Powers from Numbers

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In Gulliver’s Travels by Johnathan Swift, through the groups Gulliver meets such as the small Lilliputians, the giant Brobdingnags, and the half-human Houyhnms, he learns there are no specific guidelines as to who can have power; it comes from the number of those on the opposing side. First, power is exemplified with the Lilliputians; Gulliver is completely submissive to them despite their small size, simply because he was outnumbered. Similarly, the Brobdingnags have control, and therefore power, over Gulliver not because of their massive size, but because there are many of them compared to Gulliver. Lastly, the Houyhnms, despite being less human than Gulliver, have severe power of him because there is one of him and many of them. When considering power, thoughts of superiority though size and type may come to mind, however, in Gulliver’s Travels, power is achieved through the number of those asserting it. Such is exemplified with the first group Gulliver encounters, the Lilluptians.
To start, Gulliver encounters the Lilliputians who, despite being much smaller than Gulliver, have...

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