Gulliver's Travels

Objective

Students will be introduced to Gulliver's Travels by examining its structure (Parts, Chapters, Table of Contents), understanding the framing device of the "Publisher to the Reader" letter, and reading the opening of Chapter I to identify key facts about the narrator, Lemuel Gulliver.

Materials

• The provided text of Gulliver's Travels (Preface, Table of Contents, "The First Publisher to the Reader," and the opening of Chapter I)
• Notebook or paper for each student
• Board or chart paper for listing ideas

Warm-up (~5 min)

Write on the board: "Have you ever read a story that pretends to be a TRUE, real-life account?"
Ask students to jot down (or discuss aloud) any books, movies, or shows they know that are presented as if they really happened, even though they are fiction. Take 2–3 quick answers. Explain that today's reading, Gulliver's Travels, is written in exactly this style — as if it is a true travel account by a real man named Lemuel Gulliver.

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Explore the Table of Contents (7 min)

Read aloud the Contents listing for "A Voyage to Lilliput" and "A Voyage to Brobdingnag." Point out that the book is divided into two Parts, each with eight chapters. Ask students to scan the chapter descriptions and answer aloud:

• What are the names of the two strange lands Gulliver visits?
• Based on the chapter titles, what kinds of things happen to Gulliver in Lilliput? (Being made a prisoner, meeting the emperor, escaping to Blefuscu, etc.)

1. Read "The First Publisher to the Reader" (8 min)

Read this short letter aloud as a class (teacher or volunteer readers). Afterward, discuss:

• Who is "Richard Sympson," and what is his relationship to Gulliver?
• According to Sympson, why was Gulliver known for "veracity" (truthfulness) among his neighbors?
• Why does Sympson say he cut out some passages before publishing? (Details about winds, tides, and navigation that he thought readers wouldn't want.)

This shows students how Swift uses a fictional "publisher" to make the fantastic story feel like a real, true account.

1. Read the opening of Chapter I (10 min)

Read aloud the beginning of Chapter I, where Gulliver describes his family, education, and early career (Cambridge, apprenticeship with Mr. Bates, studying at Leyden, voyages as a ship's surgeon). As you read, have students jot down basic facts in two columns on their paper:

• Column 1: Gulliver's Education (Emmanuel College, studied navigation and math, studied physic/medicine at Leyden)
• Column 2: Gulliver's Work (apprentice surgeon, ship's surgeon on the "Swallow," voyages to the Levant)

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

On a half-sheet of paper, have each student answer these three questions in complete sentences:

1. What are the names of the two countries Gulliver travels to in this book?
2. Who is "Richard Sympson," and what does he claim about Gulliver's honesty?
3. Name two facts about Gulliver's education or training before he became a traveler.

Collect the exit tickets as students leave.

If Time Remains

Have students predict, in a few sentences, what kind of person Gulliver seems to be so far (based on his education, his career choices, and his reputation for honesty). Ask: "Why might it matter that the story tells us Gulliver was known as an honest, truthful man before we hear about his adventures in tiny and giant lands?" Volunteers can share their predictions aloud.