Jonathan Swifts Gulliver in the Land of the Houyhnhnms Essay -- Swift

Jonathan Swifts Gulliver in the Land of the HouyhnhnmsIn the last voyage in Jonathan Swifts book Gullivers Travels, A voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms, Swift describes his idea of an example nightclub. There are many examples provided in this part of the book to convince the reader that Swift is indeed illustrating his idea of a utopia. By using horses as the most reasonable brute, Swift not only defaces human society by making a beast a more powerful creature, notwithstanding also shows that humans are unable to attain this sodding(a)ly reasonable society.The society that the Houyhnhnms live in is unlike any society known to man. The Houyhnhnms are perfect in the course they live their lives they are always doing what is best for the society as a whole, as opposed to thinking only of themselves as individuals. They truly believe that the best chase for themselves is the same as the best interest of the entire species. When they choose their mates they do so with the best interest of the race as a whole in mind. Strength is chiefly valued in the male, and comeliness in the female, not upon the account of love..., (217). This quotation illustrates that all the same when it comes to something like choosing their mates, they are not concerned with their own happiness. It is not even a choice that they choose to act in the best interest of the society they do not know of an alternative way to act. They are raised to put themselves secondary to the health and well being of others. The Houyhnhnms are so perfect that Gulliver has to explain many different basics of the human lifestyle that do not apply to their being. The Houyhnhnms do not understand the idea of justice because they are not capable of doing anything wron... ...to be extremely rational, in an effort to break away from his human tendencies. His attempt will not be successful as humans are full of passion, and therefore will never be purely rational. Gulliver eventually bec omes insane in his attempt to be like the Houyhnhnms, which is Swifts way of showing that humans can not live in a society based on reason.In this section of the book, it becomes unmistakable that Swift is describing his warning society and at the same time proving that it cannot be attained by humans. By making the perfect society one in which the ruling creature is in fact a beast in the eyes of humans, Swift portrays his hate toward the human race. This also precisely shows, that this is in fact his utopia, but that it is never attainable for human beings.Works CitedSwift, Jonathan. Gullivers Travels. Mahwah, NJ Watermill Press, 1983.