Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Gullivers Travels Part 1 & 2 Literature Terms

 Prose—non-metrical language; the opposite of verse.  How does the change in genre impact your reading experience? Could Swift have written this story in verse?*

I have enjoyed reading Gulliver’s Travels in prose rather than verse. I personally find it easier to read and it definitely suits the type of story being related. But, Swift could have written Gulliver’s Travels in verse, just as Homer did The Odyssey. They are both the retelling of sea adventures with unrealistic creatures.

Fantasy—A kind of fiction that pictures creatures or events beyond the boundaries of known reality. Swift uses elements of fantasy in his travel novel or adventure story. How do these contribute to the story's overall purpose?*

The element of Fantasy plays several key roles in Gulliver’s Travels. First off, it simply enhances the story. It would be a quite mundane traveling story if there were not tiny people, giants…etc. Secondly, it allows Swift to talk about his political views in a satirical way that makes the reader more open to what he is saying. This also enables him to prevent rather obnoxious and unpleasant notions about society and humans in general.

*Questions from PHCPrep AP English Literature and Composition

No comments:

Post a Comment