Final answer:
Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' satirizes political institutions and societal attitudes that worsen the conditions of the oppressed, including the poor and marginalized groups. It joins other literary works in criticizing social injustices and advocating for reform.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gulliver's Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift exposes political institutions and their negative impacts on society and individuals. Swift's narrative delves into the vanity and pride of the political elites, drawing attention to how their actions often worsen the plight of the oppressed. The critique extends to societal attitudes towards the poor, slavery, and the exploitation of marginalized groups. For instance, the passage from LibreTexts sharply criticizes the system that views humans as property, while A Modest Proposal satirically addresses the severe poverty and mismanagement of social issues in Ireland.
Furthermore, authors like Wordsworth join in the critique of societal ills, such as the decay of domestic affections among the lower classes, which he attributes to narrow legislative definitions and inadequate poverty relief measures. Additionally, historical authors such as Columella and Juvenal provide insights into the social conditions of their times, challenging superstitions and hypocrisy. The expressive works of Blake, Shelley, and Smith, also highlight the constrained freedoms of various social groups, demonstrating a long tradition of literary engagement with social criticism and reform.