Gullivers Supposed English Superiority Essay -- essays papers

Gullivers Supposed English Superiority Gullivers typical Anglocentric Enlightenment views are best exemplified in Chapter 1 of Part IV of Gullivers Travels. The long paragraph, in which he describes his encounter with the Yahoos as well as the circumstances leading up to it, illustrates the climax of his Anglocentric views, after which his English vainglory begins to gradually degenerate and his desire to emulate the Houyhnyms arises. His English pride in this paragraph is demonstrated by his resolution to trade his life with the local Savages utilize Toys as his only means, his judgment of the Yahoos lack of comprehensive language ability, and his ever-present disgust for bodily functions. As the personation opens, Gulliver considers his situation and decides to interpret himself to the first Savages he should meet and purchase his life from them by some Bracelets, Glass Rings and other Toys, which Sailors usually provide themselves with in those Voyages. Despite a ll his previous(prenominal) voyages in which Gulliver encountered people who were not at all savage (and possibly more civilized than him), he automatically assumes again that people in territories immaterial of Europe will be inherently savage. Not only does he underestimate their level of civilization, but he then proceeds to assume that the indigenous people will be intellectually inferior when he believes he can buy his life with what he himself refers to as Toys. Gullivers belief, however, is not entirely grounded in arrogance because imperialistic powers did trade cheap jewelry with the Native Americans for furs or even land. Using this logic, Gulliver feels he can extend trading Toys for life. He feels that if they are dumb enough to trade furs f... ...e from the Houyhnhnms. The excrement itself is not the reason behind his pride. Nobody would want to be covered in it. The excrement, however, is the major instauration for Gullivers loathing for the Yahoos and he wou ld not have been so affected by it had he not lived in a society which is ashamed of its vivid processes. In his novel, Swift does not use the Yahoos to show the evil of man but rather, to show the potential for evil that man has. Gulliver, however, takes his notions of judgment, and presupposes his intellectual superiority which feels he confirms based on the Yahoos lack of language and their not-so-warmhearted welcome. As he gradually begins to believe that all humans are at the Yahoo level, however, his Anglocentric pride fades. Thus, this passage is effectively the last time we really see Gulliver act on his presupposed English notions.