"In its most serious function, satire is a mediator between two perceptions: the non-illusory perception of man as he really is, and the perception, or vision , ideal of man as he should be" (Bullitt, 3). Likewise, "misanthropy" can be understood as the product of one of two worldviews: 1) The Pure Cynic or Misanthrope has no faith in human nature and has renounced any notion of ideals. This type naturally lies and manipulates and these are the types that tend to run the world. 2) The misanthropy of the "burned out" or disillusioned idealist arises from disappointment in humanity. In many ways, the second type displays more bile as they are constantly frustrated by what men do versus what they should be doing. Jonathon Swift is the second type of misanthrope and Gulliver's Travels is undoubtedly his greatest satirical attempt to "make men ashamed of their vices" (Ibid., 14) by constantly distinguishing between how man behaves and how he thinks or justifies his behavior in a context. variety of situations. Pride, in particular, is what allows man to "delude himself that he is rational and virtuous when, in reality, he has not developed reason and his virtue is only an appearance" (Ibid., 66). This satire works on so many levels that an article like this allows me to cover only three elements, and in a necessarily superficial way: the ways in which structure and choice of metaphor serve Swift's purpose, a discussion of some of his most salient attacks on politics, religion and other elements of society and his criticism of the essence and defects of human nature. Swift's aim was to stimulate his readers to see themselves as he saw humanity, as creatures who were not realizing their potential to be truly great but were merely flaunting the trappings of greatness. Gulliver's Travels manages to achieve this brilliantly. The form and structure of the entire work reinforced Swift's purpose, as did the specific metaphors in each of the four journeys. First, Swift took great pains to present Gulliver's Travels in the authentic, standard form of popular travelogues of the time. Gulliver, the reader is told, was a sailor, first as a ship's surgeon, then as captain of several ships. Swift creates a realistic picture by incorporating nautical jargon, descriptive details related in a "factual, logbook" style, and Gulliver's repeated claims, in his narration, "to relate simple facts in the simplest way" and style.