summarise gulliver travels part iii??

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Part-3:

CHAPTER-I:

Gulliver’s third voyage

Within ten days of Gulliver’s stay at home, Captain William Robinson comes with a proposal for “a voyage to the East Indies in two months.” Gulliver accept it and justifies this to the reader, “I could not reject this proposal; the thirst I had of seeing the world, notwithstanding my past misfortunes, continuing as violent as ever.”

Gulliver begins his third voyage on August 5, 1706. Their ship reaches Fort St. George. While the captain resolves to attend to his business at Tonquin, he gives the command of a sloop to Gulliver.

Gulliver’s sloop captured by two pirates

A great storm diverts the sloop from its path. Later, they become a victim to two pirates. Gulliver pleads to the Dutchman to set them free, but that only annoys him further. Finally, with the intervention of a Japanese pirate, Gulliver is left alone in the ocean, on a canoe with only about eight days of provisions.

Gulliver received in Laputa

Gulliver remembers seeing a group of islands on his way. He manages to reach one of the islands but finds it rocky and uninhabited. For five days, he explores a new island every day, but without any hope of survival. While taking a stroll on the last island, he is finds a landmass floating in the air. Though baffled at the sight, he makes the inhabitants understand, through signs, his intention to come to their island. Consequently, he is pulled onto the landmass by means of a chain attached to pulleys.

CHAPTER-II:

The Laputians

With their heads tilted to either side, the inhabitants of the island seem strange to Gulliver. He also notices that one of their eyes is turned inwards while the other upwards. Their clothes have astronomical and musical instruments drawn on them. They always seem to be so deeply engrossed in their thoughts that they need to be roused by their servants or flappers. The job of these flappers is to aid conversation or to save their master from accidents by gently flapping their master’s mouth or ear or eyes as per the demand of the sense organs that needs to be brought into action.

Gulliver’s reception at the court

Gulliver is taken to the chamber of presence in the king’s palace. He finds a large table, filled with various mathematical instruments, placed before the king. The king does not notice him initially. Being roused, he asks Gulliver several questions, but neither of them could understand each other. Hence, Gulliver is given an apartment in the court and two servants to attend upon him. He dines with the people of high importance at the court and notices that the food items are in the shapes of mathematical figures and musical instruments.

Gulliver is also provided with a tutor so that he could learn their language. Gradually, Gulliver gets an insight into their language, and in about a month’s time, achieves “a tolerable proficiency in their language.” Gulliver’s knowledge about mathematics helps him to get hold of the phrases of their language, chiefly based on science and music. Meanwhile, the island starts moving towards their capital city, Lagado

The impact of their knowledge on their lives

Gulliver mentions about a tailor taking his measurements in terms of a quadrant, a rule and compasses, resulting in ill-fitted attire. He finds the houses to be very ill built: the defects arise from their contempt for practical geometry, which they claim to be “vulgar and mechanic”. Although they show great mathematical skills on paper, they lack in its application on real life situations. He also finds the Laputians distanced from imagination, invention and fancy. He finds them to be “bad reasoners” and mocks at their tendency to talk more on the topics of news and politics to which they are least adapted to.

The inhabitants dread the changes in celestial bodies. Their apprehensions have made them lose their peace of mind as they are perpetually haunted by this fear. These threats of nature have snatched away their sleep and mental peace.

Part-3 :

CHAPTER-III:

The dynamics of Laputa

This “flying or floating island” (Laputa) is exactly circular in shape, spreading over an area of ten thousand acres. It collects the rain water in four huge basins. It also has a huge chasm, known as astronomer’s cave, at its centre, where the loadstone is placed along with various other equipments. This loadstone acts as a natural magnet and is responsible for the movement of the island. The island cannot rise above four miles. Also, it has never landed on any of the lower territories.

The king’s control over his domain

The king has devised a useful strategy to suppress rebellion in his domain. He can either deprive the rebelling state of the benefits of the sun and the rain or order to throw stones from above. In both the situation, the inhabitants of the state are forced to comply. The last remedy is that of universal destruction by dropping the island directly upon the heads of the inhabitants, crushing both houses and men. However, the king has never implied this punishment on his inhabitants as he fears destruction of his own estates.

A fundamental law of the realm

According to a fundamental law, the royal family is not permitted to leave the floating island.

CHAPTER-IV:

Gulliver leaves Laputa

At Laputa, Gulliver feels neglected as the people show interest in nothing other than mathematics and music, in which his knowledge is much inferior to theirs. Hence, after fulfilling his curiosities about the island, he feels bored and wishes to leave the island.

On the request of a great lord at the court, the king grants permission to Gulliver to leave the island. His friend, the lord, gives him a letter of recommendation addressed to his friend in Lagado. Gulliver is let down at Lagado, the metropolis of Balnibarbi.

