as he remembered the poor peasants, somebody else, some ‘ hoary-headed swain’ perhaps would mourn his death. He imagines an old farmer who would say that he has seen him roaming in the countryside. The farmer would describe him as a man who is neither poor nor a man of noble achievement. He would remember him as a wanderer who meets the sun at dawn and later lies by a tree gazing listlessly at a brook. The poet thinks that he would be seen by the farmer as a lunatic or a hopeless lover. Here Gray, in his fancy, resembles the one whom the 19th century people called a poet. He fancies himself to be remembered as a man of sensibility, who does not fit into the schemes of the world. Gray speaks of his own funeral songs and finally sings his own epitaph. In his epitaph he wishes that his grave would be “ upon the lap of Earth.” He wants to be remembered after his death as a man unknown to fortune and fame. Despite his humble birth, he was well educated. He was a poet and a scholar. “ Fair science frowned not on his humble birth, And melancholy marked him for her own.” Yet he was often depressed. But since he was generous and sincere, heaven gave him a friend. His good qualities were honoured by God. Even though he was not honoured by the world, he was compensated by Heaven. At the end of the poem, he asks the reader not to ask him about his virtues or follies but to leave him to his repose. The poem closes with the hope of an orthodox heaven. “ No farther seek his merits to disclose, Or his frailties from their dread abode, (There they alike in trembling hope repose,) The bosom of his Father and his God.”

------Basavesh B------

THE TIGER William Blake

The Tiger is a companion poem to ‘The Lamb’. If the lamb is a symbol of innocence and beauty, the tiger is a symbol of restlessness and fierceness. The Tiger symbolizes the natural energies. Here Blake talks about God’s power of creation. While glorifying God’s creation, Blake presents the awe and wonder associated with it. The poem is replete with rhetorical questions. Each question reinforces a symbol, an image. These symbols effectively give expression to the elemental forces present in nature. The poet addresses the Tiger, who is burning bright in the forest with a series of questions. The question in the opening stanza, “ What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” establishes the supreme power of God. The Tiger becomes a symbol of burning quality. ‘The forests of the night’, symbolize ignorance, repression and superstition. Fire is a purifying device. Transformation is not possible without purification. The burning Tiger also epitomises the wrath of God towards Satan and his companions. The fire that is associated with tiger is the eternal force of God. The paradox in “fearful symmetry”, is worth noting. God’s power of creation is evident in this. The fire that burns in the eyes of the Tiger is beyond the natural order. The poet wonders that God might have fetched it either from the volcanoes or from the distant skies. Because, ordinary hand cannot seize such fire. The poet exclaims at the dreadful mould of the tiger. With a strong conviction, he asserts that no ordinary creator could create it. Hammer, chain, furnace, anvil, are all symbols of God’s power of creation. In stanza five, God has been equated to the blacksmith. In Blake’s mythology, the divine blacksmith is Los. The stars threw down their spears and fled naked away. After the rebel angels, acknowledged their defeat, God created our world including the animals. According to Gardner, stars are the symbols of material power. Now the creator becomes the god of innocence and smiles upon the triumph of lamb. The symbolism of night implicit in the tiger, is used to express the triumph of innocence over experience. The lines; “ Did he smile his work to see ? Did he who made the Lamb make thee ?” remind the reader that the Tiger and the Lamb have been created by God. They leave us to awe at the complexity of God’s creation. The same God who made the gentle lamb has also made the frightening tiger. Together, they establish the power of God. The creation is at the will of God. With the triumph of Lamb, the rebellion is brought to harmony. ------Basavesh B------

ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD Thomas Gray

Thomas Gray was one of the most famous English poets of his era. His much anthologised poem Elegy written in a country Churchyard is an elegy in name but not in form. An elegy is usually a lament for the dead. But Gray’s elegy lacks many standard features of the elegy, like an invocation, mourners, flowers and shepherds. It does not emphasize the loss like other elegies. Yet it contains certain thematic elements of the elegiac genre. This elegy mourns not the death of a friend but the death of poor people in general. The life of the poor is contrasted and then compared with that of the rich, in order to drive home the truth that death levels all. It emphasizes the truth, “the paths of glory lead but to the grave.” It is a meditation on death and remembrance after death. The poet muses over the simple village folk buried in the Churchyard. The poem follows the two poetic traditions of the day. They are the elegiac tradition and the landscape tradition. The poem begins with the poet meditating on the surrounding landscape. The poet who is away from the city is looking out from a country Churchyard at the panorama of rural life. Gradually the sounds and sights of this rural life fade away. It is twilight. The first line, “ The curfew tolls the knell of parting day;” introduces the metaphor of life and death. It draws us to the centre of solitude tinged with melancholy. The landscape described by the poet is beautiful, but it lacks the colour of happiness. The transferred epithet in “ The ploughman homeward plods his weary way”, not only reflects the end of a day but also introduces a sense of dullness. The solitude and stillness of the evening is occasionally disturbed by the ‘tinkling of the cattle’, ‘the drone of the beetle’, and the ‘ sound of an owl’. The still evening suits the poet’s meditative mood. The fields are deserted and the poet is left alone to his thoughts. ‘The moping owl’ strikes an ominous note as the poet moves on to talk about the dead and buried peasants. He says that nothing can wake them up. He laments that they cannot enjoy the pleasures of family life again. The dead are simple village folk. They enjoyed farming while living, “ Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield; Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; How jocund did they drive their team afield! How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!” Then the poet cautions the rich not to mock at them for their humble existence. He reminds those who look down upon the poor, that death is a great leveller Everyone irrespective of his wealth, status, beauty and glory has to succumb to the final blow of death. He adds that nothing can make man immortal. The poet meditates on the dead with nobility and wonder. He says that the graves in the Churchyard may have the people of great worth and dignity in them. By apostrophising the rich who want to be remembered even in their death, he reminds them that these poor remained so not because of lack of talent, but because the doors of opportunity were not opened to them. He laments that the poor village folk were not able to obtain the knowledge of the world. “ But knowledge to their eyes her ample page, Rich with the spoils of time, did ne’er unroll; Chill penury repressed their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul.” In these and the following few lines, the poet laments their lot and explains how their poverty stood in their way and blocked their way to glory and greatness. The use of personification and metaphor is very significant in these lines. Their desires and noble ambitions were defeated by their poverty. The poet continues to mourn their misfortunes. He compares them to the gems that were ‘ never found’, and the flowers that were never seen or smelled. He wonders that there could be worthy people like Milton, John Hampden or some noble politician among the buried. But due to their poverty, they were not able to make a mark on the world. The poet goes on to speculate that poverty might have stopped some of the dead from doing evil. As a result, they were free from the guilt of shedding blood like Cromwell. They remained far from the “ ignoble strife” of the world. Here Gray applauds them for being morally superior to others. They lived away from the city. They remained innocent, kind and honest throughout their lives. Their poverty kept them away from the vices of the civilized world. They lived in the quiet corner of the countryside. They were free from the confusing bustle and unworthy struggle for money and power. They led a quiet life in their calm abodes, never deviating from the path of virtue or decency. The poet feels that even these unfortunate men deserve homage. Their tombs with unpolished verses inscribed on them deserve a sigh or a tear. The poet speaks of the wrongly spelt inscriptions upon the tomb-stones of the dead poor. “ Yet ev’n these bones, from insult to protect, Some frail memorial still erected nigh, With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked, Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.” The poet muses on the pain of death. No one can go away from the earth without having a last look at what he is leaving behind. Even after a man is dead and buried, he wishes to be remembered. No human desire is completely quenched, even if the body is reduced to ashes. “On some fond breast the parting soul relies, Some pious drops the closing eye requires; Ev’n from the tomb the voice of Nature cries, Ev’n in our ashes live their wonted fires.” In the succeeding lines the poet speaks of himself. Reflecting upon his own death, the poet feels that just as he remembered the poor peasants, somebody else, some ‘ hoary-headed swain’ perhaps would mourn his death. He imagines an old farmer who would say that he has seen him roaming in the countryside. The farmer would describe him as a man who is neither poor nor a man of noble achievement. He would remember him as a wanderer who meets the sun at dawn and later lies by a tree gazing listlessly at a brook. The poet thinks that he would be seen by the farmer as a lunatic or a hopeless lover. Here Gray, in his fancy, resembles the one whom the 19th century people called a poet. He fancies himself to be remembered as a man of sensibility, who does not fit into the schemes of the world. Gray speaks of his own funeral songs and finally sings his own epitaph. In his epitaph he wishes that his grave would be “ upon the lap of Earth.” He wants to be remembered after his death as a man unknown to fortune and fame. Despite his humble birth, he was well educated. He was a poet and a scholar. “ Fair science frowned not on his humble birth, And melancholy marked him for her own.” Yet he was often depressed. But since he was generous and sincere, heaven gave him a friend. His good qualities were honoured by God. Even though he was not honoured by the world, he was compensated by Heaven. At the end of the poem, he asks the reader not to ask him about his virtues or follies but to leave him to his repose. The poem closes with the hope of an orthodox heaven. “ No farther seek his merits to disclose, Or his frailties from their dread abode, (There they alike in trembling hope repose,) The bosom of his Father and his God.”

