Houyhnhnms Lack Of Virtue example essay topic

Swift was a neoclassical writer who wrote to enlighten people. He wanted people to look at the world that exits beyond them selves and discover virtue. Through his work Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift demonstrates to the reader the importance of virtue. I this story the main character am Gulliver; a world traveler who takes a journey to different lands. Each place that Gulliver lands has different ideals that are the foundation of their society. Their views on life are completely new to Gulliver.

There are fatal errors in the way each society functions. The Yahoos are considered to be unintelligent savages. The Houyhnhnms are creatures that use rational thinking in every aspect of life and perceive themselves to be perfect. Swift uses the Houyhnhnms to reveal the foolishness of vanity. Gulliver is a Yahoo who does not fit the set definition the Houyhnhnms have for Yahoos.

When the Houyhnhnms are faced with a reality that they have not perceived they refuse to accept it. They simply deny the fact that Gulliver is real and decide that he does not exist. The Houyhnhnms choose ignorance over enlightenment. They have been given the opportunity to learn a new idea, but instead of striving to grasp it they ignore the whole situation. The Houyhnhnms lack of virtue, they are too proud to admit a single imperfection, they cannot fathom that they have made an incorrect assumption.

Houyhnhnms have allowed for egotism to rule them. Therefore they tell Gulliver he does not exist. They fail to accept Gulliver as a real being, because they had never thought of him before they saw him. Since they think they Enloe 4 are perfect, they cannot conceive of a reality that they did not perceive. Their vanity has blinded them. The Houyhnhnms have no desire to improve their state of being, because they had believed they are flawless.

They are complacent with their ignorance. It is virtuous to aspire to find truth. The Houyhnhnms have no desire to find the truth. Therefore, they lack virtue and will no be enlightened.

Swift believes it will improve our state of living to strive to be virtuous. Beowulf, Gulliver's Travels, and Canterbury Tales were wrote works of literature written to encourage their readers to evaluate their values. Each writer exposes the necessity of morals to the building of a fully developed human being. The work expresses pagan's virtues within their society. Beowulf vowed an oath to Lord Hrothgar to slay the monster that has taken over and killed his people. His virtue is demonstrated by obedience to his oath.

This enables the reader to learn and understand the values of the people in the Anglo-Saxon era. The Christian traditions and the practice of Germanic Heroic poetry allows the literature fuse together in to a one piece of work that distinctly creates Pagan and Christian interpretations of the way things once were. Beowulf always portrayed virtues that were extremely contradictory in that he claimed to be Christian but displayed the qualities of a Pagan. Chaucer presents his own virtue in the Canterbury Tales he illustrates the self-indulgence of those who lack virtue. If a person does not look beyond himself or herself, then they can no longer distinguish between the major key points of life. Individuals need reality to correct their foolishness.

Swift demonstrates in Gulliver's encounter with the Houyhnhnms the magnitude of searching for the truth. In Enloe 5 Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift conveys the need for people to endeavor to become better people. This can only be done through the attainment of virtues. These writers on the renaissance era made the necessity of virtue clear through their writings. Virtue is and commendable quality or trait. A person needs to have virtues to carry them through life without virtue a person is lost and aimless.

Virtuous people will be better off, because they have strived for the truth, chosen good over evil, and evaded the claws of egocentrism..