Hatred in Swifts Gullivers Travels and Hartleys Film No Such Thing :: essays research papers

Misanthropy, or annoyance of humankind, is one of the strongest feelings that people can have. In his novel Gullivers Travels, the writer Jonathan Swift explores what causes this emotion. Likewise, Hal Hartley attempts to explain the roots of hatred through his film No Such Thing. Through their works, both men claim that it is not a universal emotion, but rather it is felt only by more evolved creatures. Hatred is a product of knowledge and the sense of superiority it creates in those who posses it.Swift interprets hatred to be an unpreventable consequence of intelligence. During his fourth voyage, Gulliver lands on the island of the Houyhnhnms, a race of horse-like creatures, and the Yahoos, human-like animals. The Houyhnhnms dominate over the Yahoos, much as human being rule over horses. These creatures incur their servants in disdain, overhearing them as reduce life pretends. The Houyhnhnms are exponentially more evolved than the Yahoos, exhibiting a civilized for m of society, while the Yahoos live in ape-like tribes and labor for the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver soon amazes to view them in the same light There were few greater lovers of Mankind, at that time, than myself, barely I confess I never saw any gauzy Being so detestable on all Accounts, and the more I came near them, the more hateful they grew (187). Gulliver sees how unintelligent and uncivilized the Yahoos are, causing him to bring forward himself better than they are. The Houyhnhnms also notice the difference amongst the Yahoos and him Every handmaiden of his House were desirous to teach me. For they looked upon it as a Prodigy that a brute Animal should discover such Marks of a ration out Creature (190). Although the Houyhnhnms initially look upon Gulliver was disdain, assuming that he is one of the Yahoos, they begin to treat him with respect after he demonstrates his intelligence to them. They only hold Gulliver in contempt while they believe that he is as dolt and unci vilized as the Yahoos, but once he proves that he is as well-mannered and intelligent as the Houyhnhnms are, their hatred diminishes. They treat him respectfully when they view him as an equal. Gulliver, on the other hand, becomes more and more misanthropic as he stays on the island. He knows immediately the difference between himself and the Yahoos.