A Tale of the Tub

“A Tale of the Tub” is a satirical prose written by Jonathan Swift. It is considered one of the most difficult satire and one of the best at the same time. This blog, assigned by Vaidehi Ma’am, is a thinking activity based on that work. For more information click here. 

1. How far do you think Digression is necessary?

“A Tale of the Tub” is divided into two parts. One is a fictional allegorical story of three brothers and the other is Digression. Digression means a break from the main subject. In the allegorical tale Swift critics the three branches of Christianity, while in Digression he critics several aspects of Literature like Ancient Literature, Critics, length of books and Digressions itself.

I think the digression is necessary as it gives Swift a medium to critic different topics at the same time. It is also reader friendly as readers can have a little break from the story. Whenever the story gets too sluggish, the readers get these Digression and they continue with a renewed sense of interest. It keeps the audience entertained. 

Digressions are as necessary in this literary work as they are in life. In our life, we take digressions in form of vacations, festivals or just weekends. These little breaks distracts us from our stress and helps us relax. Due to these breaks, we continue our regular life with a refreshed perspective. Even in our school time we had Digressions in form of “Recess”. Without all these Digressions, our stress levels would be overwhelming and we would suffer from burnout. Hence, the Digressions are very necessary.

2. A novel which talks about religion and question it raised - 

“The Satanic Verses” is a novel by Salman Rushdie that was published in 1988. The novel is a fictionalised account of the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and it includes a number of passages that are considered to be blasphemous by many Muslims.

This novel challenges religion in a number of ways. Firstly it questions the authority of religious texts. The novel suggests that religious texts are not always accurate or reliable, and that they can be misinterpreted or corrupted. Secondly, the novel challenges the idea of religious dogma. The novel suggests that religious dogma can be oppressive and limiting, and that it can prevent people from thinking for themselves. 

The novel also challenges the idea of religious faith. The novel suggests that religious faith is not always based on reason or evidence, and that it can be a form of self-delusion. The novel raises a number of important questions about religion, like How should we interpret religious texts and the role of reason in religious belief.

“The Satanic Verses” is a controversial novel that has been the subject of much debate. Recently, there was even an assassination attempt on author Salman Rushdie because of this novel. However, it still remains a thought provoking novel.

Roland Hulme, a video creator and author, explores in his video why “The Satanic Verses” is considered offensive. You can watch that video here -

If that doesn’t work, you can click here to watch it.