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A Review of Gulliver's Travels in Terms of Multiculturalism

Jo, Jin-ho 1

1수원대학교

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ABSTRACT

In 2012, the first immigrant-representative enters the National Assembly of Korea. Korea now has more than 1,400,000 long-term foreign residents (including immigrants and naturalized citizens) and the population of them will continue to grow. While the increasing foreigners have lived with Korean natives, the symptoms of 'xenophobia' begin to occur and the problem of how to reconcile cultural conflicts among various ethnic groups gets bigger. Hence Jonathan Swift's novel, Gulliver's Travels, can provide some lessons. This work contains the suggestions of an ideal society the writer pursues. Gulliver shows his own character development through diverse experiences in unknown worlds. In the 18th century, Daniel Defoe produced another adventure novel, Robinson Crusoe while Swift did Gulliver's Travels. Both are the works of exciting challenges to a new world, but they are contrary to each other because Swift was opposed to imperialism. Daniel Defoe from Britain, the ruler, and Jonathan Swift from Ireland, the ruled, respectively create Robinson Crusoe who builds his own kingdom and Gulliver who learns everything and grows his own character through the interactions with strange tribes. The basic rights of a human being should always be equal among different races, nations, and skin color. Respecting human rights is a moral obligation prior to laws and a universal norm of human society which anyone should observe. Then, it is necessary to recognize and accept 'difference' as 'variety', not as 'wrongness'. This is called 'tolerance'. Gulliver's Travels shows the wish for a human being 'with only a small amount of reason' to build a world where common sense rules. Social evils can be treated when people operate the world with reason and common sense which a human being primarily has. It is necessary to recognize the relativity, that is, the possibility in which I could be put in another's place and in which my precious values could be meaningless for other people. At the same time, it is also necessary for various ethnic groups to attempt to mediate conflicting cultures and norms on the basis of universal values in the age of globalization. Thus, it should be perceived that human reason and common sense are the most important assets that a human being is given primarily and genuinely.

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