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THE TIGER William Blake

Deception and disguise- devoted to urban, aristocratic of the period-represents the follies humorously- sexual comedy: extra marital and pre-marital affairs are quite common and happen regularly- not concerned with either moral implications or deep emotions but with superficial understanding of courtiers- this kind of drama could not continue and replaced by the more genteel, sensual comedy of 19 century.

Wit is a mental faculty whereas humour is inborn. Wit and humour transcended the looseness of the plot- it marked the end of Congreve’s writing career.

Dramatic irony- the audience are better informed about the action of the play than the actors on stage. Ex: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus kills his own father and marries his mother unknowing but the audience are aware of the facts.

Social status and money are the chief concerns of the play. Money is everything- combines social criticism with light hearted humour representing the best and the worst. Source of humour often emerges from the eccentricity of manners and social setting. Here morality takes the back seat.

Names of the characters are given consciously by the writer according to their traits; witwoud- somebody who wants to be witty and impress people with their linguistic skills; Fainall—pretentious, superficial, would be saying something and doing something; Petulant—does not have control over – impatient, angry; Waitwell—servant who really waits well. Mirabell- man of fashion, a dashing personality. He is sensible, clever, irresistably handsome, extremely manipulative

The play is like a game. Let’s go and play, enjoy it; conspiracy is there, seriousness is there- take it. If you try to quote principles, morality, then one can’t be playful—that is the message of the play.

There is a conflict between appearance and reality.

Way of the world is a 5 Act play, quite elaborate and with a complicated plot.

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William Congreve is the last major writer of Restoration drama- 1660- Charles II. Renaissance drama is serious, respectable. On the other hand, Restoration drama is bankrupt; plots and sub plots are complicated. The use of sub plots are quite common at that time to advance, to complicate the plot and to provide an amusig foil. Main plot—Mirabell and Millamant’s marriage and Lady Wishfort’s obstruction for it. Sub plot—Mirabell’s plan to get Millamant. Lady Wishfort thinks that willam Witwoud would be the suitable person for Millamant.

The play is characterised by typical features of Comedy of Manners; sexual intrigues, deceptions, witty dialogues, inter- generational conflicts and a mercenery (concerned with the making of money at the expense of ethics) attitude to relationships. It represented the follies and absurdities of social coduct. The play is not a satire because it is not aimed at improvement. They were all doing whatever they did All relationships are based/ calculated on how much wealth they get rather than what they feel about the relationship. But Mirabell and Millamant’s relationship is an exception. They have both money and affection as central to their relationship. All characters practise sexual deception at which we laugh at. The play reflects the social realities of contemporary English upper classes where material concerns govern relationships but also presents the possibility of love and romance within such a world. The writer reflects the evils, eccentricities of society. Mirabell and Millamant are honest to each other; others are seen lusting after money. Lady Wishfort is deceived both by Mirabell and Fainall. On the basis of crucial information , she is unaware of: that Rowland is only a servant in disguise and Mrs Fainall had a pre-marital affair. When the characters try to deceive others, thinking that they only know the information- dramatic irony- unrevealed till the end.

