Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Candide are both novels known for their satirical manner. The authors use many different methods to make their works satire, some that are used in both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Candide include slapstick comedy, situational humor, and irony. Both of these novels use comedic relief to convey a deeper meaning that attacks both society and philosophy. There are driving forces behind many satirical devices to force these deeper meanings into fruition.
One of the biggest elements used by both authors in both books is situational humor. In many parts of the book the characters are found in situations that are funny themselves without any needed comedic effect. For example in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the main character Duke stumbles upon on a high paying job covering a Sheriff’s convention for the Rolling Stone, which he works while high as a kite on many different dangerous drugs. In Candide, Candide Irony plays a major role in creating situational comedy, for example in Candide the main character is an extreme optimist and he is forced to travel with the ultimate epitome of an
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This adds to the satirical aspects of the stories by demeaning violence in ways to make violence less impacting than it actually is, this is a form of slapstick comedy. In Candide, Candide abandones the army and is given the option of getting beaten down or executed. In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Duke fires a gun aimlessly in the middle of the desert aimlessly just because of his anger. Even internal violence is used by the author in order to further portray their central idea, for example in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the main character Duke and his companion think about murdering multiple people. This could be Hunter Thompson’s attempt to show the morally corruptness of society. Aimless violence is funny to because of the unpredictable nature of
The author, Voltaire, wrote in the Enlightenment period, a literary movement characterized by the rising concern of philosophy, science, and politics. Voltaire’s writing was influenced by the Enlightenment movement to create awareness of global issues. This is evident in the repeated tragedies Candide stumbles upon. Social issues, corrupt authority figures, and war are real world topics that Voltaire chooses to address in Candide. The satirical nature of Candide allows for an in-depth discussion between the characters regarding the problems they face and the problems of the people they meet, creating a perspective that the audience is forced to look through. It is also a coming of age story, not just for Candide, but for the rising awareness in global issues. Voltaire’s inclusion of the issues of his time reflect the severity of those issues. Satire is used as a reaction to a society’s hypocrisy. Candide as a satirical piece reflects what people have neglected to pay attention to. Coming into a new era of awareness and responsibility leads Candide to reflect on the live he lived in Westphalia and the people he encountered across
Throughout Candide the author, Voltaire, demonstrates the character’s experiences in a cruel world and his fight to gain happiness. In the beginning Candide expects to achieve happiness without working for his goal and only taking the easy way out of all situations. However, by the end of the book the character
A question that arises in almost any medium of art, be it music, film or literature, is whether or not the depiction of violence is merely gratuitous or whether it is a legitimate artistic expression. There can be no doubt that Michael Ondaatje's long poem The Collected Works of Billy the Kid is a violent work, but certain factors should be kept in mind before passing it off as an attempt to shock and titillate; certainly, the poem does both of these, but they are not the primary purpose of the work. For one thing, social context needs to be considered; Billy lived in the "Wild West", a time associated with range wars, shoot-outs and great train robberies. The entire legend of Billy the Kid has been built around his criminal activities and notorious reputation; indeed, the more popular this myth becomes, the more people he is accused of having murdered. If anything, it was a cultural fascination with violence that "created" the legend, perhaps even more so than anything the "real" Billy ever did. Michael Ondaatje comments on this phenomenon and actually offers an alternative vision of who Billy the Kid was; perhaps he was not just a blood-thirsty killer but a man who, due to circumstance and human nature, was continually being pushed over the edge. Ondaatje is more concerned with the motivations behind the acts of violence than the acts of violence themselves: "A motive? some reasoning we can give to explain all this violence. Was there a source for all this? yup -" (54). If they shock, it is to shock the readers out of complicity and encourage them to think about the nature of violence and their own capacity for it.
The parallels between Candide and Ditie are most obvious at the beginning of the novels. The stories of the two characters begin with them living well in grand residences under fairly good circumstances. Ditie is a busboy at the Golden Prague Hotel where, while not on duty, the staff is treated like guests of a slightly lower class. He makes enough money in his side business as a hot dog vendor that he is able to indulge his teenage fantasies weekly at a local whorehouse. Candide is living in castle Thunder-ten-tronckh with the beautiful Cunegonde, with whom he is in love.
In Voltaire's satire Candide the reader follows the travel of the main character Candide. Candide dynamically develops through the book by adsorbing multiple philosophies,and eventually concluding his own design. Throughout his journeys he encounters three major philosophies: optimism, pessimism and realism. The first philosopher is Pangloss and he teaches about optimism. The second philosopher that he meets is cacambo, and he is a person who accepts the world as it actually is. The last philosopher that candide encounters is a pessimist, and the despises everything in the world. As these three philosophers travel with Candide, they helped him see different viewpoints of the world. As a result, Candide’s development is greatly affected by the philosophies of Pangloss, Cacambo, and Martin.
