GULLIVER'S TRAVELS Jonathan Swift Topic Test

Chapter VIII, paragraph 2: ". . . [T]he little imp fell a-squalling, and scratching, and biting with such violence, that I was forced to let it go; and it was high time, for a whole troop of old ones came about us at the noise, but finding the cub was safe . . . they durst not venture near us. I observed the young animal's flesh to smell very rank, and the stink was somewhat between a weasel and a fox . . . ." Chapter VIII, paragraph 10: "Friendship and benevolence are the two principled virtues among the Houyhnhnms; and these not confined to particular objects, but universal to the whole race. . . . They preserve decency and civility in the highest degrees, but are altogether ignorant of ceremony. . . . [I]t is reason only that makes a distinction of persons . . . ." All of the following diction from the passages above illustrates rational or virtuous qualities except __________. "decency" "benevolence" "fox" "civility"

"fox"

Which word is an example of original diction? organization malice brief Laputa

Laputa

Define "allusion" and explain why it is important in a literary work. Use examples to support your response.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information. An allusion is an indirect reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object. One reason that allusion is important in a literary work is because it unlocks all of our associations with a particular reference. The beauty of allusion is that it does something really complex in a very short space. An author can reference Thomas Jefferson, and it brings up every association we've ever had with Jefferson (the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, the Library of Congress, slavery), and the author has not done anything but reference "Thomas Jefferson." It allows the readers to bring their own experiences to the story, and the author is counting on it. A second reason that allusion is important in a literary work is because an author can use it to transmit cultural values. For instance, Abraham Lincoln has been dead since the end of the American Civil War, but he is still remembered as if he died last year. A main reason for this is that he is constantly alluded to by politicians, authors, and even regular folks. He resonates in contemporary society because we continue to give him and the values that we associate with him (e.g. honesty and hard work) importance.

Explain irony. Include in your response the definition of irony, the three types of irony, and the importance of irony in a literary work.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information. Irony is the mismatch between appearance and reality. The three types of irony are situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatic irony. Situational irony is the contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. Verbal irony happens when the speaker/writer intends to be understood as meaning something that contrasts with the literal or usual meaning of what is being said/written. Dramatic irony is the contrast between what a character thinks and what the audience/reader knows to be true. Irony is important because it accentuates key ideas and themes and is used by the author to create a subtle tone to "soften the blow" of harsh commentary.

Explain how Jonathan Swift satirizes social issues in Gulliver's Travels. Support your response with two examples from Part IV, chapters 1 through 6 of Gulliver's Travels.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: A society is a group of people who share a culture and institutions. Culture is shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices; an institution is any system or procedure that governs the behavior of a group of people. In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes social issues. One issue that Swift satirizes is the unequal distribution of resources between the rich and the poor. He does this through irony in the statement, "But, in order to feed the luxury and intemperance of the males, and the vanity of the females, we sent away the greatest part of our necessary things to other countries . . . ." This statement is ironic because you wouldn't expect a country to send away the "greatest part of [its] necessary things" for a frivolous reason, like providing luxurious items for the wealthy. Swift also uses exaggeration to satirize the unequal distribution of resources with the statement, "[V]ast numbers of our people are compelled to seek their livelihood by begging, robbing, stealing, cheating, flattering, suborning, forswearing, forging . . . ." Exaggeration is going over the top, which Swift does here. There's no way that "vast numbers" of people have no way to make money but by begging, robbing, stealing, cheating, flattering, suborning [bribing], forswearing [to perjure oneself], or forging (and a whole host of other terrible activities he lists, but I've neglected to include). But listing them all right in a row emphasizes how bad the effect of this unequal distribution of resources is.

Why might an author use contrasting diction in a literary work?