Mirabell’s plot- servant waitwell disguising to deceive Lady Wishfort. Another small subplot involves Sir Wilful Witwoud who is potentially Mirabell’s rival for Millamant’s hand, but whom Fainall gets drunk and thus indirectly clears the way for the union of Mirabell and Millamant. The final resolution of the main action is achieved through the dramatic force of the subplots. The intricate plot dealt with lifestyles of rich, fashionable and courtly. It is devoted to urban aristocratic life.

Everybody is cheating everybody else. All of them are doing this in an atmosphere of wit and humour. They were all doing whatever they did. It showed us their follies but not necessarily directed at moral improvement. So lot of sexual comedy takes place over here- pre marital, extra marital.

Sexual tension and intrigue, disguise and deceptions were some of the standard tropes employed. Focus- on superficial manners of the upper class.

Towards the end of 17th century, public taste turned against the open immorality of the comedy of manners and towards more genteel sentimental middle class drama.

Mirabell is the legal executor of Mrs Fainall’s fortune. Characterisation looks stereo. typical, still have individual traits. Mirabell is the hero of the play, typical restoration beau: clever, manipulative, polished and cynical. While he can be selfish and ruthless, also capable of self-reflection and true feeling which he demonstrates brilliantly in courting Millamant. Mirabell had an affair with Arabella, suspecting pregnancy, he marries her off to Fainall (antagonist- no redeeming quality), a corrupt figure- acts as a foil to Mirabell.

Millamant- charming, pretty, self- possessed. Not as major a role as Mirabell. Both of them believe that money is essential (love conquers all). Both are not ready to forsake the financial benefit even for their love sake. Between the we see the refinement of conduct.

Lady Wishfort is portrayed as a disillusioned woman, deceived in herself and fails to judge others around her. Ex: Mirabell courting her- fails to realise his hidden intention. Women are seen as victims of men in their life. Mrs. Marwood ready to entice Mirabell in any way. Mrs Faiall already transferred her property rights to Mirabell. The minor women characters- Mrs Marwoos and Mrs Fainall lack financial security and are therefore subject to the ploys of the men in their lives. Antagonist Fainall is a corrupt version of Mirabell, just as manipulative as him but lacking in his refinement and capacity for true feeling. Gulliver’s Travels

Part 1 – Voyage to Lilliput

Plot Overview:- Part -1

Gulliver’s Travels recounts the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a practical-minded Englishman trained as a surgeon who takes to the seas when his business fails. In a deadpan first-person narrative that rarely shows any signs of self-reflection or deep emotional response, Gulliver narrates the adventures that befall him on these travels.

Gulliver’s adventure in Lilliput begins when he wakes after his shipwreck to find himself bound by innumerable tiny threads and addressed by tiny captors who are in awe of him but fiercely protective of their kingdom. They are not afraid to use violence against Gulliver, though their arrows are little more than pinpricks. But overall, they are hospitable, risking famine in their land by feeding Gulliver, who consumes more food than a thousand Lilliputians combined could. Gulliver is taken into the capital city by a vast wagon the Lilliputians have specially built. He is presented to the emperor, who is entertained by Gulliver, just as Gulliver is flattered by the attention of royalty. Eventually Gulliver becomes a national resource, used by the army in its war against the people of Blefuscu, whom the Lilliputians hate for doctrinal differences concerning the proper way to crack eggs. But things change when Gulliver is convicted of treason for putting out a fire in the royal palace with his urine and is condemned to be shot in the eyes and starved to death. Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu, where he is able to repair a boat he finds and set sail for England.

Characters

Lemuel Gulliver A traveler and an adventurer. Gulliver is the protagonist of the Travels. He is an observer of other beings and other cultures.

Golbasto Momaren Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue The Emperor of Lilliput. Swift uses the Emperor as an example of rulers who must always have some type of support before making a decision.

