Literary reading, lesson notes. Write a description of the story Gulliver's Journey. Characteristics of the characters based on Jonathan Swift's work "Gulliver's Travels": Lemuel Gulliver The main characters and their characteristics
The book "Gulliver's Travels" was published in the 17th century. In a fantastic form, Jonathan Swift depicted the morals and orders he hated in England at that time. The people and events that the writer fought against in his book have long disappeared. But the work lives on and still finds a response in the hearts of readers. The novel is about the journey of an English doctor, whom fate brought to hitherto unknown lands - the land of the Lilliputians. In Lilliput there live very small people, compared to whom Lemuel Gulliver is a real giant. Moreover, this concerns, in my opinion, not only growth, but also internal qualities, desires and aspirations. Thus, the empire is torn by infighting because the two leading political parties cannot agree on what height of heels should be worn. The reason for wars with the neighboring state of Blefuscu is no less ridiculous: each side is trying to prove from which end it is more correct to break eggs - from the blunt or sharp one. Gulliver presents a striking contrast with the Lilliputians. With his nobility, kindness, education, intelligence and mercy, he inspires respect and admiration. It seems to me that J. Swift uses the contrast between Gulliver and the Lilliputians in order to emphasize the advantages and disadvantages of his heroes, to show what real values actually are, what every person should strive for.
Option 2
English writer Jonathan Swift gained worldwide fame with his satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. In this wonderful work, on which he worked for almost five years, the author set himself the goal of depicting and ridiculing the hated order of England at that time.
One of the techniques that helped him paint a picture of English society in an allegorical form and create individual satirical images that fully reflected his idea was the technique of contrasting the main character Gulliver with the Lilliputians.
The novel is divided into four parts, in each of which the hero of the work, Lemuel Gulliver, finds himself in strange, unfamiliar lands, experiencing more and more exciting adventures in his travels. In the first part, the hero is shipwrecked, escapes by swimming and safely reaches the shores of Lilliput - a country of tiny people, twelve times smaller than ordinary people. Gulliver gets acquainted with the life and government structure of the country of Lilliput, gives characteristics to individual characters and an assessment of what he saw. The narration is told on behalf of Gulliver, but it is clear that behind this are the thoughts and assessments of Swift himself. He portrayed his fellow citizens in the form of Lilliputians, while ordinary residents cannot help but arouse his sympathy with their hard work, thriftiness, fearlessness, resourcefulness and intelligence; Moreover, they were skilled craftsmen.
Much in the political life of the country of Lilliput caused misunderstanding and bewilderment. For example, Gulliver admires the fortified capital, the beauty and splendor of the imperial palace, and the emperor himself, at first glance, gives the impression of a prudent and generous man. But then he learns with amazement that “two terrible disasters” are hanging over Lilliput. At a time when the incessant "fierce feuds" between the Tremexen and Slemeksen parties - supporters of high and low heels - "torment the state", the empire of Blefuscu, "almost as huge and powerful", threatens Lilliput with invasion.
He is amazed at the senselessness of the “fierce” war between two parties and two “powerful powers”, which has been waged “for thirty-six moons” over disputes about which end is the right way to break boiled eggs - the blunt or the sharp end. Gulliver is a peace-loving man, he is against war in general, because war always brings troubles and destruction, and especially if this war is so senseless. Therefore, he tries to stop the war.
Much in Lilliput seemed strange, surprising and incomprehensible to Gulliver. Through the lips of the hero, Swift denies a political system in which all power belongs to one person. And the little people look especially funny, trying to seem like “great” ministers, strong rulers and wise people, but their small stature only emphasizes their cruelty, greed and deceit.
In some characters one can easily discern a hint of people who actually existed in those days. For example, in the Emperor of Lilliput Molly Olly Hugh (a little man who considered himself an adornment and thunderstorm of the Universe, “the monarch of all monarchs” and the greatest of people), Swift’s contemporaries recognized the arrogant King George I.
And the courageous Gulliver, surrounded by ungrateful Lilliputians, is Swift himself at the court of the English king.
Thus, contrasting the views and actions of Gulliver and the Lilliputians, using the techniques of satire, Jonathan Swift ridiculed bourgeois society and its rulers in his work, and sharply criticized the entire political and social system of contemporary England.
The main character of this story is Gulliver. He was born into the family of a poor nobleman and had an estate in Nottinghamshire. In his fourteenth year he was sent to college in Cambridge. But his father no longer had the means to keep him there for longer than three years.