The city tour with Lord Munodi

On reaching Balnibarbi, Gulliver is hospitably received by Lord Munodi, who was once the governor of Lagado. He takes Gulliver in his chariot to show him the town. Gulliver finds the town in a distressful condition, with strangely built and out of repair houses, badly cultivated land and miserable looking people. On returning from the tour, Gulliver politely communicates his thoughts about the town to Lord Munodi. At this, the lord offers him to see his estate.

A visit to lord Munodi’s Estate

The next morning, Gulliver visits lord Munodi’s country estate. On his way, he observes the lush green fields and the accurate buildings, based on the ancient architecture. Lord Munodi informs him that the cultivation of lands and construction of buildings in his estate are done by following the ancient methods, for which he is ridiculed by his countrymen.

Ancient vs. modern methods

He says that, about forty years ago, some people went up to Laputa and came back with new approaches and methodologies for science, mathematics and arts. They created an ‘academy of projectors’ in Lagado, for the development of modern methods of agriculture and construction. However, their methods failed, leaving the people in misery and ruin. He tells Gulliver that still people are more bent towards the modern methods and criticise his inclination to follow old methods.

Lord Munodi proposes Gulliver to visit the ‘academy of projectors’ at Lagado, with one of Munodi’s friends. Gulliver gladly accepts the same.

CHAPTER-V:

Lagado’s grand ‘academy of projectors’

The academy, a continuation of several houses, has not less than five hundred rooms. Gulliver visits the academy for many days and is fascinated by it.

He meets a scientist who has been trying to extract sunbeams out of cucumbers for eight years. He also meets ‘the most ancient student of academy’, trying to reduce human excrement to its original food. He finds another scientist busy in his attempts to extract gunpowder from ice. Besides, there is an architect who has discovered the technique of constructing buildings starting from the roof top and then going to the foundation. There is also a blind man who tries to perform the task of mixing different colours by distinguishing them with their ‘smell and feeling’. Gulliver is fascinated by a scientist who discovers a new method of ploughing a field and another who is working on the spider’s web. He also meets an astronomer who is attempting to devise an equipment to predict accidental turnings of the wind. Gulliver also talks of a person called ‘the universal artist’ who, along with his fifty pupils, is working towards “the improvement of human life.”

Speculative learning methods of the professors

The other side of the academy is for “advancers of speculative learning.” Gulliver meets a professor and a group of forty students engaged in devising an instrument to produce random sets of words. With this invention, the professor claims that anyone can produce books on philosophy or politics.

In the school of languages, he finds professors discussing the course to be taken to shorten discourse and bring brevity. Another project is to create a universal language by abolishing all words and the use of tongue. The only inconvenience pointed is the need to carry all the things related to the context or discourse.

He also visits the mathematics school where the professor teaches his students by making them swallow a thin wafer on which the propositions and demonstrations are written with an ink ‘composed of cephalic tincture’. As the wafer is digested, the tincture transmits the proposition to the student’s brain. However, this method is not seen to be successful with the students.

Part-3:

CHAPTER-VI:

This chapter is in the following website: http://cbse.meritnation.com/study-online/study-material/PzyTg28enBLnpZR7ab87Dg!!/Sd17YmrKF1rwLMAwV7P@Rg!!

CHAPTER-VII:

Arrival at Maldonada

Gulliver plans to visit Luggnagg, situated to the south-east of Japan, from where he can return to Europe. At the port of Maldonada, he comes to know about the unavailability of a ship to Luggnagg for a month. Therefore, on the suggestion of an acquaintance, he decides to take trip to a small island called Glubbdubdrib, signifying the ‘island of sorcerers or magicians’.

A trip to Glubbdubdrib

Glubbdubdrib is a fertile island ruled by a governor who is adept at necromancy and is known for his art of calling upon the spirits of the dead. He could command the spirits to do his bid, but only for twenty four hours, and the same spirit cannot be called again before three months.

Gulliver and his two friends are received at the court. The governor was familiar with the language of Balnibarbi, and he invites Gulliver to present an account of his travel experiences. Later, Gulliver receives the honour of dining with the governor, where they were served by the spirits. Soon, Gulliver becomes accustomed to the spirits and ghosts at the royal court. After this, they take leave for the night.

Meeting spirits of people from the past

During Gulliver’s stay, the governor gives him an opportunity to call dead people that he would like to answer his queries. Glad at the opportunity, Gulliver desires to call upon the spirit of Alexander the Great. Gulliver inquires about the cause of his death, and Alexander assures him that it was not poison but high fever and excessive drinking that caused his death. Similarly, Gulliver meets Hannibal, Caesar, Pompey and Brutus.

CHAPTER-VIII:

Meeting the ancients

Gulliver requests the governor to call upon the spirits of the great philosophers, Homer and Aristotle. Simultaneously, he meets the French philosophers, Descartes and Gassendi. Gulliver asks the French philosophers to explain their theories to Aristotle. Aristotle accepts his mistakes in natural philosophy. Further, Gulliver gets a chance to meet many of the first Roman emperors.

