Gulliver Swiftly Explained
Gullivers Travels tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a ships surgeon who has a number of extraordinary adventures. In Book I, his ship is blown off course and Gulliver is shipwrecked. ... In spite of his predicament, Gulliver is at first impressed by the intelligence and organizational abilities of the Lilliputians. ... Because they are technologically adept, Gulliver does not yet see how small-minded the Lilliputians are. In Chapter II, the Emperor of Lilliput arrives to take a look at the giant, and the Emperor and his courtiers equally impress Gulliver. They are handsome and richly dressed, and the Emperor attempts to speak to Gulliver civilly, although they are unable to understand one another. The Emperor decrees that every morning Gulliver is to be delivered "six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals," along with as much bread and wine as he needs, his basic needs are to be attended to, and six scholars are to teach Gulliver the language of his new compatriots. Again, in this chapter, Gulliver is won over by the fact that the Lilliputians are well dressed and articulate, despite the fact that they speak a language he cannot understand. ... It is in this chapter that Gulliver first asks to be freed and is refused. As Chapter III opens, Gulliver and his captors have become friends.