Then Gulliver studied for four years with the outstanding London surgeon Mr. Betts and became a doctor. He spent the money his father sent him on books on navigation and related branches of mathematics, because he dreamed of becoming a traveler. Lemuel subsequently studied natural history at Leiden University in Holland for two years and seven months.
After the voyage, on the advice of friends, he married Mary Bergen, the daughter of the hosiery store owner Ermund Burton. To improve the family's financial situation, Gulliver sets sail on the ship "Antelope" to the East Indies. Then he was approximately 30-33 years old.
In my opinion, Gulliver had a good appearance. He is of average height, with a slender figure, brown hair, and sharp features.
From the essay it is clear that Gulliver had positive character traits. The author notes his humanity: “... (Gulliver) resolutely refused to be an instrument of enslavement of a free and brave people...”, emphasizes courage: “While I was busy with this, the enemies shot thousands of arrows, and many of them fell into my hands and face, causing burning pain and preventing me from working..."
Gulliver's curiosity can be traced throughout the entire work: "... and while on the shore, I looked closely at the way of life and customs of people and at the same time studied foreign languages..." This hero is characterized by such qualities as endurance ("The first sentence that I learned was a request to return freedom for me. ... the emperor replied that it was a matter of time, that he could solve it only in agreement with the advice...") and generosity ("... The Colonel ordered to seize six factory workers... and hand them bound into my hands .... I cut the threads with which he was tied with a knife and carefully lowered him to the ground...").
Intelligence and ingenuity helped Gulliver many times during this journey: “...in three weeks I made great progress in learning their language...”; “...deliberately did not approach the shore so as not to be noticed by some enemy ship...”; "...I wove the rope in half to make it stronger and for the same purpose I twisted the iron bars three times..."
Gulliver treated others with kindness and respect. He behaved courteously while in captivity, thereby earning the favor of the Emperor of Lilliput and the sympathy of the majority of his subjects, although he could have freed himself and destroyed this country and its little people.
In addition, he agreed to all the conditions of dismissal, despite the fact that some of them were not what he thought were honorable. Gulliver prevented attacks on Lilliput by the hostile state of Blefuscu.
Some of the nobles and ministers of Lilliput treated Gulliver favorably, and when the act of accusation was discussed, they did not speak out against Gulliver. Meanwhile, Flimnap and Bol Golam, Gulliver's enemies who sought to destroy him, in alliance with some officials, were accused of treason.
J. Swift showed Gulliver as a worthy person. Comparing him with the Lilliputians, the author ridiculed the claims to world domination of the English monarchs, their ministers and courtiers, and the injustice of public life throughout Europe.
The wonderful work Gulliver's Travels was written by Jonathan Sweet. This work was even filmed, so those who do not like to read were able to get acquainted with the plot, which introduces us to Swift’s hero and his travels.
Gulliver characterization of the hero
Having become acquainted with the work, you can immediately identify the main character of Gulliver’s Travels and why he liked him, and also, using Gulliver’s quotation description, answer many questions regarding the novel and the main character. Gulliver for 4th grade will help schoolchildren recreate the image of the hero, which is why we suggest getting acquainted with a brief description of Gulliver.
If we talk about Gulliver and the characteristics of this hero, he is a doctor, a surgeon by training, a father of a family, a man who loved to travel by sea. Gulliver is a purposeful person who strived for knowledge and had a great desire to learn. He was interested in everything related to navigation and he constantly dreams of travel, which he finally accomplished. First, Gulliver traveled by sea as a ship's doctor, and later as the captain of several ships. In all four parts of the novel, Gulliver is the main character and in each part he finds himself in a new world, crazy, incredible, and here the hero of the work will be revealed from different sides. So, from the characteristics of Gulliver in the country of the Lilliputians, Gulliver evokes respect, because he could have killed and crushed all the Lilliputians, but he did not do this, because they were weaker, and he does not harm the weak. Gulliver is inquisitive and tries to study the system and foundations of government in this small country. At the same time, we see that he is also a good diplomat.
Each of his journeys was educational and his wanderings lead to the fact that Gulliver realizes how unattractive and ugly England is with its charters and rulers. Moreover, with each journey, this awareness became stronger and brighter. A particularly strong change in consciousness occurred after visiting the fourth country, a country where smart horses ruled, and here Gulliver was even ashamed of the fact that he belonged to the human race, to the race of Yahoos - the feral descendants of people who were famous for their gluttony, laziness, lust, malice and stupidity . He was so impressed and at the same time disappointed that he did not even want to return home, to the world of the same Yahoos, as the hero of the work later called people.