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Diction, the choice of words, in a literary work is important. Words are like the atoms of a sentence: they are the fundamental building blocks. At times, an author may choose diction to serve a particular purpose. One instance of this is when an author incorporates contrasting diction. An author may use contrasting diction to enhance the contrasts presented in the content of the literary work. Authors not only use examples to highlight differences but also their word. When an author chooses to highlight differences between two objects on many different levels (diction, syntax, figurative language, and content), he or she is making sure that the audience really notices those differences. Another reason an author might use contrasting diction is to emphasize an attitude about the contrasts being presented. Diction shows tone (the author's attitude). The connotations associated with words indicate the author's attitude. Often in contrasting diction, an author is advocating one side over another, which we only see when we look at individual words.

Explain how Jonathan Swift alters the format to set off certain information in Part IV of Gulliver's Travels. Provide an example from the text.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Part IV of Gulliver's Travels is much more nonfiction than fiction in nature. Swift wants to educate his readers about the pitfalls of human nature, and he does not have much time for any sort of plot or characterization messing up that purpose. In chapter 5 of Part IV, Swift alters his format to set off all this information about human nature with the following: "The reader may please to observe that the following extract of the many conversations I had with my master, contains a summary of the most material points, which were discoursed at several times for above two years . . . ." In this portion of Part IV, Swift is deciding to deviate from the travel narrative pattern he has set up from the beginning of the book. Although travel narratives aren't set up like novels, they are more story-like than nonfiction-like, so Swift needs to indicate with some sort of paragraph (like the one here) that he is choosing to deviate from his preset format. This technique is a sign post for the reader,

Explain how Jonathan Swift satirizes political issues in Gulliver's Travels. Support your response with two examples from part IV, chapters 1 through 6 of Gulliver's Travels.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Politics is a process by which groups of people make decisions, generally within governments. The political process is made of interactions based on authority or power and the creation and application of policies. In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes political issues. One issue that Swift satirizes is leaders' senseless motives for going to war. He does this through irony with the statement, "It is justifiable to enter into war against our nearest ally, when one of his towns lies convenient for us . . . ." This statement is ironic because you wouldn't expect that princes would go to war with their allies. Swift also uses exaggeration to satirize the senseless motives for going to war: ". . . whether it be better to kiss a post or throw it into the fire; what is the best color for a coat, whether black, white, red, or gray, and whether it should be long or short, narrow or wide, dirty or clean . . . ." This excerpt from a longer sentence shows exaggeration. The stated reasons in this sentence would be silly reasons for a prince to go to war; Swift lists many of these silly reasons all in a row to emphasize that princes don't go to war for important reasons

When enhancing your style for diction, why is it important to pay attention to the denotation and connotation of the words you choose?

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: When selecting diction, be aware of a word's dictionary definition (denotation) and all the associations we have with that word (connotation). Unintentionally choosing a word with a complex connotation can completely change the meaning of what you are writing. It is also important to understand that words with complex connotations are better suited to writing that is intended to engage the reader or explore personal thoughts and ideas. If your writing is intended to develop a message or theme, you will want to select diction whose denotation and connotation match up closely.

Identify and explain three goals you should consider when writing a narrative.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Writing style is all about choices. When you begin writing a narrative, you must consider your goals. These goals are different for each narrative piece that you write, so your style must change to meet your goals. There are three basic narrative goals: developing a message/theme, engaging the reader, and exploring personal thoughts/ideas. When you want to develop a message/theme, you are trying to get across to the reader a particular point. When you want to engage the reader, you are trying to entertain them. When you want to explore personal thoughts/ideas, you are sharing with someone what you think about a topic that is personally important to you.

. . the British nation, who may be an example to the whole world of their wisdom, care, and justice in planting colonies . . . Which of the following describes best what Swift is satirizing in the passage above? military conquests British farmland national holidays kind judges

military conquests

Which word defines "fortitude" best? beauty decency old age strength

strength

Why might an author use irony in a literary work? to summarize the events and characters to emphasize important themes to promote the use of a particular setting to motivate the reader to use reference materials

to emphasize important themes

What is the least important factor to consider when enhancing your writing style to improve your description? what your goal is for the narrative who will be editing your writing what type of description to include how specific your description should be

who will be editing your writing

When enhancing your writing style to improve your diction, pay close attention to each of the following except __________. your narrative goals your handwriting style the nouns and verbs you choose the connotation of the words you choose

your handwriting style