Anything not taken in moderation can be damaging. In one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, "The Cask of Amontillado," he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing, when one is overwhelmed with it. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the fall of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.
Candide by Voltaire and Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xuegin introduce characters and motifs that have become illustrations of the quest for enlightenment. Candide, in the spirit of the European Enlightenment, is a satire on philosophy and religion. Voltaire uses this work to candidly criticize irrational optimism and thought control. Interestingly, the word "candid" even makes up a part of Candide's name, and Voltaire uses hyperbole to contribute to his concept of extremes. After being kicked out of his home, Candide wanders and drags "himself toward the neighboring town . . . dying of hunger and fatigue." Later, he "embraced the Baron and Pangloss a hundred times."
Voltaire's masterpiece Candide recounts the journey of a young man as he ventures the world and faces reality, deals with it, is guided, transformed, and eventually defined by it. Voltaire's story tells the tale of Candide as his character matures from the naivete of a child to the extensive temperament of a distinguished man.
Candide may have started as an innocent boy that believed the world to be perfect, but he soon adapts his beliefs and opinions to the world around him as he realizes that there is nothing perfect of the world he lives in. This is just how people start their lives in the world and learn to adapt to their surroundings as they experience life. Therefore, Candide can be seen as an interpretation of the life of people by Voltaire in his novel Candide. That is because just like Candide, people adapt to the world through life experiences and may do good and bad things.
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide struggles through a world torn by constant bloodshed and crime. As he travels, he and other characters are deceived, injured, and abused by the world around him. Voltaire’s Candide reveals another side of human beings’ hearts as he portrays humanity’s hamartias as greed, lust, and religion.
Candide was written in 1759 by Voltaire and is a timeless classic illuminating the day to day life of three women that lived in that century. This story focuses on the struggles that the women of this time period faced. Every female character in this story has had a difficult life that consisted of lose-lose situations that had a major impact on their lives. But are they victims? Or, are they simply just natural survivors? These women are natural born survivors because they do what is needed to survive in the harsh circumstances they are forced into.
These points may be amply demonstrated through an analysis of Candide itself and also through the views of important critics. To best appreciate this novel, however, some background concerning its origins and its relationship to the author's preoccupations should be mentioned.
Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). The best satirical writers can make the readers believe that an idea is “logical and practical.” This is seen in great abundance in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Through his writing, Huxley uses satire to effectively point out the flaws of society at the time. Even though Brave New World was written in 1931, the satirical points Huxley makes are still relevant in today’s world.
These two authors are very similar. Both use dark, surrealistic language. Both men show different aspects of the descent into madness. Also both men use a descriptive, intelligent writing style. Instead of appealing to your emotions, or telling you what you should be feeling, they describe what is happening. Their descriptions may induce certain emotions, such as disgust, fear, or sadness, but they appeal first to the mind. They appeal first to the mind, and when the mind dictates to the heart that this is wrong, or strange, then the heart stirs and provides the appropriate emotion. Their writing styles may have their differences, but on the whole they are more alike than they are different.
To help transport the reader into his satirical short story, Voltaire uses satire and vivid imagery among other rhetorical devices. Voltaire’s satiric language can be seen when he talks about the idea of free will. A great example of this is in chapter 2 when Candide decided to go for a walk just because he wanted to prove that he could. During this walk he was taken in by soldiers who believed he was trying to desert them. At his capture, instead of letting him explain himself, the soldiers gave him two choices of death. Through this scene, Voltaire indirectly gives the definition of free will of that time. The whole idea of free will should be a person's right to make any decision they want. Candide believes he is a child of god and with that idea he denies the punishment; this further installs the reader with the true definition of free will. That if free will did exist, then punishments would not occur, and the reality we live today would not exist. Through his satire, Voltaire also uses improper language by having many contradictions in his writing. This lets the reader analyze the contradictions and come up with the conclusion of what he is saying by themselves. On the other hand Cormac McCarthy surprisingly uses imagery heavily in his novel to explain the grey bleakness that has cast over the destroyed land. He also uses this imagery to help explain the tone of the piece; the things he describes that have light are usually the good things, such as the boy, while the things he shadows in darkness are the bad, for example, the cannibals. Utilizing these skills, McCarthy is able to transport the reader onto the road and take them along the journey. Both McCarthy’s The Road and Voltaire’s Candide leave much to the reader's own realization which makes for great teaching material which books of literary merit should