Gulliver in the land of Lilliput
The hero of the novel is Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon and traveler, first a ship’s doctor, and then “the captain of several ships.” The first amazing country he finds himself in is Lilliput.
After a shipwreck, a traveler finds himself ashore. He was tied up by tiny people, no bigger than a little finger.
After making sure that Man-Mountain (or Quinbus Flestrin, as Gulliver’s little ones are called) is peaceful, they find him housing, pass special safety laws, and provide him with food. Try to feed the giant! A guest eats as much as 1728 Lilliputians per day!
The emperor himself talks cordially with the guest. It turns out that the lilies are waging a war with the neighboring state of Blefuscu, which is also inhabited by tiny people. Seeing a threat to the hospitable hosts, Gulliver goes out into the bay and pulls the entire Blefuscu fleet on a rope. For this feat he was awarded the title of nardak (the highest title in the state).
Gulliver is cordially introduced to the customs of the country. He is shown the exercises of rope dancers. The most dexterous dancer can get a vacant position at court. The Lilliputians stage a ceremonial march between Gulliver's widely spaced legs. Man-Mountain takes the oath of allegiance to the state of Lilliput. Her words sound mocking when she lists the titles of the little emperor, who is called “the joy and terror of the Universe.”
Gulliver is initiated into the country's political system. There are two warring parties in Lilliput. What is the cause of this bitter enmity? Supporters of one are adherents of low heels, and adherents of the other - only high heels.
In their war, Lilliput and Blefuscu decide on an equally “important” question: which side to break the eggs on - from the blunt side or from the sharp side.
Having unexpectedly become a victim of the imperial wrath, Gulliver flees to Blefuscu, but even there everyone is happy to get rid of him as quickly as possible.
Gulliver builds a boat and sets sail. Having accidentally met an English merchant ship, he safely returns to his homeland.
Gulliver in the land of giants
The restless ship's doctor sets sail again and ends up in Brobdingnag - the state of giants. Now he himself feels like a midget. In this country, Gulliver also ends up at the royal court. The King of Brobdingnag, a wise, magnanimous monarch, "despises all mystery, subtlety and intrigue in both sovereigns and ministers." He issues simple and clear laws, cares not about the pomp of his court, but about the well-being of his subjects. This giant does not elevate himself above others, like the king of Lilliput. There is no need for a giant to rise artificially! The inhabitants of Giantia seem to Gulliver to be worthy and respectable people, although not too smart. “The knowledge of this people is very insufficient: it is limited to morals, history, poetry and mathematics.”
Gulliver, transformed into a Lilliputian by the will of the sea waves, becomes the favorite toy of Glumdalklich, the royal daughter. This giantess has a gentle soul, she takes care of her little man and orders a special house for him.
For a long time, the faces of the giants seem repulsive to the hero: holes are like holes, hairs are like logs. But then he gets used to it. The ability to get used to and adapt, to be tolerant is one of the psychological qualities of a hero.
The royal dwarf is offended: he has a rival! Out of jealousy, the vile dwarf plays a lot of nasty tricks on Gulliver, for example, he puts him in the cage of a giant monkey, which almost killed the traveler by nursing and stuffing food into him. Mistook her for her cub!
Gulliver innocently tells the king about the English customs of that time. The king no less innocently declares that this whole story is an accumulation of “conspiracies, unrest, murders, beatings, revolutions and expulsions, which are the worst result of greed, hypocrisy, treachery, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, malice and ambition.”
The hero is eager to go home to his family.
Chance helps him: a giant eagle picks up his toy house and carries it to the sea, where Lemuel is picked up by a ship again.
Souvenirs from the land of giants: a nail clipping, a thick hair...
The doctor cannot get used to life among normal people again for a long time. They seem too small to him...
Gulliver in the land of scientists
In the third part, Gulliver ends up on the flying island of Laputa. (of the island floating in the sky, the hero descends to earth and ends up in the capital - the city of Lagado. The island belongs to the same fantastic state. Incredible ruin and poverty are simply striking.
There are also a few oases of order and well-being. This is all that remains from the past normal life. Reformers got carried away with the changes and forgot about pressing needs.
The academics of Lagado are so far from reality that some of them have to be periodically slapped on the nose so that they wake up from their thoughts and do not fall into the ditch. They “invent new methods of agriculture and architecture and new tools and tools for all kinds of crafts and industries, with the help of which, as they assure, one person will do the work of ten; within a week it will be possible to erect a palace from such durable material that it will last forever without requiring any repairs; all the fruits of the earth will ripen at any time of the year according to the desire of consumers..."
