Gulliver's Travels: Part 4, Chapter 7 - Summary

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SUMMARY

      The author is deeply moved by the human virtues of the Houyhnhnms and resolves to spend the rest of his life under the gentle guidance of his master. The master, who has several discourses with the author, puts forth his opinion regarding the human race. As per the master, the human race has only aggravated its natural corruption with the faculty of reasoning. He feels that human beings have multiplied, their original needs and used their power of reasoning to gratify them with every fair or foul means. He further points at the physical infirmities of human beings in comparison to other animals. To enable the author to appreciate the defective and odious nature of human beings, the master cites some examples of the natural behavior of the Yahoos under particular situations. The author also learns that the Yahoos are the only creatures in that land who are subject to any disease. On the art of learning, governing science and the like, the master confesses that their Yahoos have not a single spark of such talents. The author further satires the foolish leaders and their loathsome favorites by means of an example based on the social life of the wild Yahoos. The violent and abusive behavior of the male Yahoos towards the females is also indicated. The author lays bare many of the detestable traits of human nature by putting his words in the mouth of the master, and thus exposes traits such as parasitism, seduction, addiction, hostility and the like.

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