Gulliver's Travels

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS Gulliver begins his first journey in 1699 and, after a storm at sea, he finds himself in a country called Lilliput, where the people are only fifteen centimetres ta ll. He finally escapes and goes home, but soon leaves on another jo urney - to Brobd ingnag, then to Laputa and Luggnagg, and last, to the even stranger country of the Ho uyhnhnms ... As a young ma n, Gulliver is proud of being ·human, and pro ud of his own count ry, England. When he travels through these strange lands, ta lking to giants, and magicians, and horses, at first he laug hs at the ir extraordinary ideas and strange op inions. But as the years pass, he begins to wonder and to ask himself questio ns ... 'Why do we human beings fight wars, lie, cheat, stea l, an d kill each other? lsn't there a better way to live?' 1 Avoyage to Lilliput ,J r';,,r-·" ,..l ,- r1 ,-----. ,.l ·~ -,,'r-·' } - ~~. - ~~ ~ - -== .- !""~Ka,~ - . I was born in No ttin ghams hir e and was the third of five sons . M y father was not a rich man, but he wa s able to send me to Cam brid ge University, where I st udi ed for three years . W hen I left co llege , l continued my studies and beca me a doctor. But I always wanted to trave l, and so I made severa l voyages as a ship's doctor. When I married my wife Mary, however, I plann ed to stay at home for a while. But after a few years I discov ered I was not ea rnin g enoug h money from my patients. I dec ided to go to sea again, and th is tim e I joined a ship sailing to the island s in the So uth Pacific Ocean . We started ou r journ ey fro m Bristol on May 4th, 1699 . At first our voyage went well. We sailed across the Atlantic, round the coast of Africa an d into the Indian 1 Gulliver's Travels A voyage to Lilliput touched the ground. I walked out of the sea and on to a beach, where there was no sign of any peop le or houses. I was so exhausted that I lay down and went to sleep . When I woke up next morning, and tried to get up, I could not move. I was lying on my back and my who le body, my arms and legs were strong ly fastened to the gro und. Even my hair, which was long and thick, was tied to the ground. The sun began to grow hot, and I was very uncomfortable. Soon I felt someth ing alive moving along my leg and up my body to my face, and when I looked down, I saw a very sma ll human being, only fifteen centimetres tall. He had a bow and arrow in his hand s, and there were forty more of these little men following him .T was so surprised that I gave a great shout. Th ey all jumped back, very frightened, and some hurt themselves by falling off my body. Meanwhi le, I was strugg lin g to unfa sten myself, but just as I managed to Ocean. But before we could reach the Pacific , a violent pull my left arm free of the ropes, I felt a hundred arrows storm hit us and drove us to the north-west of Tasmania . land on my free hand, and more arrows on my face and The wind drove our ship on to a rock, which broke the sh ip body. This was very painful, and made me cry alou d. I lay in half. Some of the sailors and I managed to get a boat quietly, to see what would happen next . into the water, and we rowed away to look for land. But When they saw I was no longer struggling, they quickly when we were too tired to row any more, a great wave hit bui lt a platform next to my head, and an officia l climbed up our small boat, and we all fell into the sea . I do not know there to speak to me. Although I could not understand his what happened to my companions, but I suppose they were language, I understood that they would be friendly towards all drowned. me - if I did not try to harm them. By now I was extremely The wind and waves pushed me alo ng as I struggled to hun gry, so I used sign language to beg the official for food. keep my head above water . I became very tired and soon He seemed to understand me, because immediately ladders felt I could not swim any more. Luckily, just then my feet were put against my sides and little men climbed up with 2 .1 Gulliver's Travels A voya>1,eto Lilliput baskets of food and drink. They were surprised at how much I could eat and drink. In just one mouthful I ate three of their meat dishes and three of their loaves of bread. I drank two of their barrels of wine, and was still thirsty, because that was only half a litre. While they were bringing me food, I wondered whether to pick up a handful of the little men and throw them to their death. But I was afraid they would shoot at me again, and anyway I was grateful for their kindness in giving me food and drink, so I did not move. After some time, another officia l climbed up to the platform and spoke to me. From his signs I understood that they were going to move me . T he King of chis country (which was called Lilliput) had ordered his peop le to carry me to the capital city, about a kilometre away. I made signs to ask whether I could be untied, but the official politely refused. While I was eating, a platform had been prepared to carry me. The people of Lilliput, known as the Lilliputians, are very intelligent and clever with their hands. For me, five hundred men built a special wooden platform with twenty two wheels. Nine hundred of the strongest men worked for about three hours to lift me on to the platform , and one thousand five hundr ed of the King's largest horses _ (each eleven and a half centimetres high) pulled me to the cap ital. I did not know about any of this, because they had put a sleeping powder in my wine, and I was in a deep sleep . The King had decided I would stay in the largest available Littl e men climbed up w ith baskets of food and drink. 4 s Gulliver's Travels A voyage to Lilliput buildin g, just outside the city I knew, but we sti ll could not und erstand each other. gates. Its door was only a metre T he King ordered his peop le to make me a bed, using six high and half a metre wide, so I hundred Lilliputian beds. It was not very comfortable, but could on ly just get inside on my it was better than sleeping on th e sto ne floor. H e ordered hand s and knees. My guards put the crowds of sightse ers to go back to their hom es, so that :, ninety-one chains on my left leg, so the work of th e country co uld continue an d I woul d no t that I could not escape. Then they be annoy ed. For a lon g tim e he discusse d with his lord s in cut the ropes that tied me and I was privat e what should be don e with me. I was told all this later able to get to my feet. As I stood up, I by a good friend of mine. Clearly, such a large person could heard cries of astonishment all around be a danger to his small people. At last it was decided that , me. I felt rather miserable, but at least I as I had behaved so well up to now, I would be kept alive. could walk about now, in a two-metre Food and drink wou ld be brought to me every day from all circle. I was certain ly an interesting the villages, six hundr ed people would be my servants, thr ee sight for the Lilliputians, who had hundr ed men wou ld make me a new suit, and six teac hers come out of the city in crowds of would teach me their languag e. several thous and to see me. And so in about three weeks I bega n to speak th e Now I had a good view of the langu age of Lilliput. The King often visited me, and countryside . Th e fields every tim e he came, 1 asked him to take off my chains. looke d like flowerbeds H e explained th at first I must promise not to fight aga inst in a garden, and even Lilliput or hu rt Lilliputi ans, and that I must be searc hed for My guards fJUt chains on the tallest trees were weapons. I agreed to both these things and carefu lly picked my left leg. only two metres high. up two of his officers in my hands . I put them first in one I was soon visite d by the King himself. He has a strong, pocket, then moved them to all my ot her pockets, except hand some face, and is very popular among his people .

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