Projects remain just projects, and the country “is desolate, houses are in ruins, and the population is starving and walking in rags.”
“Life improver” inventions are simply ridiculous. One has been developing a project for extracting solar energy from... cucumbers for seven years. Then you can use it to warm the air in the event of a cold and rainy summer. Another came up with a new way to build houses, from the roof to the foundation. A “serious” project has also been developed to turn human excrement back into nutrients.
An experimenter in the field of politics proposes to reconcile warring parties by cutting the heads of opposing leaders, swapping the backs of their heads. This should lead to good agreement.
Houyhnhnms and Yahoos
In the fourth and final part of the novel, as a result of a conspiracy on the ship, Gulliver ends up on a new island - the country of the Houyhnhnms. Houyhnhnms are intelligent horses. Their name is the author's neologism, conveying the neighing of a horse.
Gradually, the traveler discovers the moral superiority of talking animals over his fellow tribesmen: “the behavior of these animals was distinguished by such consistency and purposefulness, such deliberation and prudence.” The Houyhnhnms are endowed with human intelligence, but do not know human vices.
Gulliver calls the leader of the Houyhnhnms “master.” And, as in previous travels, the “guest involuntarily” tells the owner about the vices that exist in England. The interlocutor does not understand him, because there is nothing of this in the “horse” country.
In the service of the Houyhnhnms live evil and vile creatures - Yahoos. They look completely similar to humans, only... Naked, Dirty, greedy, unprincipled, devoid of humane principles! Most herds of Yahoos have some sort of ruler. They are always the ugliest and most vicious in the whole herd. Each such leader usually has a favorite (favorite), whose duty is to lick the feet of his master and serve him in every possible way. In gratitude for this, he is sometimes rewarded with a piece of donkey meat.
This favorite is hated by the entire herd. Therefore, for safety, he always remains near his master. Usually he stays in power until someone even worse comes along. As soon as he receives his resignation, all the Yahoos immediately surround him and douse him from head to toe with their excrement. The word "Yahoo" has become among civilized people to mean a savage who cannot be educated.
Gulliver admires the Houyhnhnms. They are wary of him: he is too similar to a Yahoo. And since he is a Yahoo, then he should live next to them.
In vain did the hero think of spending the rest of his days among the Houyhnhnms - these fair and highly moral creatures. Swift's main idea, the idea of tolerance, turned out to be alien even to them. The meeting of the Houyhnhnms makes a decision: to expel Gulliver as belonging to the Yahoo breed. And the hero once again - and the last! — once he returns home to his garden in Redrif — “to enjoy his thoughts.”
Topic: Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels".
Goals: Introduce works of foreign writers into the reading circle of 5th graders.To acquaint students with the pages of life and creativity, to give a primary idea of D. Swift’s work “Gulliver’s Travels”, characteristics of the heroes of the work. To develop children’s speech, creative abilities, and the ability to work in a group.
During the classes
I. Organizational moment.
II. Checking homework: A. Volkov “Emerald City”, write a letter to the hero of the fairy tale.
What is a fairy tale?
How do folk tales differ from literary ones?
III. New theme: Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
How do you understand the word “Foreign” (foreign, writers from other countries) .What is foreign literature?
– The section opens with an excerpt from the fairy tale by the English writer Jonathan Swift “Gulliver's Adventures”.
At home you read an excerpt from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"
Vocabulary work:
climbed - climbed, climbed
scattered - in different directions
pegs - small stakes
raised platform, plank platform
stupefied - unable to perceive anything
lawn - small meadow, clearing
tumbled - turned over
Who is the main character of the book?
What was Gulliver's profession?
What did the Lilliputians call him?
– How did Gulliver get to the land of Lilliput?
(View an excerpt from the cartoon)
Conversation on questions:
– What struck you the most?
– How did Gulliver seem to you?
– What can you say about the little people living in an extraordinary country?
Why do the Lilliputians behave this way towards Gulliver?
What is Gulliver's behavior like?
– Where do you think they came from? Who invented them?
– When did you first encounter the word “Lilliputian”?
(A portrait of Jonathan Swift is projected onto the screen.)
Yes, Lilliputians were invented by Jonathan Swift. His book, intended for adults, eventually became a children's book.
(There's a knock on the door and Jonathan Swift comes in)
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! I have the honor to introduce myself! Jonathan Swift. I am very glad to meet you.
I am sure that each of the children would like to meet the writer and learn about his work. Please tell us about yourself.
