The Importance of Perspective Revealed in Gulliver's Travels According to Gulliver, "Doubtless the philosophers are right when they tell us that nothing is large or small except by comparison. " This quote summarizes the knowledge a person could gain after carrying out an extensive study of different companies. The nature of humanity, rather than physical dimensions, is discussed. Lilliputians are narrow-minded people who get angry over trivial matters, while Brobdingnagians are a deeper people, on the contrary. From the point of view of an outside observer, one nation would not be so great if another were not so poor. Actions that seem natural today may appear barbaric to future generations just as the actions of past generations abhor today's students. Only compared to something better does a system of power or a way of life seem small or evil. This is the purpose of satire. When studying history, students may find the customs of the past primitive. However, people of that time most likely did not believe that they were. Perspective is vital in any comparison. A person from a highly technological society cannot easily understand the lifestyle of a civilization n... middle of paper... a person who sees it. When an aspect of life is linked to something better, frailties can be seen and change for the better can result. Works Cited Davis, Herbert. Gulliver's Travels. Great Britain: Oxford. (1965).Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Paolo Turner. World classics. Oxford: University of Oxford, 1998. Greenacre, Phyllis. M. D. Swift and Carroll. New York: Interior. University. (1977). The Writings of Jonathan Swift; Authoritative texts, background, criticism. edited by Robert A. Greenberg and William Bowman Piper. Norton Critical Editions. New York: Norton, 1973.