Flimnap Lord High Treasurer of Lilliput.

Reldresal A Lilliputian councilor, Principal Secretary of Private Affairs.

Skyresh Bolgolam High admiral of Lilliput, a counselor of the Emperor.

Slamecksan and Tramecksan Lilliputian political parties. The first represents the Low Heels; the second represents the High Heels.

Chapter wise Summary

Chapter 1 Summary Lemeul Gulliver was the third of five sons of a small land owner in Nottinghamshire. When fourteen, Gulliver was sent to Emanuel College in Cambridge for studies for three years. For next four years, he served as a bound apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent surgeon in London. Then he studied medicine and later went on several voyages to fulfill his dream to travel. Later, he settled down in London and married Edmund Burton’s second daughter, Mary, and received a handsome dowry. As his medical profession wasn’t successful, he took up a surgeon’s job on a ship-captain William Prichard offered him to accompany him on a voyage and they set, from Bristol on May 4, 1699. Initially, the voyage was prosperous but later, the ship got wrecked. Gulliver managed to swim ashore and being tired, soon felt asleep. When he woke up he found himself tied up in chains. Several six inches tall human creatures were standing near his chin with their spears and arrows shooting at him. Soon, as their king ordered, they offered him food and drinks with complete hospitality. As these people were great mathematicians, they somehow managed to take this giant to their king through a carriage. Then they all took him to the temple and released him of his chains and locks.

Chapter 2 – Summary

As soon as Gulliver reached the metropolis, he was struck between the difficulty of shame and urgency i.e., he felt the need to urinate. Soon he unloaded himself of this problem. Then he saw the Emperor coming towards him to have a close look of the man-mountain. The prince and princess too sat down at a distance as curiosity drawn out of somewhere for everyone. The emperor made every effort to talk to him but neither could understand each other. In the meantime, a crowd too gathered around to see him and some people shot arrows at him. Gulliver also tired to control the mob by picking and keeping them aside. Later, the Emperor consulted his courtiers, deciding not to kill Gulliver but give him utmost attention and proper care. He arranged for learned men to teach him their language, and provided bedding, house, food, etc., for him. As per the law of the Lilliputians, Gulliver was then searched thoroughly. His swords and pistols were taken away from him but his watch was something unique for them. His spectacles remained with him in his private pocket. They named him Quinbus Flestrin – meaning “man-mountain”.

Chapter 3 – Summary

Gulliver was now in the good books of the Lilliputians. His gentle and polite behavior won over everyone’s favour and so he hoped for his release soon. He understood and talked in their language with a good progress. Moreover, the Emperor now planned to entertain him with several of their country shows. Rope dancing was their major and the most skillful activity, performed mostly by their ministers or court officials. All the candidates were asked to walk or dance on a rope and whoever jumped the highest, was offered a high office. Some ministers, for instance, Flimnap, the treasurer, were asked to show their skill. Later, also the Principal Secretary for Private Affairs, Reldressal, showed his skills after Flimnap. But sometimes these activities might lead to accidents. The next activity was to jump or creep under a stick in the Emperor’s hand. The winner with the best performance was awarded with the blue coloured silk thread, the next with the red and third with the green silk thread. Gulliver sent several petitions to the Emperor for his release. Therefore, he agreed to release him on certain conditions, prepared by Skyresh Bolgolam. Gulliver was, thus, required to take an oath on such conditions. Moreover, the Emperor decided that Gulliver would be provided with the food and drink sufficient for 1728, Lilliputians, for his maintenance.

Chapter 4 – Summary

As soon as Gulliver was released, he expressed his desire to roam around the metropolis, Milddendo and asked for Emperor’s permission. The Emperor permitted him and an announcement was made that the people should stay out of Gulliver’s route to avoid being crushed by the man-mountain. The spectators could be seen here and there in windows and roof tops. The town was extremely populous so as to hold 500 people in their three to five story houses. In the center of the city was the Emperor’s palace where Gulliver saw the princes and princesses. The princess offered her hand to Gulliver through the window for him to kiss it.

