Gullivers Travels Day 3

Class: Senior English

Grade Level: Senior

Unit: Gullivers Travels

Teacher: Justin Busch

Iowa Core State Standards (ICSS)

RL.1112.6

Analyze a case in which grasping point of view (perspective) requires distinguishing

what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).

21st Century Skill(s)

SS.912.PSCL.2

Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand how the government established by the
Constitution embodies the enduring values and principles of democracy and
republicanism.

National Standards
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts,
of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new
information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for
personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and
contemporary works.

Essential Question
How does Swifts writing style and content reflect the values of 18th century
England and our society today?

Objectives
By the end class today, students will
Have a deeper understanding of how Swift is critiquing society.
Be able to apply the critiques Swift makes to our own flaws.

Assessment
Reading quiz / Class discussion during lecture
Class discussion during lecture / Electoral College Activity

Anticipatory Set (5-7 minutes)

Reading Quiz
Students will answer the following questions in order to make sure that they
actually read the material and understand it:
o What kind of job does Gulliver have?
o What is the nickname that the Lilliputians give Gulliver?
 o What is unique about the Lilliputians?
o What does Gulliver do when the city catches on fire?
o How do politicians get their job in Lilliput?

Teaching: Activities
Lecture (35 minutes)
After collecting the quizzes, the teacher will lead a class discussion in order to
facilitate comprehension of the reading and draw attention to the most important
parts. The following are the major questions to ask and the key points to draw
attention to.
o How Swift makes Gulliver seem credible to his contemporary readers.
Explains that he is educated, writes like a travel journal, focuses on
empirical evidence, etc.
o Why their sizes matter England vs Colonies
Page 43
The choice of physical size as the way of noting cultural
differences has a number of important consequences. The main
consequence is the major difference in power between Gulliver
and the Lilliputian nation. His physical size and strength put
Gulliver in a unique position within Lilliputian society and give
him obligations and capabilities far beyond those of the people
who keep him prisoner. Despite Gullivers fear of the Lilliputians
arrows, there is an element of condescension in his willingness to
be held prisoner by them. The power differential may represent
Englands position with respect to the people it was in the process
of colonizing. It may also be a way for Swift to reveal the
importance of might in a society supposedly guided by right.
Finally, it may be a way of destabilizing humanitys position at the
center of the universe by demonstrating that size, power, and
significance are all relative. Although the Lilliputians are almost
pitifully small in Gullivers eyes, they are unwilling to see
themselves that way; rather, they think of themselves as normal
and of Gulliver as a freakish giant. That Gulliver may himself be
the Lilliputian to some other nations Mountain Man.
o Mathematics / engineering minded
Page 28 these little six inch people are able to move a giant by
creating a machine that carries him
Page 32 they build a giant bed by using math to determine how
much bigger Gulliver is and then used the size of their bed to
determine how many have to be sewn together.
Page 33 they realize how much food Gulliver will need to eat
based in proportion to their own size and that he will most likely
cause a famine
o Politically ridiculous
Page 48 they get political jobs by balancing on a rope and
whoever jumps the highest gets the job
Their intelligence in math and engineering is contrasted by how
ridiculous their politics are. (Sounds somewhat familiar right?)
In England, to get a political job you had to be born into a
family or someone in power just gave you a job. No voting,
no qualifications necessary.
 In our society, what are some of the ridiculous things that
go on in politics?
o What do you make of Gulliver literally pissing on their city? What does
this imply about swifts view of this way of life?

Break (5 minutes)

Electoral College Activity (30 minutes)

Make a list of everything we know about how people got political jobs in 17th
century England
Make a separate list of everything we know about how people get political jobs
today
Quick video lecture of the electoral college
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6s7jB6-GoU
Think Pair Share: students will be given the following articles to read and
discuss it in pairs and as a class. Questions to ask include: What are your thoughts
on the Electoral College? What do you think Swift would think about the
Electoral College? Are there any other areas of politics that are ridiculous (like
lobbyists)?
o http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4052452/Electoral-College-goes-
history-rebellious-seven-ignore-oaths-abandon-Clinton-not-Trump.html
o http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/20/here-is-a-complete-list-of-
faithless-electors/
During the class discussion portion, make it known that what Swift wrote about
can still be applied to today to make the book seem more relevant.
Assign groups for presentation (5-10 minutes)
Explain the criteria for one of their assessments (see Society Presentation
assignment sheet / rubric)
Assign groups according to students preferred learning style/learning intelligence
(i.e. linguistic learners, musical, etc.)

Closure (5 minutes)
Summary in 20 words or less
Students will write a summary of the lesson and the most important takeaways in
20 words or less. They will turn it in on their way out of class.

