Jason Rice
5/8/2007
Gulliver�s Voyage
to Lilliput Unit Plan
In
today�s modern world things can seem to be somewhat out of control. Many
teenagers are surrounded by a variety of conflicting messages, ranging from
television advertising to their peers. It�s easy to get lost in such a chaotic
tempest of opinions, suggestions, and demands. As such, it�s important for
teens to be able to approach these voices critically, judging each for what it
is and where it comes from. A way to present this, while maintaining a study of
literature, is through the study of works of social criticism and satire. There
are a great many canonical works that deal with this subject, from Animal
Farm to Fahrenheit 451, both of which present dystopian societies
and the ways in which they fail. One aspect of social criticism that I feel is
lacking in both these cases is the voice of a strong and questionable narrator
reflecting on the things he views. Being able to not only question the words
but the speaker is a vital part of critically viewing the world, and necessary
for this unit. As such, the first book of Gulliver�s Travels proves to
be an excellent work around which to build a unit on critical reading, as not
only does it provide two unique viewpoints (both those of the European Gulliver
and the Lilliputians) but it also does it with humor. In doing this is also
introduces the concept of satire and historical reference. Students are forced
to look beyond the �now� of the novel to determine historical context and find
potential reasons for why the author wrote the work in the first place. As many
pieces of historical fiction include commentary like this, it is important to
approach this concept early and make sure students have a solid grasp of it.
By
approaching the book The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss first, students
are given a chance to approach the concept of historical context in a much more
gentle way than simply jumping right into European history. From here, the
pointed approach towards the events introduces a complicated set of historical
circumstances to students in a simple way, as the idea is to explore the
concept of historical reference so that it exists as a possibility in the
student�s mind rather than have them become historical experts on the time
period of the novel.
Starting
the Unit
I
would begin the unit by asking the students if they�ve ever heard of Dr. Seuss.
Since presumably at least one will respond positively I would then go on to list
a few of his works and ask if they think he�s ever written anything serious or
political. From there I would explain that even though he uses made-up words
and writes children�s books, he still tackles serious issues in them. Here is
where I would introduce the book The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss,
which details a conflict between the Yooks and the Zooks over which side of
their bread they butter. The subtle message of the book of the pointlessness of
conflict.
After
reading the book to the students I would ask them if it reminds them of
anything, the intended response being war, more specifically the Iraq War. I
would then inform the students that the book was written in 1984, long before
the Iraq War, and that Dr. Seuss could never have known about it. As a class we
would brain-storm some alternatives, eventually leading to the Cold War, which
the story is actually about. Then I would place a handout on the overhead that
has the different basic images of the book on it and have the class work with
me to figure them out.
By
doing this activity I would introduce the kids to the concepts behind satire
and analogy present in social criticism by using a somewhat simplistic work.
The idea is to help ease the students into reading into seemingly arbitrary
images and find the meaning behind them by using a somewhat modern historical
example before moving into the much more complex issues present in Travels.
Introducing
Gulliver�s Travels
One
of the more difficult parts about approaching this novel is the complicated
background of the author and the even more complex socio-religious scene in
which he was involved. The beginning of this section of the unit would build
upon the idea of context introduced by the Dr. Seuss work and help the students
get an idea of who Swift was. I would give them a handout with a basic background
of Swift�s political involvements with the various European powers of his time
so that the students can constantly reference back to something while
researching the references in the work. If possible I would also show a short
video detailing his background as well, with a short summary quiz following.
With all this information presented ahead of time, I would then be ready to
actually begin the reading of the work.
Reading
Gulliver�s Travels
Being
only 59 pages, the first voyage to Lilliput is an easy in-class read, short
enough to be handled in a few days. What makes this passage an especially good
candidate for in-class reading is the level of the vocabulary present. Many of
the words are of a more elevated vocabulary and could easily be glossed over in
a non-monitored environment. Before presenting the material in class I would
prepare a vocabulary list for every 10-12 page section of reading that which I
could keep up on the overhead as we read, defining each word as we came to it.
At the same time I would be able to field any other questions about the work
that the students have.
