Gulliver’s Travels

Before reading

What do you think it feels like to be the smallest or the tallest person in a place?

This story is about a man called Lemuel Gulliver. One day his ship sinks and he is shipwrecked. He is the only survivor. When he comes to, he has been captured by tiny people in the land of Lilliput.

My arrival in a strange land

When I woke up it was daylight. I lay still for a moment, wondering where I was, then I tried to get up. I could not move! I was tied to the ground! There was a buzzing noise near me, but I could not see what was making it. Suddenly I felt something moving on my left leg. It walked up me and stopped close by my chin. I looked down as well as I could (for my hair was tied to the ground) and saw a tiny man, less than six inches high, with a bow and an arrow in his hand. Vurderingseksemplar

Then many more of these little men started to run all over me. I was so surprised that I roared loudly. They ran back in fright and fell over one another trying to get away. I found out later that some of them had hurt themselves when they fell off my chest.

The Emperor of the Lilliputians demands that his soldiers inspect Gulliver’s pockets.

shipwrecked skipbrudden

survivor overlevende

comes to kommer til seg selv

captured fanget

tiny bittesmå

tied bundet

buzzing summende

chin hake

roared brølte

In my pockets they found: • A handkerchief, which they thought was like a carpet. • A snuffbox, which they called a chest filled with dust.

It made them sneeze. • A notebook, in which they recognised very large handwriting. • A comb. They knew what this was for, but said it looked like the railings around the emperor’s palace. • A knife, a razor and a pair of pistols. All these things were new to them, and they could not think what they were for. • A watch. They said it made a noise like a watermill. They thought it must be a god that I worshipped, because I told them I always looked at it before I did anything. • A purse. They called this a net large enough for a fisherman, but they knew I used it as a purse. After reading

in fright i redsel chest bryst, kiste emperor keiser demands befaler pockets lommer handkerchief lommetørkle carpet teppe snuffbox snusboks comb kam railings rekkverk razor barberhøvel watermill vannmølle worshipped tilba purse pungVurderingseksemplar a What part of the day was it and how do you know? b How tall was the tiny man, in both inches and centimetres? c If you had not seen a watch before, what would you have guessed it was?

Talk about it!

Describe one thing you would take to a desert island. Why would you take this item? I would take ... because ...

1 inch = 2.54 cm

Another adventure

Gulliver is very kind to the Liliputians, so the Emperor sets Gulliver free. He goes home to his family in England, but after two months he sets out on a new voyage. A terrible storm takes his ship off course to a new land called Brobdingnag. Gulliver is left behind when his crew see something frightening that makes them flee ...

They had left me behind! Then I saw why. There was a huge manlike creature chasing them, taking great strides through the sea. I did not wait to see what might happen. I ran as fast as I could and climbed a steep hill. From there I could see what the surrounding country was like. Vurderingseksemplar

I could not believe my eyes! The grass was nearly as tall as a house, with corn towering above it as high as a church steeple! I walked along what I thought was a main road, but which I found out later was just a footpath to the people of this land. At last I came to a stile. Each step in this stile was like a high wall to me, and I could not climb it. As I was looking for a gap in the huge hedge, I saw another enormous man like the one I had seen chasing my friends. I was very frightened, and ran to hide in the corn. At last, just as one was about to step on me, I called “Stop!” as loudly as I could. The man looked down and picked me up, holding me tightly in case I should bite him. Then he took me to his master to show him what he had found. This man was a farmer, and the same man I had seen at first in the field. The farmer pulled out his handkerchief, wrapped me in it, and took me back to his farm. His wife screamed and ran away when she saw me, just as my wife does when she sees a mouse!

From Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, retold by Marie Stuart. After reading a Why did Gulliver’s crew leave him in the new country? b What did the huge man do to Gulliver? c What do you think will happen to Gulliver in the land of the giants? Will he ever get back to England and his family? d Which country would you like to visit, Lilliput or

Brobdingnag? Why? e Do you think Gulliver’s story is true? Give reasons for your answers. I think that ... In my opinion ...

voyage sjøreise left behind forlatt crew mannskap frightening skremmende flee flykte creature skapning strides her: skritt steep bratt surrounding omkringliggende corn mais church steeple kirketårn footpath sti stile stige (over gjerde) gap åpning hedge hekk tightly fast, tett BUS STOP

Vurderingseksemplar !

Talk about it!

Have you ever been to a place or another country where you felt different? Tell your partner about it. The giant chose orange juice, a cheese sandwich, chocolate and jelly from the menu.