Discrepancies in the modern history

Among the moderns, Gulliver meets the kings and ministers of many generations. He examines how cruelty, falsehood and cowardice became the characteristics of the aristocratic class. He is disgusted to find that the modern history been glorified by the corrupt writers at the court. Gulliver also finds out that the innocent and excellent people were sentenced to death or banishment whereas the corrupt judges, ministers were exalted to the highest places of power, trust, dignity and profit. The writers had written erroneous anecdotes about the kings, which has created false history. These meetings with the spirits of the dead help Gulliver to clear his notions about history. He is upset with the corruption at the English court in the modern world.

CHAPTER-IX:

Sailing to the kingdom of Luggnagg

Gulliver departs from Glubbdubdrib, with his two companions, to return to Maldonada. Then, he sails to the kingdom of Luggnagg. Gulliver, being a stranger, is strictly examined by the custom officer. As Dutch are the only Europeans allowed on the kingdom of Japan, Gulliver tells the officer that he is a Hollander. Thus, he ensures his permit to enter Luggnagg.

But Gulliver is confined till the orders from the court come. During his confinement, Gulliver is treated humanely and is visited by the people who were curious to learn of his travels. He hires a man from the ship as his interpreter, to answer the queries of his inquisitive visitors.

Admittance to the court

Soon, Gulliver receives the order from the court. It contains a warrant for carrying Gulliver and his advisor to Traldragdubh or Trildrogdrib.

After two days of his arrival, Gulliver is commanded to follow the general practice of the court: ‘to lick the dust before his [the king’s] footstool’. Due to his inability of speak in the language of Luggnagg, Gulliver asks for the permission to call his interpreter. His interpreter facilitates the communication between the king and Gulliver, and the king enjoys Gulliver’s company. Consequently, he is given an apartment in the town, daily allowance for his bread and a purse of gold for his common expenses. Gulliver stays in Luggnagg for three months.

A peculiar custom

While narrating his admittance at the court, Gulliver digresses to tell us about the decorum and conduct of the court. Licking the floor is a peculiar custom of showing respect to the king. Whenever the court is visited by the enemies, the floor is strewn with dust. But, as Gulliver is a stranger, special care is taken to ensure that the floor was properly cleaned before his admittance to the court. Gulliver is also told that when the king wishes to put any of his nobles to death, he orders to have floor strewn with a poisonous brown powder. After licking this powder, the noble is killed within twenty four hours. However, the king takes great care of his subjects by getting the floor washed thoroughly after such an execution.

CHAPTER-X:

Struldbrugs, the immortals

Gulliver finds the Luggnaggians to be polite and generous people who are courteous to strangers. One day, Gulliver is told about an immortal species referred to as struldbrugs. The struldbrugs are born with a red circular spot at the forehead which changes to a coal black mark at the age of forty-five.

Gulliver’s speculations on becoming immortal

Gulliver considers the struldbrugs lucky as they do not have to live with the fear of death. If given a chance to be born as a struldbrug, Gulliver wishes to procure riches, acquire abundant knowledge, and then carefully record the events that take place. He imagines himself advising the hopeful young men on the importance of virtues in public and private life. He is delighted at the thought of using his knowledge for the benefit of astronomy.

The plight of struldbrugs

Contrary to his conjectures, Gulliver is told that he is swayed by the most common mistakes of human nature. Struldbrugs, at their old age, feel dejected and envious of those who can die. They lose their memory and fail to recognize even their near and dears.

If two struldbrugs marry, their marriage is dissolved as soon as the younger of them becomes eighty years old. At the age of eighty years, they are understood as dead in law; their heirs are granted succession to their properties; and only a small allowance is left to them. They are neither employed anywhere nor are permitted to purchase any property. They are not allowed to be a witness to a criminal or a civil case. At the age of ninety years, they lose their teeth and hair and live a life accompanied by diseases. They have to live like foreigners and are unable to hold any conversation after two hundred years of their lives as the language of Luggnagg keeps on changing. They are hated and abhorred by the people.

CHAPTER-XI:

Gulliver departs from Luggnagg

Gulliver is asked by the king to take an employment at the court. But he refuses the offer and expresses his wish to return to his country. The king grants him permission to leave and honours him with gifts of large gold-pieces and a red diamond. The king also hands him a letter of recommendation, addressed to the King of Japan.

Gulliver reaches Japan

At the port-town called Xamoschi, Gulliver shows the letter of recommendation to the custom officer. He is received respectfully and carried to the metropolis, Yedo, where he hands the letter of recommendation to the king. The letter is translated to the king by an interpreter. The interpreter could recognize Gulliver’s belonging to a European state, and he speaks to him in low Dutch. Gulliver makes up that he was a Dutch merchant who was shipwrecked.

Sailing back to England

Consequently, pretending to be from Holland, Gulliver sets out on a journey to England from the island of Nangasac, in the company of Dutch sailors. Finally, they arrive at Amsterdam and, from there, he sails for England. Gulliver meets his family members at Redriff and finds them in good health.