格列佛游记英语读后感 Oneofthemostinterestingquestionsaboutgulliverstravelsiswhetherthehouyhnhnmsrepresentanidealofrationalityorwhetherontheotherhandtheyarethebuttofswiftssatire.inotherwords,inbookiv,isswiftpokingfunatthetalkinghorsesordoesheintendforustotakethemseriouslyastheproperwaytoact?Ifwelookcloselyatthewaythatthehouyhnhnmsact,wecanseethatinfactswiftdoesnottakethemseriously:heusesthemtoshowthedangersofpride. Firstwehavetoseethatswiftdoesnoteventakegullverseriously.forinstance,hisnamesoundsmuchlikegullible,whichsuggeststhathewillbelieveanything.also,whenhefirstseestheyahoosandtheythrowexcrementonhim,herespondsbydoingthesameinreturnuntiltheyrunaway.Hesays,“Imustneedsdiscoversomemorerationalbeing,”eventhoughasahumanheisalreadythemostrationalbeingthereis.Thisiswhyswiftreferstoerasmusdarwinsdiscoveryoftheoriginofthespeciesandthevoyageofthebeagletoshowhowgulliverknowsthatpeopleareatthetopofthefoodchain.Butiflemulegulliverissatirized,soarethehouyhnhnms,whosevoicessoundlikethecallofcastrati. Theywalkontwolegsinsteadoffour,andseemtobemuchlikepeople.Asgulliversays,“itwaswiththeutmostastonishmentthatIwitnessedthesecreaturesplayingthefluteanddancingavienesewaltz.Tomymind,theyseemedlikethegreatesthumanseverseenincourt,evenmoredextrousthanthelordedmundburke.”Asthisquotedemonstrates,gulliveristerriblyimpressed,buthisadmirationforthehouyhnhnmsisshortlivedbecausetheyaresoprideful.Forinstance,theleaderofthehouyhnhnmsclaimsthathehasreadalltheworksofcharlesdickens,andthathecansinglehandedlyrecitethenamesofallthekingsandqueensofenglanduptogeorgeii.Swiftsubtlyshowsthatthishouyhnhnmsprideismisplacedwhen,inthemiddleoftheintellectualpetition,heforgetsthenameofqueenelizabethshusband. Swiftssatireofthehouyhnhnmsesoutinotherwaysaswell.Oneofthemostmemorablescenesiswhenthedapplegreymareattemptstowoothehorsethatguenivrehasbroughtwithhimtotheisland.firstsheactsflirtatiously,paradingaroundthebewilderedhorse.Butwhenthisdoesnothavethedesiredeffect,shegetsanotheridea:“asIwatchedinamazementfrommyperchinthetopofatree,thesorrelnagdashedoffandreturnedwithayahooonherbackwhowasyetmoremonstrousthanmr.Popebeingfittedbyaclothier.Shedroppedthiscreaturebeforemynagasifofferingupasacrifice.Myhorsesniffedthecreatureandturnedaway.” Itmightseemthatweshouldtakethissceneseriouslyasafailedattemptatcourtship,andthatconsequentlyweshouldseethegreymareasanunrequitedlover.Butitmakesmoresenseifweseethatswiftisbeingsatirichere:Itisthefemalehouyhnhnmwhomakesthemove,whichwouldnothavehappenedineighteenthcenturyengland.thehouyhnhmisbeingprideful,anditisthatpridethatmakeshimunabletoimpressgullivershorse.gulliverimaginesthehorsesaying,sblood,thenotionofcreatingthebarebackedbeastwithananimalwhohadheldmr.Popeonherbackmakesmequeezy. Afinalindicationthatthehouyhnmnsarenotmeanttobetakenseriouslyoccurswhentheleaderofthehouynhmsvisitslilliput,wherehevisitsthefrenchroyalsociety.Hegoesintoaroominwhichascientististryingtoturnwineintowater(itselfapridefulactthatreferstothemarriageatgallilee). Thescientisthasbeenworkinghardattheexperimentformanyyearswithoutsuccess,whenthehouyhnmnarrivesandimmediatelyknowsthattodo:“thecreaturenosoonersteppedthroughthedoorwaythanhestruckuponaplan.slurpingupallthewineinsight,hequicklymadewaterinabucketthatsatnearthedoor.” Hehasacplishedthescientistsgoal,butthescientistisnothappy,forhislivelihoodhasnowbeendestroyed.Swiftsclearimplicationisthateventhoughthehouyhnhmnsaresmart,theydonotknowhowtousethatknowledgeforthebenefitofsociety,onlyfortheirownpridefulagrandizement. Throughoutgulliverstravels,thehouyhnhmsareshowntobeanidealgonewrong.Thoughtheirintentmighthavebeengood,theydontknowhowtodowhattheywanttodobecausetheyarefilledwithpride.Theymisleadgulliverandtheyevenmisleadthemselves.Thesatireonthemisparticularlywellexplainedbythenewbornhouyhnhmwho,havingjustbeenborn,exclaims,“withthissortofentrance,whatmustIexpectfromtherestofmylife”