Gulliver's Travels Bedside Lamp.2: An English Learning Reader

Author: Li Zhengshuan et al. (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Gulliver's thrilling adventures begin when he encounters a violent storm at sea. He is cast into the ocean and struggles to reach a small island, which turns out to be a miniature country called "Lilliput." The people there are only about five or six inches tall. Initially, they are filled with fear toward Gulliver, but his kindness and friendliness win them over. The king summons him, provides food and shelter, calls him a "Man-Mountain," and allows him to move freely on the island. Gulliver observes some absurd phenomena on the island: officials are promoted based on their skill in walking tightropes; the island is divided into two political factions: the "High-Heeled Party" and the "Low-Heeled Party," who wear corresponding shoes. The intense conflict between Lilliput and its neighboring countries stems from a dispute over whether to crack an egg on the big end or the small end, causing many deaths or forced migrations. Gulliver helps the Lilliputian king defeat their enemies and resolve the dispute peacefully, but the king then demands Gulliver help him conquer the neighboring country to fulfill his own ambitions. After Gulliver refuses, the king orders him executed for treason. Gulliver finally escapes the and returns to his own country.
In his second voyage, Gulliver is again shipwrecked on a giant island called "Brobdingnag." A farmer giant takes him in but forces him to perform for the giants to earn money. The greedy farmer giant grows rich from Gulliver, but Gulliver becomes weak from hunger and exhaustion. At this point, the queen summons Gulliver and buys him from the farmer. Through conversation, Gulliver discovers that the king is knowledgeable and gentle. He opposes predatory wars and advocates for enlightened monarchy. The queen and the farmer's daughter take good care of Gulliver's life. However, his small size puts him in constant danger, and he is eventually snatched away by an eagle and leaves Brobdingnag.
Gulliver's third voyage takes him to a horse-dominated island called "Horseland." On this island, the "Horses" live in friendship, educating their children with equality and love, free from war and lies. In contrast, the humanoid "Yahoos" living there are savage, evil, thieves, and destructive, eating dirty vegetables and animal carcasses. Gulliver lives among the clean, peaceful, and simple Horseland people and enjoys his time there, but he is expelled when he is mistaken for a Yahoo. With a lingering attachment to Horseland and a growing disdain for human life, Gulliver returns to his homeland—England.