Social Satire In Candide - 1244 Words

Satire is a very difficult strategy to understand in texts that authors often used to ridicule politics and social stands. Voltaire uses to satirize European Society in his book called Candide. The book’s name comes from the main character’s name of the book, Candide: a naive optimism person which represents the European due to their high status. Voltaire shows the corruption and hypocrisy of religion and philosophy through arguing that it is possible to challenge blind optimism without losing the will to live and pursue a happy life through Candide. Candide’s happiness is Miss Cunegonde because even after he get kicked out, he still looks toward â€Å" the magnificent castle, where the fairest of young baronesses lived†(140). To start out in†¦show more content†¦This blind philosophy was challenged many times. One of the example was during the shipwreck when Pangloss prevented Candide from saving Honest James because â€Å"Anabaptist had been made purpose to drown†(25). This show the hypocrisy of the philosophers because Pangloss just stated that Anabaptist is destined to die instead of giving every effort to save honest James. How is Pangloss going to claim that all things happens for good reasons when he don’t even have the gut to do good deed and save Anabaptist? Candide’s optimism has also been tested at the Portuguese Earthquake when Dr. Pangloss has become the superstition sacrifice for the earthquake because Pangloss was speaking his mind. â€Å"If this is the best possible worlds, what are others like?†(29). Candide was very devastated because he loss his dear mentor, honest James, and heard unpleasant news about Cunegonde being ripped open despite their separa tion. Voltaire also attack blind optimism through Candide’s experience.Candide once was a blind optimistic person until he has experienced many things and witness the war zone. â€Å"Young virgins were ripped open,old men covered with wounds,wives dying with throat cuts while hugging their children†(17). War is a slaughter between strangers who were tools to their rulers to meet the higher power’s hunger for lands and luxuries. It also a fight between a trained soldiers with weapons and not supposed to include the helpless innocentShow MoreRelated`` Candide `` A Satire Of The Social, And The Scientific Revolution1608 Words   |  7 Pagescalled for moral, social, and political thought to rely on the scientific method and reason rather than the current system of tradition cultural authorities. These changes and ideas continued into the Enlightenment. During his time Franà §ois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), who wrote under the name Voltaire, was an Enlightenment thinker wh o helped invoke this change. One way he did this was through his novel Candide, a satire of the issues in society. Throughout this book, the character Candide experiences misfortunesRead MoreCandide Paper1355 Words   |  6 PagesCandide is a fictional satire of the optimism many philosophers had for life in general during the mid 1700’s written in response to Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man. Written by Voltaire, the literary alias of Francois-Marie Arouet, the satire covers religion, the wealthy, love, why people thought natural disasters occurred and especially, philosophy. The novel even goes on to make fun of the art of literature by giving ridiculous chapter headings. 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Voltaire demonstrates three different enlightenment thoughts or views in his work: anti-feudalism, optimism, and the hypocrisy of the Christian church.Read MoreSatire Found in Candiate by Voltaire, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervates, and A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift688 Words   |  3 Pages We often see satire in our everyday lives such as on televisions, novels, and music; but why is satire used? Satire is a form of writing used to denounce human vice, giving readers an insight on the flaws that the author sees in society. There are two different types of way to present satire: horation and juvenialian. In the three works: Candide by Voltaire, Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes, and A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift all demonstrate the use of satire. However, Don Quixote presentsRead MoreEssay on Use of Satire to Attack Optimism in Voltaires Candide1358 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Satire to Attack Optimism in Voltaires Candide       In its time, satire was a powerful tool for political assault on Europes corrupt and deteriorating society. Voltaires Candide uses satire to vibrantly and sarcastically portray optimism, a philosophical view from the Enlightenment used to bury the horrors of 18th century life: superstition, sexually transmitted diseases, aristocracy, the church, tyrannical rulers, civil and religious wars, and the cruel punishment of the innocentRead MoreEssay on Voltaires Candide988 Words   |  4 PagesVoltaires Candide Candide is a reflection of the philosophical values of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s novel is a satire of the Old Regime ideologies in which he critiques the political, social, and religious ideals of his time. A common intellectual characteristic of the Enlightenment was anti-feudalism. Philosophers were against the separations in the Old Regime and pushed for equality among human beings. Voltaire parodies the pompousness of the nobility several times throughoutRead MoreJonathan Swift’s Essay A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s Novella, Candide999 Words   |  4 Pagestwo vastly differing works of literature that employ similar elements of satire, whether the story is long or short, essay or novella. In these two works, the authors bring light to ongoing social, political, and philosophical issues of their time and age. The two works I am referring to are Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s novella, Candide, or Optimism. In both A Modest Proposal and Candide, there is a portrayal of irony, cold logic and reasoning rather than emotionRead MoreSynopsis Of Voltaire s Candide 1011 Words   |  5 PagesAP English: Major Works Data S heet Title: Candide Author: Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet) Date of Publication: 1959 Genre: Satire Biographical information about the author Francois-Marie Arouet, Voltaire, was born in 1604 in Paris, France. He was passionate about writing. As a result, Voltaire defies his father’s desire for him to become an attorney. Voltaire composed various types of text like essays and historical surveys as he was acknowledged as a writer from the publication of Oedipus. After