Gulliver's Travels- By Jonathan Swift

 Yet another classic entry, one of those books we all hear about, maybe even watch a movie adaptation or two, but never really pick up to read ourselves. 

   "Wait, is that that one where the guy washed up on a desert island and he's like, stranded for like, 20 years?" 

   "No, I think that's Robinson Crusoe. Gulliver's Travels is the one where he goes to that island of like, little people, and they tie him down. 

   "Ooooh yeah. I've heard of that." 

   Yeah, it's that one. Now, it was interesting to discover how that famous bit of the story, when Gulliver is on the island of Lilliput, with the small people, is actually only the opening bit to the whole thing. The first island he lands on is filled with the small people. After that adventure concludes, he moves onto another island with large people, like big enough to hold Gulliver in the palm of their hands. So the second island is the reverse of the first. 

   It's amazing how until I read this book, I had no idea that there were other portions of this book,


outside of the adventure on Lilliput. That first part of the story, with the little people, gets all the publicity. That's the only part I'd heard of. 

    There's of course the famous scene where he's tied down with all the little Lilliputians around him, deciding his fate, and after he wakes up, they build a little platform for the leader to talk to him: 

     When the people observed I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows; but, by the noise I heard, I knew their numbers increased; and about four yards from me, over against my right ear, I heard a knocking for above an hour, like that of people at work; when turning my head that way, as well as the pegs and strings would permit me, I saw a stage erected, about a foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabitants, with two or three ladders to mount it; from whence one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long speech, whereof I understood not one syllable.

  The use of language of course has that classical British era flowery, overly rambunctious descriptions of things and events that I find personally inspiring. The book goes on to describe visits to other islands and places, like one floating in the sky, and another with anthropomorphic creatures, part animal. His descriptions of a life where anything can happen next, and there's an endless supply of adventure to those who seek it, I thing is a great theme for a book. It's a way of looking at life that can be applied to any time period, or any place in history a person crafts their existence. No matter how much you learn about people, they can still surprise you. 

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