Later, one morning, Reldressal, the principal secretary for private affairs sought for Gulliver’s audience to tell him about the worrisome state of affairs. The country was facing two dangers – firstly, an opposition party’s existence and secondly, the danger of an invasion by a foreign power. He told Gulliver that the country was divided into two parties – the Big- endians, i.e., the opponents and the Little-endians, i.e., the Emperor’s party. The conflict between the parties was that the Emperor’s party believed in breaking the eggs at the smaller whereas the opponents insisted on breaking the eggs at the bigger ends and hence, their names were Big-endians and Little-endians. Also, the conflict was there between those who wore high heeled shoes and those who wore low heeled shoes.

Moreover, the country was also facing an external danger from the island of Blefuscu, the other great empire, also belived to be as large and powerful as Lilliput. Reldresal told Gulliver that the emperor of Blefuscu was ready to invade Lilliput and had assembled a huge fleet of ships. Therefore, Gulliver promised his full support to the Emperor of Lillipiut.

Chapter 5 – Summary

The island of Blefescu was separated from Lilliput with the help of an eight hundred yards wide and six feet deep channel. Therefore, it was quite an easy task for Gulliver to wade through it and seize the whole fleet of the enemy, so as to save the Lilliputian Empire from invasion. With the help of some cables and hooks, he was able to pull fifty largest ships of the enemy towards Lilliput. Thus, the government of Blefescu became paralysed after this. Consequently, the Emperor of Lilliput conferred upon Gulliver the highest title of honour.

The Emperor wanted Gulliver to destroy the armed forces of Blefescu further so that they could rule no more. But Gulliver refused to cause so much harm to the enemy.

After a few days, the government of Blefescu came to Lilliput to sign a peace treaty. Now Gulliver wished to meet the Emperors of other empires and got permission. But, all of a sudden, the Emperor of Lilliput became prejudiced against Gulliver as Flimnap and Bolgolam convinced the Emperor that Gulliver was no more in his favour now. But Gulliver brought everything back to normal by further rendering his service in saving the Princess from fire by extinguishing it.

But due to the unavailability of sufficient water, he extinguished the fire by urinating in the department of the Princess. Now on the one hand, the Emperor was happy about the fire extinguished but on the other, was annoyed as Gulliver committed an illegal act of urinating in the precincts of the palace and which was forbidden by law. Therefore, the princess, too, decided to shift to another building.

Chapter 6 – Summary

The chapter describes the way of living of the Lilliputian. We come to know of some of their learning, laws, rules, customs and the way they educated their children. It is quite amusing to know that as the height of the Lilliputians was only about six inches, there was an exact proportion in the height of their animals and plants. Their tallest horses and oxen were only 4-5 inches tall.

Their way to bury the dead also makes us laugh. They believed that after eleven thousand moons, the dead would rise from their graves and at that time, the earth would turn upside down. Therefore, they buried their dead with the corpses’ head directly downwards, so that they would rise, standing on their feet.

They had very severe laws and punishments for the citizens violating law. They considered fraud as a greater crime than theft and the punishment was, thus, death. Also, if a guilty person could produce the evidence of how strictly he had followed and obeyed the rules and laws of the country for seventy moons, he could claim a cash reward and certain special rights. The Lilliputians preferred good morals to good abilities. While selecting a government officer, they considered the person with good morals. Once, due to the certain corruption in public life, some people got higher posts by displaying their skills in dancing on tight ropes, or leaping creeping over and under sticks.

They considered ingratitude a capital crime. Their ideas about the duties of parents were different. They didn’t go on feelings. Children in Lilliput were not obliged to their parents for their birth. Also, the education of children was the sole responsibility of the state. They stayed, learned and got education in the public nurseries till the age of twenty moons. They were taught to learn the virtues of justice, courage, modesty, religion and patriotism. The laborer’s children’s business was only to plough the land and so they stayed in homes only. The girls were sent back to their parents when they became twelve years old as it was their marriageable age.

