Language of the Master

In the beginning of chapter 3 Gulliver immediately gets to learning the language and says “my master (for so I shall hence forth call him)” Page 182. I think the fact that his learning of the language, not only here but in the other places is not only a way for the writer to express his love and respect for language, but in a way metaphysical, for language is very important to Gulliver, and essential to Swift. It is also another jab at English colonialism, as they imposed their tongue, rather than learning the language of the conquered. This time Gulliver must learn the language of others. The fact that he calls him Master is important because it is a shift in the language he uses to refer to him, which changes to overall tone of the text, and again pokes fun at civilized colonialist nations, as he shows this sort of ownership and system of slavery as ridiculous, brutish, savage and pertaining to animals instead of people.