Gulliver�s
perceptions of the Lilliputians
While
describing the practices of the Lilliputians, Gulliver outlines many methods
that exist in kind of a moral grey area. As such, it�s difficult to establish
which is the �superior� way of being, as in many of the descriptions Gulliver
strives to stay as impartial as possible. One of the most interesting of these
passages is the one outlining out the Lilliputians chose professions:
�In chusing Persons for
all Employments, they have more Regard to good Morals than to great
Abilities�they suppose Truth, Justice, Temperance, and the like, to be in every
Man�s Power�Employments could never be put into such dangerous Hands as those of
Persons so qualified; and at least, that the Mistakes committed by Ignorance in
a virtuous Disposition, would never be of such fatal Consequence�as the
Practices of a Man, whose Inclinations led him to be corrupt, and had great
Abilities to manage, to multiply, and defend his Corruptions.� (Swift 40-41)
After reading this
section of the text, I would have my students split into two large groups and
prepare a debate either pro or con regarding the way in which the Lilliputians
operate. After this activity I would then have each student do a short personal
reflection on whether or not they agree with it and why and then whether or not
they feel Gulliver agrees with this specific aspect of Lilliputian society.
The
Endian Conflict
One
of the primer images of the first part of Travels is the conflict
between the Big-endians and the Little-endians, the two factions between which
the major conflict between the two sides of Lilliput is fought. This is one of
the easier to approach satirical elements of the story, as it is not only
comical but also rather obvious. It also can be related to the Zooks and Yooks
from the introduction to the unit, as both wars began over ridiculous things.
After reading this section of the book I would relate it back to the concepts discussed
at the beginning of the unit and then use a transparency detailing the
historical references present in this passage.
|
Gulliver�s
Travels |
Historical
Reference |
|
Lilliput
and the Little-endians |
England
and the Protestant English |
|
Blefuscu
and the Big-endians |
France
and the French Catholics |
|
Emperor
who declares they should break their eggs on the small end |
Henry
VII |
|
Emperor
who dies |
Charles
I |
|
Emperor
who loses his crown |
James
II |
|
Law
forbidding Big-endians from having jobs |
The
Test Act of 1 |
(information
taken from www.readwritethink.org)
Breaking the class up into groups I would have
each group take an event and reference and research it online, compiling their
notes and then creating a poster board outlining the event and how they believe
it relates to the events in the novel.
Finishing
up Gulliver�s Travels
For
the final activity of the unit I would task the students to create their own
fictionalized island and have a plucky traveler land upon it. This island and its
people must include at least 3 elements of satire present in Gulliver�s
Travels in it:
1. An absurd parallel to a
current-day conflict (Endian conflict, Butter Battle)
2. A unique way of dealing
with politics
3. Solutions to modern day
problems through simplification
These creative writing projects will be graded
not only on how accurately they include aspects of satire, but also on
creativity. Each should be from 1.5-2 pages in length. While students are
working on this at home I would show the 1996 TV miniseries of Gulliver�s
Travels to give the students a better idea of some of the visual elements
of the stories and how to incorporate them into their own work.
Other
Works of Satire / Social Criticism
This
unit could serve as a great jumping point into a few different areas:
Animal
Farm � George Orwell
Elements
of historical context and social criticism are abound in this classic work, and
by having their study of this in Travels under their belt, students
could be much more prepared for approaching this longer work independently and
researching the more modern criticisms on their own.
Fahrenheit
451 � Ray Bradbury
More
of a classically dystopian novel than Travels, this book too is a great
canonical criticism of censorship and fascism that Travels can serve as
a segue way into. With the contextual concepts of Travels out of the
way, a unit on this book can focus more on the dystopian elements of the story.
Some
Words With A Mummy - Edgar Allan Poe
One
side of Poe that many students never see is his satirical and humorous side.
This story about a mummy who some friends accidentally bring back to life is a
hilarious way to introduce students not only to Poe as a satirist but to the
idea of a biased narrator. The mummy has quite a few things to say about
�modern� English manner. Paired with Hop-Frog and X-ing a Paragrab,
teachers can introduce a unit on Poe as both a poet and a satirist.
Godless
- Pete Hautman
A
story about a breakout religion that revolves around a water tower, this novel
is a great exploration of religious criticism and absurdity, which occurs often
not only in Book I of Travels but throughout the work. As a young adult
novel, this also is a great bitingly satirical work that deals with adult
concepts in an approachable manner.
Neuromancer
� William Gibson
A
bit on the adult side, this novel essentially jump-started the �cyberpunk�
trend of the 80s and was a reaction to the seemingly out-of-control materialism
of the time. It�s a fun vision of the future that deals more with social
problems than scientific ones and could serve as an introduction to the idea of
science fiction as critical literature.
Bibliography / Works Cited
Gardner, Traci. �From Dr. Seuss to Jonathan
Swift: Exploring the History behind the Satire.�
Read.write.think.
8 May 2007. <http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/ lesson_view.asp?id=936>
Swift, Jonathan. �Gulliver�s Travels.� The
Writings of Jonathan Swift. Comp. and ed. Robert A.
Greenberg. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 1973