The description of the fulfillment of the requirements is also very interesting and shocking. To stitch his clothes, to measure them, to feed him and what not, hundreds of Lilliputians were at his service. There were 500 tailors for his clothes, 300 cooks for his victuals, 20 waiters etc. One evening, the Emperor sent a message to Gulliver to dine with his family. The Emperor also invited Flimnap. Flimnap always plotted against Gulliver so as to dismiss him from the country. Over dinner also, Flimnap pointed out Gulliver’s huge cost spent over his food every day. He also plotted a scandal against Gulliver that he was having an affair with his wife. It seemed quite amusing to think of an affair between a six inch tall lady and a twelve times taller man. But Gulliver succeeded in clarifying his position on both allegations.

Chapter 7 – Summary

Gulliver was planning a visit to the Emperor of Blefescu. But soon a court minister approached Gulliver secretly. He informed Gulliver that the high treasurer, Flimnap; the high admiral, skyresh Bologolam; and a few other dignitaries, who were hostile to Gulliver, had conspired and prepared some bogus articles of impeachment against him for treason and other capital crimes. He had also brought, along with him, a copy of those articles of impeachment.

Gulliver, on going through the charges against him, found the following charges:

a) Urinated within the precincts of the royal palace; b) His refusal to seize the rest of the ships belonging to the Emperor of Blefescu; c) Held secret discussions with the ambassadors who had paid a visit to Lilliput from Blefuscu to sue for peace in the court of the Emperor of Lilliput; and d) Gulliver had decided to visit to the court of Blefescu after receiving only a verbal license from the Emperor of Lilliput.

The articles clarified the intentions of the conspirators to sentence Gulliver to rigorous and severe punishment.

Chapter 8 – Summary

After three days of Gulliver’s arrival in Blefuscu, he observed, while walking, a large boat lying upside down in the sea, several miles away. It was a normal size boat which could carry Gulliver. The Emperor of Blefescu agreed to fit the boat for voyage.

An envoy came from the Emperor of Lilliput to the Emperor of Blefescu with an urgent message to send Gulliver back to Lilliput on the ground that he fled away from justice, and provided himself to be a traitor. But the Emperor of Blefescu supported Gulliver, as Gulliver thought it best to return to his native land rather than become a bone of contention between the two great kings. Later, in about a month’s time, Gulliver left for his native land after all the preparations were being made. The royal family bade him a royal farewell. The Emperor presented Gulliver with a large number of gold coins and his own full length picture. As the people of Blefescu were also pygmies, Gulliver laid down on the ground to kiss the hands of the royal family members.

Gulliver stored his boat with quite a large number of bulls, cows, sheep, etc., to serve as food for him during the voyage. On September 24, 1701, Gulliver set sail at six in the morning. As time passed by, he saw an English ship and signaled to it. He put the cattle in his coat pockets and got on board the English ship. Mr. John Biddel, captain of the ship, was a very polite man and an excellent sailor. Gulliver also met an old acquaintance, Peter Williams, on the ship. Gulliver showed him he cows and the sheep of a small size that amazed him extremely. He shared his experience at Lilliput and Blefescu with Peter.

Gulliver aboarded the ship on April 13, 1702. He was overjoyed to meet his family. He made satisfactory arrangements for his family and after two months of staying with them, he left for his new voyage on a merchant ship called ‘Adventure’ with Captain John Nicholas of Liverpool as its commander.

Gulliver’s Travels – As a Satire

A satire is basically a humorous, witty and funny way to present or expose reality of mankind, communities etc, in a comic and ridiculous style. Gulliver’s Travels is a great work of satire. It is full of mockery and comedy at every step. In Gulliver’s Travels, the most amusing thing is the size scale – the Lilliputians and Gulliver. Next is the comic and amusing manner of the Lilliputians to serve him food and drinks. They put the baskets full of meat, their greatest hogsheads for wine, etc. The voyage to Lilliput exemplifies a satirical tone in the novel.

Lilliputians had all the virtues a few generations back. But by the time Gulliver reached there they had become thoroughly corrupt. Their court was stinking with favouritism, intrigues and conspiracies. They had become greedy and deceitful. And the worst thing was these weak, tiny creatures puffed up with false pride and limitless ambition. They had all the vices which Swift associated with his countrymen. Gulliver is superior to them physically and morally.

