Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Summer Reading Assignment
Kim Fisher:
5/20/15
Dear Student:
Welcome to AP Literature and Composition! Before school officially begins, you will be expected to complete the following activities which focus on the study of Jonathan Swift and his work, Gulliver’s Travels. It’s imperative that you come to the first day of class with your completed essay (attached) and a willingness to discuss all aspects of Swift’swork. Remember, this is a college level course; thus, you are expected to come prepared. I do not except excuses, so do not bring them!
You are welcome obtain a hard copy of Gulliver’s Travels from a book store or library, but if you would rather read it online (I’m trying to be more technologically savvy), simply go to the following link:
Gulliver’s Travels online:
Before you start reading, though, take a moment to watch a brief biography on Mr. Swift:
The video is only 4 minutes, so relax! Make sure you pay attention to Swift’s political involvement and how this contributed to his thematic development, satirical tone, and ironic portrayals throughout the text. You will also want to have a good working knowledge on satire and its significance to Swift:
Satire began with the ancient Greeks, but came into its own in ancient Rome, where the “fathers” of satire, Horace and Juvenal, had their names given to the two basic types of satire:
1.Horatian satire: is playfully amusing and seeks to correct vice or foolishness with gentile laughter and understanding.
2.Juvenal satire: provokes a darker kind of laughter. It is often bitter and criticizes corruption or incompetence with scorn and outrage. E.g., Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels
As you read pay attention to the targets of Swift’s satire as they pertain to England: its government/politics, the official church, and the corruption of man.
You are also welcome to dig a bit more deeply into Swift’s world by visiting other websites. One that may be particularly helpful is noted below:
This is optional, but it contains some video clips and other interesting aspects of Swift’s writing.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Gulliver travels on four different voyages (Books 1-IV). Each journey portrays specific satirical themes. You will compose a series of four separate essays (between 250-500 words each) in which you discuss Swift’s purpose in choosing the targets of his satire. Make sure to provide support from the text to back up each of your essays. Do NOT merely sum up the plots of each journey. Discuss WHY Swift chooses his description of each land and how it represents England. Use the following guidelines to assist you in your essays.
Book I: “A Voyage to Lilliput”
Here Swift focuses on satirizing the ongoing feuds between England and France. Pay attention to Swift’s portrayal of the Lilliputian government—how the leaders are chosen--and the purpose behind the war with Blesfuscu.
Book II: “A Voyage to Brobdingnag”
Swift focuses on warand weapons (gunpowder) and well as the class divisions of society and the treatment of the “little people/lower classes.” How does Brobdingnag’s society compare with England’s?
Book III: “The Floating Island of Laputa
Laputa is a floating island inhabited by academics which focuses on nothing but scientific research. Contemplate these questions: Do we sometimes spend our time and resources on impractical and worthless activities? Should some mysteries of life go unsolved?
Book IV: “Land of the Houyhnhnms”
The fourth land is populated by Houyhnhnms (rational thinking horses who rule) and Yahoos (brutish humanlike creatures who serve the horses). Pay attention to what Swift is saying about the nature of man, his animalistic behavior, and his prideful ways.