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1、格列佛游记英语读后感 Oneofthemostinterestingquestionsaboutgulliverstravelsiswhetherthehouyhnhnmsrepresentanidealofrationalityorwhetherontheotherhandtheyarethebuttofswiftssatire.inotherwords,inbookiv,isswiftpokingfunatthetalkinghorsesordoesheintendforustotakethemseriouslyastheproperwaytoact?Ifwelookcloselyatth
2、ewaythatthehouyhnhnmsact,wecanseethatinfactswiftdoesnottakethemseriously:heusesthemtoshowthedangersofpride. Firstwehavetoseethatswiftdoesnoteventakegullverseriously.forinstance,hisnamesoundsmuchlikegullible,whichsuggeststhathewillbelieveanything.also,whenhefirstseestheyahoosandtheythrowexcrementonhi
3、m,herespondsbydoingthesameinreturnuntiltheyrunaway.Hesays,“Imustneedsdiscoversomemorerationalbeing,”eventhoughasahumanheisalreadythemostrationalbeingthereis.Thisiswhyswiftreferstoerasmusdarwinsdiscoveryoftheoriginofthespeciesandthevoyageofthebeagletoshowhowgulliverknowsthatpeopleareatthetopofthefood
4、chain.Butiflemulegulliverissatirized,soarethehouyhnhnms,whosevoicessoundlikethecallofcastrati. Theywalkontwolegsinsteadoffour,andseemtobemuchlikepeople.Asgulliversays,“itwaswiththeutmostastonishmentthatIwitnessedthesecreaturesplayingthefluteanddancingavienesewaltz.Tomymind,theyseemedlikethegreatesth
5、umanseverseenincourt,evenmoredextrousthanthelordedmundburke.”Asthisquotedemonstrates,gulliveristerriblyimpressed,buthisadmirationforthehouyhnhnmsisshortlivedbecausetheyaresoprideful.Forinstance,theleaderofthehouyhnhnmsclaimsthathehasreadalltheworksofcharlesdickens,andthathecansinglehandedlyrecitethe
6、namesofallthekingsandqueensofenglanduptogeorgeii.Swiftsubtlyshowsthatthishouyhnhnmsprideismisplacedwhen,inthemiddleoftheintellectualpetition,heforgetsthenameofqueenelizabethshusband. Swiftssatireofthehouyhnhnmsesoutinotherwaysaswell.Oneofthemostmemorablescenesiswhenthedapplegreymareattemptstowootheh
7、orsethatguenivrehasbroughtwithhimtotheisland.firstsheactsflirtatiously,paradingaroundthebewilderedhorse.Butwhenthisdoesnothavethedesiredeffect,shegetsanotheridea:“asIwatchedinamazementfrommyperchinthetopofatree,thesorrelnagdashedoffandreturnedwithayahooonherbackwhowasyetmoremonstrousthanmr.Popebeing
8、fittedbyaclothier.Shedroppedthiscreaturebeforemynagasifofferingupasacrifice.Myhorsesniffedthecreatureandturnedaway.” Itmightseemthatweshouldtakethissceneseriouslyasafailedattemptatcourtship,andthatconsequentlyweshouldseethegreymareasanunrequitedlover.Butitmakesmoresenseifweseethatswiftisbeingsatiric
9、here:Itisthefemalehouyhnhnmwhomakesthemove,whichwouldnothavehappenedineighteenthcenturyengland.thehouyhnhmisbeingprideful,anditisthatpridethatmakeshimunabletoimpressgullivershorse.gulliverimaginesthehorsesaying,sblood,thenotionofcreatingthebarebackedbeastwithananimalwhohadheldmr.Popeonherbackmakesme
10、queezy. Afinalindicationthatthehouyhnmnsarenotmeanttobetakenseriouslyoccurswhentheleaderofthehouynhmsvisitslilliput,wherehevisitsthefrenchroyalsociety.Hegoesintoaroominwhichascientististryingtoturnwineintowater(itselfapridefulactthatreferstothemarriageatgallilee). Thescientisthasbeenworkinghardatthe
11、experimentformanyyearswithoutsuccess,whenthehouyhnmnarrivesandimmediatelyknowsthattodo:“thecreaturenosoonersteppedthroughthedoorwaythanhestruckuponaplan.slurpingupallthewineinsight,hequicklymadewaterinabucketthatsatnearthedoor.” Hehasacplishedthescientistsgoal,butthescientistisnothappy,forhislivelih
12、oodhasnowbeendestroyed.Swiftsclearimplicationisthateventhoughthehouyhnhmnsaresmart,theydonotknowhowtousethatknowledgeforthebenefitofsociety,onlyfortheirownpridefulagrandizement. Throughoutgulliverstravels,thehouyhnhmsareshowntobeanidealgonewrong.Thoughtheirintentmighthavebeengood,theydontknowhowtodowhattheywanttodobecausetheyarefilledwithpride.Theymisleadgulliverandtheyevenmisleadthemselves.Thesatireonthemisparticularlywellexplainedbythenewbornhouyhnhmwho,havingjustbeenborn,exclaims,“withthissortofentrance,whatmustIexpectfromtherestofmylife”