English 4 Pt. 2 : Gulliver's Travels

Lilliput is battling "two mighty evils": a violent internal faction and the threat of an outside invasion.

Reread paragraph 9. What does Reldresal reveal to Gulliver about the two political threats to Lilliput?

Possible response: Political and religious beliefs over petty concerns that can result in war and death.

Gulliver's Travels is a satire. A satire uses humor, ridicule, and exaggeration to expose issues and criticize certain practices and beliefs. Given your responses to questions 1-3, what do you think is being satirized in Part 1?

He points out that the tradition in Lilliput was for people to break their eggs at the larger end. Tyler said the egg breaking was "crazy." Jeremy's response puts it in the context of Swift's satire.

How does Jeremy connect the discussion with cultural traditions? How does this respond to something Tyler said?

She suggests that the students address the first part of the prompt and summarize the emperor's command about eggs.

How does Katie get the discussion focused back on the prompt after saying that the students have gotten ahead of themselves?

Examples: splitting long sentences; filling in the missing subjects; removing extra commas

How would you correct some of these errors?

It does not help, as the low heels and high heels information relates more to political parties in Great Britain and to the Church of England. It is not directly relevant to the discussion of breaking eggs and the satire of Protestants and Catholics.

In the discussion video, the students discussed Catholics and Protestants. Katie interjects an explanation of the low heels and the high heels. Does this help to further the discussion? Why or why not?

Yes, the introduction of visual media makes the discussion more engaging and provides some context for comments about the relative height of the Lilliputians.

Jeremy shows an illustration of Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians. Is this a helpful contribution to the discussion? Why or why not?

There is a dispute whether people should break their eggs upon the larger end (according to the ancient practice) or the smaller end (in compliance with the emperor's edict). This dispute has caused civil unrest, and many Big-endians have taken refuge in Blefuscu, where the emperors have accused the Lilliputians of "making a schism in religion" by breaking from the "fundamental doctrine."

Review paragraphs 12-14. What does Reldresal tell Gulliver is the cause for the long war between the two empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu?

Internally, Lilliput is facing a conflict between two political parties—the high heels and the low heels. In addition, Lilliput is facing the external threat of invasion from the island nation of Blefuscu.

Scan paragraphs 10-11. What does Reldresal identify as the internal and external threats faced by the Lilliputians?

Tyler is incorrect; Lilliput must represent Great Britain because of the satire of British politics involving Tramecksan and Slamecksan. Blefuscu is the enemy of Lilliput, and so Blefuscu must represent France, which is the enemy of Great Britain. France is a Catholic country, and so the people of Blefuscu cannot be Protestants.

Tyler's interpretation is that the people of Blefuscu represent Protestants in Swift's satire. Do you agree with his reasoning? Why or why not?

The text reads that Gulliver awoke to find his arms and legs "strongly fastened on each side to the ground." It goes on to say in the next sentence, "I likewise felt several slender ligatures across my body." The use of the word "likewise" implies that what is being talked about is similar to what was being talked about in the previous sentence. I can conclude that "ligatures" must be things that have to do with fastening. Since the ligatures stretch across Gulliver's body, they must be ropes or similar objects used to limit movement.

Use context to determine the meaning of the word ligatures as it is used in the excerpt from Gulliver's Travels. Write your definition of "ligatures"here and tell how you found it.

Reldresal says that Lilliput is "threatened with an invasion from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe." There has been a disagreement about which end of an egg to break before eating it. This disagreement led to a bloody war, and Blefuscu has "equipped a numerous fleet, [who] are just preparing to make a descent upon us."

Use details from the text to write two or three sentences describing why Reldresal believes that his people face "the danger of an invasion."

Speaking about the Tramecksan and Slamecksan, the principal secretary for private affairs explains that "the animosities between these two parties run so high, that they will neither eat, nor drink, nor talk with each other." This context helps me conclude that the word "animosities" means "angry feelings that are directed toward others and that can result in fighting or war."

Use the context clues provided in the passage to determine the meaning of animosities. Write your definition of "animosities" here and tell how you got it.

They find it to make more sense than other parts of the satire because it is clearly ridiculous. Katie wonders, "How are they supposed to know what the convenient end is?" There are positive comments about the decision about eggs being left "to every man's conscience."

What do the students think of the part of the text that discusses the "convenient end" of the egg? What evidence do they present to support their opinions?

Catholics and Protestants are different denominations of the same religion, but they had been fighting for a long time. The Protestant Reformation began when a group of protesters cited abuses of power and the authority of the Pope and split from the Catholic church.

What historical background does the group provide at the beginning of their conversation?

They're both trying to do the same thing.

What key point does Katie make about similarities between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians?

Examples: run-on sentences: "I often let my legs drop, and could feel no bottom; but when I was almost gone, and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within my depth; and by this time the storm was much abated."; missing subjects: "but conclude they were all lost"; using a comma in a compound predicate: "I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide"; etc.

Which errors in grammar can you identify in the first paragraph?

An Irish writer and satirist, who wrote Gulliver's Travels

Who was Jonathan Swift?

The Lilliputians tried to attack Gulliver in response to his trying to attack them: Gulliver says, "But the creatures ran off a second time, before I could seize them." When the Lilliputians saw Gulliver was no longer trying to grab them, they stopped attacking: "When the people observed I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows. . . ." While the emperor of Lilliput is making a speech, Gulliver asks for food, and the Lilliputians oblige.

Why did the small people of Lilliput first try to attack Gulliver but then provide him with food? Use textual details to support your inference.

Slamecksan, who wear low-heeled shoes. The Tramecksan wear high-heeled shoes and outnumber the Slamecksan, but "the power is wholly" on the side of the Slamecksan, according to Reldresal.

Write two or three sentences describing the two political parties in Lilliput; include details from the text.