Question

if lilliput is a caricature of england and its military policy, then what is swift implying about how the english government is run, how its leaders are chosen, and how its wars are decided upon?

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

Lilliput is one of the strange lands in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". Lemuel Gulliver, the main character in the novel, ends up in Lilliput, a land populated by people who are less than 6 inches tall. But that is not where the strangeness ends. The Lilliputians are vain, shallow people. They spend a great deal of their time with petty debates and nonsensical customs. For instance, those who are best at rope dancing are chosen for court positions. Their politicians are divided between those who wear low-heeled shoes (representing the English Whigs) and those who wear high-heeled shoes (representing the English Tories). It is important to note that the Lilliputians are at war with the Blefuscuans due to a dispute on which side of the egg should be broken first.

Since Lilliput is a caricature of England and its military policy (Blefuscu is a caricature of France), we can see how Swift is fiercely criticizing the British. He is implying that their wars are decided based on unimportant matters - which means lives are lost and destroyed for no good reason. He also indicates that the English government is run without seriousness of thought, by people who are not truly concerned with the well-being of the country. Appearances and money are more important to British politicians than actually helping their people.