Skip to main content

What is one passage from the Brobdingnag episode that could apply to politics in the United States today?

In chapter five, Gulliver speaks for a while about the various causes of war, especially about how many wars take place as a result of a difference of opinion.  Gulliver says, "Neither are any wars so furious and bloody, or of so long a continuance, as those occasioned by difference in opinion, especially if it be in things indifferent."  In other words, the worst conflicts seem to be caused by mere differences of opinion.


I...

In chapter five, Gulliver speaks for a while about the various causes of war, especially about how many wars take place as a result of a difference of opinion.  Gulliver says, "Neither are any wars so furious and bloody, or of so long a continuance, as those occasioned by difference in opinion, especially if it be in things indifferent."  In other words, the worst conflicts seem to be caused by mere differences of opinion.


I cannot help but connect this to modern American conflicts over religion.  One person's choice to practice their religion has no effect on another person's choice to practice their religion; religious differences are differences of opinion, just like the kind Gulliver talks about when he mentions the wars fought over "whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh; whether the juice of a certain berry be blood or wine."  Here, he is referring to the battles fought between Protestants and Catholics in England.  And while we are not fighting a civil war over religion in America, the amount of hurtful and prejudicial remarks made about certain religions in the political arena during this election year are shocking, and they are causing fear and offense and politically dividing Americans even more than we already are.  One presidential candidate has even suggested that the United States prevent those who practice a certain religion from entering the country.  Moreover, religion continues to motivate hate crimes in this country and inflammatory political speech such as what I allude to above only fuels this hatred and these conflicts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more