Question:
How was Gulliver’s proposal to make explosive powder, was observe by the prince of Brobdingnag?
Answer: This imperfection is not only one of organization or law. If that were the sole problem with English society as Swift saw it, then Gulliver’s Travels would have been a much more boring and fewer significant work. The imperfection, rather, is fundamentally one among morals: the British, and by extension humanity generally , are not only bad at getting what they need , they also want bad things. This truth is illustrated in Gulliver’s offer of the secret of gunpowder to the king. The king refuses without a second thought, not because the Brobdingnagians have superior technology, but because he is horrified by the potential moral and physical consequences of gunpowder. Most pre-industrial societies would treat gunpowder as an achievement of high order. But the king indicates that he feels it would be better to live where violence and destruction are minimized rather than exaggerated. Gulliver’s inability to know the king’s position—he sees the refusal as a weakness in the king’s understanding—illustrates how the values of a violent society are deeply ingrained in Gulliver. Observing both the king and Gulliver, we are invited to choose between them.