Voltaire Candide - 1311 Words

Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire was the French author of the novella Candide, also known as Optimism(Durant and Durant 724). Voltaires Candide is a philosophical tale of one mans search for true happiness and his ultimate acceptance of lifes disappointments. Candide grows up in the castle of his uncle, a German baron, along with his optimistic scholar, Pangloss, and his young, beautiful cousin, Cunà ©gonde. When Candide falls in love with Cunà ©gonde and his uncle sees them kissing, Candide is thrown out of his home and enrolls in the Bulgar army. After being beaten for wandering from camp, Candide flees to Holland and runs into an ugly beggar, who he is told to be Pangloss. He tells Candide that Cunà ©gonde and her family have been†¦show more content†¦Voltaire uses Pangloss and a contrasting character, Martin, to point out the shortcomings in Leibniz’s philosophy. A contrast to the views of Pangloss is the character Martin. Martin, a pessimist, is a friend and advisor to Candide whom he meets on his journey. Martin continuously tries to prove to Candide that there is little virtue, morality, and happiness in the world. When a cheerful couple is seen walking and singing, Candide tells Martin, At least you must admit that these people are happy (80). Martin answers Candide’s comment with the reply, I wager they are not (80). Martin suggests that Candide invite the couple to dine at his hotel. As the young girl, now found to be Paquette, tells her story, Martin takes pleasure in knowing he has won the wager. Another contrast to this best of all possible worlds is Eldorado. Voltaire describes Eldorado as an extremely peaceful and serene country. Eldorado, a place that is impossible to find, has no laws, jails, war, or need for material goods. Voltaire uses Eldorado as an epitome of the best of all possible worlds. It contrasts the real outside world in which war and suffering are everyday occurrences. Another example of how Voltaire ridicules Pangloss’ optimistic philosophy is the mention of the Lisbon earthquake and fire. Even though the disastrous earthquake took over 30,000 lives, Pangloss still upheld hisShow MoreRelatedCandide by Voltaire948 Words   |  4 PagesVoltaire’s novel, Candide, encompasses a lot of things. This includes mockery of the beliefs of an opposing philosopher of the Enlightenment period . But perhaps the most powerful of his satires in his novel is on religion. Voltaire believes in God, but rather a forceful disapproval of religion. He believes that all people should serve God in their own way instead of being told how to believe God through religious officials. The first example of Voltaire mocking religion is after Candide leaves the castleRead MoreVoltaire s Candide By Voltaire2264 Words   |  10 Pages Candide by Voltaire Book Critique Emma Joy Mr. Boni World History 2- Period 2 12/19/14 I. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Bantam Books, 1959. 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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 MoreVoltaire And His Candide - Voltaire s Candide1211 Words   |  5 PagesVoltaire and his Candide Introduction Voltaire is the leader of the French Enlightenment, he enjoyed high prestige in the enlightenment movement. His life was spent in against the feudal regime system and the reactionary forces of the church (Gorbatov, 2006). Voltaire was knowledgeable, he had many works (including philosophy, history, literature, science, etc., throughout his literary creation, the most valuable was his philosophical novels (Sutcliffe, 2000). These novels maintained the vitalityRead MoreCandide by Voltaire Essay1734 Words   |  7 PagesCandide Voltaire’s most classic work, Candide, is a satiric assault on most everything that was prevalent in society during the author’s lifetime. The entire novel can be regarded as a bleak story where every character compares life stories to see whose life is worse. Just when the novel cannot get anymore morbid or depressing, it does, to a much greater degree. While Candide is generally considered a universal denunciation, it is optimism that Voltaire is attacking to the greatestRead MoreVoltaire s Candide : Candide1766 Words   |  8 PagesVoltaire: Candide In Voltaire’s satirical novella Candide, he analyzes and criticizes the absolutist perspectives that were common of his era. By constructing his characters to each represent a different absolutist faith, he uses comedy to exaggerate and emphasize the faults in each perspective, ultimately describing the world through a cynical lens. As an influential writer of the Enlightenment period, Voltaire’s dispute of faith aligns with the enlightened goals of separating the individual fromRead MoreVoltaire s Candide And `` Candide ``936 Words   |  4 PagesEven though, the broadway play complements Voltaire’s novel, Candide, there are noticeable changes made. These changes are made in order to captivate the audience. Considering the change in time period when Voltaire originally wrote Candide, the changes needed to be made in order to contain more modern aspects that the audience would be drawn to. These changes will be discussed throughout the deliberation of the play , but the most important noticed change would be the doubling of the narrator toRead MoreCandide, a Novel by Voltaire760 Words   |  3 PagesCandide Essay Voltaire was a philosopher that many people would not forget. Candide lives in the castle of Baron Thunderten Tronckh in Westphalia. The circumstances that Candide was born was that he combined a true judgement with simplicity of spirit. Voltaire satirizes the optimism espoused by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. This was a story of a young man’s adventure throughout the world and had seen many evil and disasters. Throughout his journey, he sticks to the teachings thatRead MoreA Summary On Voltaire s Candide 1496 Words   |  6 PagesJason Ross 2/15/16 David Morroe History 185 C02195103 Pre-draft Candide Voltaire known as French Enlightenmen, author, historian and a theorist. Franà §ois-Marie Arouet was born on November 21, 1694. He was so weak when being born and not expected to live Marguerite Daumard and Francois Arouet were his parents. As a student, he was an inspiration young man. He was close with his mother, and sister. Voltaire had an uneasy relationship with his father, who depressed his literature desire and triedRead MoreVoltaire s View Of Candide1511 Words   |  7 Pages Voltaire s Candide is a satirical work written in 1759 as a commentary during the Enlightenment. One of Voltaire s most famous works, it also functioned to reflect Voltaire s opinions. Candide is considered Voltaire s signature work in which he levels his sharpest criticism against nobility, philosophy, the church, and human cruelty. Though often considered a representative text of the Enlightenment era, the novel criticizes a number of Enlightenment philosophies. As reading and books were