Independent Practice
None

Materials
The following are needed to teach this lesson:
These three links
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6s7jB6-GoU
o http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4052452/Electoral-College-
goes-history-rebellious-seven-ignore-oaths-abandon-Clinton-not-
Trump.html
o http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/20/here-is-a-complete-list-of-
faithless-electors/
A copy of Gullivers Travels
 Assignment Sheet/Rubric for the Society Presentations

Duration
90 minutes

I Can Statement
I can
Explain how Swift uses his writing style and the Lilliputians to critique the world
that he lived in.
Apply Swifts critiques to my own time period.

Modified from Madeline Hunters Lesson Plan Design

Gullivers Travels Day 4

Class: Senior English

Grade Level: Seniors

Unit: Gullivers Travels

Teacher: Justin Busch

Iowa Core State Standards (ICSS)

SL.1112.1

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in

groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grades 1112 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.1112.4

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct
perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing
perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are
appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

RL.1112.1

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.

21st Century Skill(s)

21.912.ES.1

Essential Concept and/or Skill: Communicate and work productively with others,
incorporating different perspectives and cross cultural understanding, to increase
innovation and the quality of work.
National Standards
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an
understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human
experience.

Essential Question
What is Swifts perception of society?
What aspects of our society would Swift critique?

Objectives
By the end class today, students will
Be able to explain the flawed aspects of the Brobdingnag society and how it
relates to 18th century England and today.
Students will be able to discuss when Gulliver reflects Swifts ideas as well as
when they oppose Swifts ideas.

Assessment
Quiz / Group Presentation or Class discussion (only the students not doing the
group presentation will be assessed in the class discussion and vice versa) / Group
Activity / Short response
Quiz / Group Presentation or Class Discussion (only the students not doing the
group presentation will be assessed in the class discussion and vice versa)

Anticipatory Set (10 minutes)

Quiz
Directions: Choose one of the following questions to show me that you have read
and comprehended what you have read.
o In what ways is the satire of Book II a continuation of the satire in Book I?
In what ways is it different?
o How would you characterize the Brobdingnagians? How are they different
from the Lilliputians? Are they admirable or detestable? In what ways
does their society differ from European society?
o What satirical purpose do they serve? What aspects of human nature does
Swift attempt to satirize through them?
o Look carefully at the use of animal imagery and images dealing with
eating and other bodily functions in this book. What function does each of
these patterns of imagery serve?
o Examine carefully Gulliver's role in this book. How does it differ from and
resemble his role in Book I? What distortions in his attitude are evident
here?

Teaching: Activities (70 minutes)

Group presentation (10-15 minutes)
Brobdingnag Presentation
As the group is presenting, take notes on how well they address each of
the following areas:
o the aspects of the society in the reading that Swift satirizes
o any historical features of society that are significant in their
reading
 o answer whether or not these aspects being critiqued are still
relevant today with real life examples or an explanation as to why
not
o identify 4 important passages and explain their meaning
Note: further grading will be done upon review of their finished product to
ensure that the grader didnt just miss an area that they actually covered

Break (5 minutes)

Lecture / Class Discussion (30 minutes)

Use this time to cover any points that needs to be made about the society that
Swift satirizes and anything else that is significant in the story. The goal should be
to answer all five quiz questions in a manner that forces students to come to a
conclusion about them. To do so, have everybody read each of the following
passages and simply ask them What is significant? If there is very little
response, then key in to specific words and phrases of emphasis. Also, dont allow
the group that presented to carry the discussion. This exercise is meant for the
whole class to learn the material.
Page 86
Page 87
Page 90
Page 100
Page 101
Page 108
Page 112

Group Activity (20-25 minutes)

In groups of 2 or 3, students will use their computers to find an advertisement, an
episode of a TV show they have seen, etc. of an aspect of our society that
correlates to the same things that Gulliver has critiqued thus far in the book.
o These will be discussed briefly in class and if there isnt enough time for
all to share, they will be uploaded to google classroom with a brief
explanation of their rationale for picking it.

Closure (10 minutes)

Short response
Have students answer the following question on a sheet of paper that they will
turn in.
o If you had to take Gullivers place on one of his voyages, would you
rather go to Lilliput or Brobdingnag? Explain why.

Independent Practice
None

Materials
No added materials are needed besides the materials already found in the classroom.

Duration
90 Minutes
I Can Statement
I can
Explain what Swift is critiquing in this section of the reading.
Analyze the flaws of our society and apply Swifts critiques to it.
Modified from Madeline Hunters Lesson Plan Design