Gulliver was such a curiosity for the Lilliputians and the people of nearby villages that people were coming in groups to see him. They shot with arrows but Gulliver picked them up and put them aside. The way in which Gulliver was fed and the boarding, lodging were arranged for him, is also amusing. The cooks used to send him meat and drinks in vehicles. Besides, six hundred beds were joined together to prepare his single bed. Also, their reaction on seeing his possessions, like watch, was very amusing and comic.

There is a comic element in the outstanding example of the Big-endians and the Little- endians. The very fact provokes laughter as; the two empires were fighting over a petty issue like breaking of an egg. On the one hand, it is a fact worth laughing about but on the other, it also presents a conflict between the empires that contrasts very efficiently with the comedy. Losing thousands of people and property worth thousands and lakhs of money, undoubtedly creates tension but it is very funny also – the breaking of an egg from the smaller end or the bigger one.

Character Analysis Lemuel Gulliver

Lemuel Gulliver is the hero and narrator of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. He is intelligent and well educated. But at many times he is simple and can easily be deceived. He is a great adventurer. He visits different strange lands and meets different strange lands and meets different people. Gulliver is not cowardly. He undergoes horrible experiences in his voyages. At one time, a giant not nearly swallows him. Sea pirates make him a prisoner. He is shot in the face by the Lilliputians with poison arrows. Throughout the voyages his basic character remains great. He never does anything wrong which we may call immoral. Gulliver has no aspirations. But he seems to be charmed by sea voyages. He is a simple-hearted person. He is held captive several times in his voyages. He tries to escape on his own but fails. His intelligence is practical rather than imaginative. Gulliver is gullible as his name suggests. He, however, is not as great as other travelers like Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey.

In Book I, Gulliver's possesses moral superiority to the petty — and tiny — Lilliputians, who show themselves to be a petty, cruel, vengeful, and self-serving race. Morally and politically, Gulliver is their superior. Here, Swift, through Gulliver, makes clear that the normal person is concerned with honor, gratitude, common sense, and kindness. The representative person (a Lilliputian) is a midget, figuratively and literally, compared with a moral person (Gulliver).

Character Analysis the Lilliputians

The Lilliputians are men six inches in height but possessing all the pretension and self- importance of full-sized men. They are mean and nasty, vicious, morally corrupt, hypocritical and deceitful, jealous and envious, filled with greed and ingratitude — they are, in fact, completely human.

Swift uses the Lilliputians to satirize specific events and people in his life. For example, Swift's model for Flimnap was Robert Walpole, the leader of the Whigs and England's first prime minister in the modern sense. Walpole was an extremely wily politician, as Swift shows, by making Flimnap the most dexterous of the rope dancers. Reldresal, the second most dexterous of the rope dancers, probably represents either Viscount Townshend or Lord Carteret. Both were political allies of Walpole.

The articles that Gulliver signs to obtain his freedom relate the political life of Lilliput to the political life of England. The articles themselves parallel particular English codes and laws. Similarly, the absurd and complicated method by which Gulliver must swear to the articles (he must hold his right foot in his left hand and place the middle finger of his right hand on top of his head with the right thumb on the tip of his ear) exemplifies an aspect of Whig politics: petty, red-tape harassing.

Swift also uses the Lilliputians to show that English politicians were bloody-minded and treacherous. In detail, he records the bloody and cruel methods that the Lilliputians plan to use to kill Gulliver; then he comments ironically on the mercy, decency, generosity, and justice of kings. The Lilliputian emperor, out of mercy, plans to blind and starve Gulliver — a direct reference to George's treatment of captured Jacobites, whom he executed — after parliament had called him most merciful and lenient.

By the end of Book I, Swift has drawn a brilliant, concrete, and detailed contrast between the normal, if gullible, man (Gulliver) and the diminutive but vicious politician (the Lilliputian); the politician is always a midget alongside Gulliver.