Satire of Human Nature:
* Human vanity and insignificance: Gulliver, a man of average size, is dwarfed by the Brobdingnagians, forcing him to confront the triviality of human affairs and how easily they are dismissed by a larger perspective.
* Political absurdity and hypocrisy: The Brobdingnag king, wise and rational, observes the complexities of European politics and finds them ridiculous and childish. This satirizes the petty squabbles and power struggles of human societies.
* Scientific limitations: Gulliver, despite his scientific knowledge, is still limited by his human perspective. The Brobdingnagians, with their immense size and advanced technology, see him as primitive and flawed. This satirizes the arrogance of human knowledge and its limitations.
* Human cruelty and greed: Swift uses the Brobdingnag perspective to highlight the horrors of human violence, war, and the insatiable desire for power and wealth.
Satire of Society:
* Social hierarchy and class divisions: The Brobdingnag society, unlike European societies, is based on merit and wisdom, not on arbitrary titles and birth. This satirizes the rigid social structures of Swift's time.
* Religious fanaticism and intolerance: The Brobdingnagians are rational and tolerant, while Gulliver's account of European religious disputes is seen as ridiculous and absurd. This satirizes the sectarianism and dogmatism of religious institutions.
* Technological progress: The Brobdingnagians have advanced technology but use it for the betterment of society, unlike humans who often use technology for destructive purposes. Swift satirizes the unchecked progress of technology and its misuse.
Satire through Humor and Hyperbole:
* The scale of Brobdingnag: The sheer size of the Brobdingnagians, their houses, and their everyday objects is exaggerated to highlight the absurdity of human concerns.
* Gulliver's perspective: Gulliver's descriptions of the Brobdingnagians, often with a mix of awe and fear, are humorous and serve to highlight the strangeness and comical nature of human perspective.
* The king's responses: The Brobdingnag king's pronouncements about human affairs, delivered with dry wit and a sharp intellect, serve as cutting satire on the absurdity of human behavior.
Overall, "A Voyage to Brobdingnag" uses satire to critique human nature, societal structures, and the limitations of human understanding. By viewing humanity from a magnified perspective, Swift exposes the flaws and inconsistencies of the human condition and invites readers to question their own assumptions and values.