About Me? With great pleasure! I was born in Ireland, in the 17th century, on November 30, 1667 in the city of Dublin. The father had already died by that time. The family lived very poorly. My uncle took me in to raise me. I was forced to study theology even though I didn't want to. Later he moved to England. There he began to write. Then fate brought me back to Ireland. I lived in a poor village and worked as a priest. I wrote my novel Gulliver's Travels in the 18th century, in 1726. I created it for 10 years.
How did you get the idea to write this book, what helped?
What helped me? I used folk tales about dwarfs and giants, and travel books. But I want to note that my novel is very serious.
Thank you. Despite the seriousness of your novel, it is very interesting and entertaining, which is why it has become one of the funniest and most beloved children's books.
Gentlemen, meet my beloved giant. This is the hero of the novel “Gulliver's Travels”, the ship's doctor, then captain Lemuel Gulliver. (On the interactive board there is a portrait of Gulliver)
Gulliver- A quick-witted, compassionate, strong, kind, big, noble person.
And your midgets are brave, sensitive, fast, tiny human beings, thanks to which Gulliver becomes a real giant in their country and receives the nickname Mountain Man.
Thank you, dear writer, for your visit and interesting story about yourself.
Dear guys, love literature and study well! Goodbye.
Goodbye Mr. Swift!
Gulliver's image
Everyone knows this name. Gulliver is a tireless traveler, and we always read stories about unusual travels and adventures with great interest.
There is much that attracts us in Gulliver's character. He is a purposeful person with a great desire to learn and explore the world. I dreamed of becoming a sailor. When he went sailing, he always stocked up with a large number of books and devoted all his free time to reading. Finding himself a captive of the Lilliputians, Gulliver studies their language, customs, morals, and government structure. Thanks to his gigantic height, he sees everything that happens in the kingdom at a glance. He always found a way out of any situation, remaining true to honor and duty. Gulliver behaves peacefully and kindly.
Lilliputians
Lilliputians are human beings no more than six inches tall. Very brave, courageous, they study military craft, ready to fight for their lands. Nature has adapted the Lilliputians’ vision to the objects around them: they see well, but at short distances.
The Lilliputians have well-developed mathematical sciences - for example, they measured Gulliver's height using a quadrant and determined that it was in a ratio of 12: 1 to Lilliputian, calculating its volume to be at least equal to the volume of 1728 Lilliputian bodies. On this basis, provisions are allocated to him. At the same time, Lilliputians do not know firearms and mechanical watches.
Work in groups:
Work with text
1 group
Why did Gulliver cry out in surprise? (find in the text)
What was the first thing Gulliver decided to ask the Lilliputians?
How did he do it?
2nd group
How did Gulliver determine that an important person was standing in front of him? (find in text)
What did they feed the giant?
Why did Gulliver immediately want to sleep after drinking wine?
Fizminutka
Work in groups: Math minute
Guys, what do you think, is it possible to knock out the bottom of a barrel and drain it in a few sips?
Let's calculate what the height of the Lilliputian barrel was if it was 12 times smaller than the usual human barrel. The height of an average human barrel is 96 cm (96:12 = 8 cm)
The height of the midget is 6 inches, 1 inch is 2.5 cm. How many centimeters is the height of the midget? (6x 2.5 = 15 cm)
The height of an adult midget is 15 cm, and the height Gulliver is 12 times larger. How tall is Gulliver? (15x12=180 cm.)
Poster making
Group 1: Characteristics of Gulliver
Group 2: Characteristics of Lilliputians
Summarizing:
What is foreign literature?
What country did he come up with? What are the names of the little people who live there?
Who came to them on the island?
- How did the Lilliputians greet him?
Why do you think they did this to him?
What especially struck Gulliver about the Lilliputians? (extraordinary courage)
What feelings did the giant have towards the Lilliputians?
What does this work teach?
“Gulliver's Travels” teaches people to see deception and hypocrisy, hate evil, fight for freedom and justice, and passionately love the truth. Gulliver, having learned about the world and the problems of “little” and “big” people, ultimately becomes a real giant among people, but only after he begins to understand that it is really important to be great on the inside, and not on the outside.
VII. Homework
Guys, when a person finds himself far away on an island in the middle of the ocean, how does he send messages?
That's right, in a bottle. Today we also received a letter from our favorite hero. Only homework in a bottle.
Group 1: Retelling an excerpt from Gulliver’s point of view
Group 2: Retelling the passage from the perspective of the Lilliputians
VIII. Lesson grades
Reflection: “Ship of Wishes”
