Greetings for Gulliver
Greetings for Gulliver
It is certainly true that within the extended realm
of Irish literature the greatest characters
have all had the ability to transcend time
In this regard who could not be enamored
of the story of Lemuel Gulliver?
Shipwrecked and washed upon the shore
he is awakened and discovers
that his quivering bod is securely fastened
to the ground
But perhaps more astonishing,
the massive behemoth has been mounted
by a countless number of what appear to be
tiny creatures resembling ordinary human men
And while this amazing tale
has penetrated the consciousness of an untold number
of avid readers and illiterates alike
Few people outside the ivory towers
of advanced literary criticism
have seldom dared to ask how time itself
may have influenced the creation of this classic tale
So let your imagination run wild
fasten your seat belt and let us board this amazing
time machine
And as we descend we find that the year is 1726
It is the year that the first edition of this wonderful epic
was completed
And arguably it was still the apex of the colonial shenanigans
of the British Crown
And while Lemuel Gulliver’s diary included trips
to other remote places far beyond Lilliput
it is right to assert that the events in Lilliput may have been
the most memorable of scenes
And would it not be right to assume
that writers sometimes project a bit of their selves
onto the protagonists within their storied tales?
And even if this were not so let us ask
just who is this Lemuel Gulliver?
What is the land of Lilliput and what did all of this mean
to his creator Johnathan Swift?
Swift was born in 1667 in Dublin, Ireland
He was named after his father
although he was the second son
His mother was Abigail Erick of Frisby on the Wreake
The historical archive indicates
Swift’s grandfather ventured to Dublin
seeking fortune after the family’s royal estate
had been lost in the English civil war
As an adult it is reported
that Swift earned a doctor of divinity from Trinity College
and published a number of books
He was however also know for his political pamphleteering
His writings included “Proposal for Universal Use of Irish Manufacture”,
“Drapiers Letters” and ” A Modest Proposal”
Swift was rewarded for his good deeds
as his place within the world of Irish letters
is as solid as a rock
And in addition to his wonderful book,
he is considered a great Irish Patriot
And for this we might
even stand and cheer…