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thesis on voltaire's candide
what is the context of Voltaires candide
Optimism and Pessimism in Voltaire’s Candide Essay
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Voltaire’s Candide portrays an exaggerated image of human cruelty and suffering in the world. Specifically, Voltaire criticizes people’s lack of willingness to prevent suffering, and their tendency to accept the idea that there is nothing anyone can do about human outcomes. He upholds his belief that practical ways of solving problems generate improvement. He believes that human indifference and inaction cause suffering to carry on. Voltaire’s believes that naïve optimism, absolute pessimism, cruel indifference, and lack of reason hinder positive and constructive change.
Pangloss is a major representation of the optimistic philosophy of life. This naïve optimism does not promote the improvement of conditions in the world because it accepts circumstances as having a positive function. His viewpoint that “this is the best of all possible worlds,” and that “there is no effect without a cause,” mixed with the exaggerated description of suffering, presents an absurdity that Voltaire attempts to portray (4). For example, in the aftermath of the Lisbon earthquake, when Candide is crushed by rubble and is yelling at Pangloss for help, Pangloss is so caught up in his contemplation about the cause and effect of the situation that he is completely oblivious to the actions he could take to help his friend (19). This scene depicts the absurdity of accepting such terrible torment as fair, and portrays the idea that accepting the philosophy of optimism does nothing to diminish suffering. When Anabaptist James falls overboard on the ship to Lisbon, Pangloss keeps Candide from attempting to help him, claiming, “the Bay of Lisbon had been made on purpose for the Anabaptist to be drowned” (17-18). Pangloss has a mindset that promotes inhumane way...
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...sts that in order to gain peace and happiness, one must take full responsibility for oneself and take the logical steps necessary to actively achieve change (137). Voltaire portrays the idea that without logical reasoning and action, suffering will continue.
Through the characters’ traits and attitudes, such as Pangloss and Martin’s closed-minded philosophies, the affects that indifference and inaction have on societal conditions are apparent. Voltaire successfully portrays the faults of mankind in the lack of concern, reason, and action needed to improve the conditions of world suffering. Voltaire also portrays, through James the Anabaptist and the Turkish farm, that positive change can be achieved through hard work and determination. Candide successfully depicts Voltaire’s belief that humans must take responsibility for making the world a better place to live.
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
In Voltaire’s Candide, we are taken by the hand through an adventure which spanned two continents, several countries, and to a multitude of adverse characters. The protagonist, Candide, became the recipient of the horrors which would be faced by any person in the 18th century. But Candide was always accompanied with fellows sufferers, two of which our focus will lay, Pangloss and Martin. In equal respects, both are embodiments of different philosophies of the time: Pangloss the proponent of Optimism and Martin the proponent of Pessimism. Each of the two travelers is never together with Candide, until the end, but both entice him to picture the world in one of their two philosophies. Throughout the story there is an apparent ebb and flow from Candide on how to think of the world. By the end of his journey, Candide will be presented with evidence to lead to his agreement of either Optimism or Pessimism. But I submit, Candide does not become a firm believer in either philosophies but rather retains a philosophy in between Optimism and Pessimism, somewhat of a stoic mentality. Thus Voltaire’s opinion on philosophy will be predicated upon his character, Candide.
... disclose any wrongs so that it can be lifted. "The key targets of Voltaire's satire are totalizing perceptions of the world, whether extreme optimism or extreme pessimism, both of which offer excuses for indifference to human suffering" (Stanley 76). Voltaire aims to add the different perspectives of how people view the world and conclude that whether one believes in optimism or pessimism, their outcomes lead to human suffering. In the story, Voltaire uses the main character's travels and experiences to support the theory of human suffering. However, the reader will not be able to understand the character fully without seeing how the other characters influence him, contradicting Rousseau's philosophy of individuality. Using all of the characters' experiences, Voltaire removes the optimistic and pessimistic views and replaces it with a vision of an uncertain future.
However, there is very little lessening in our time, of the human scourges of war, famine, rape, avarice, persecution, bigotry, superstition, intolerance, and hypocrisy that make up this element of human corruption that is addressed in Candide. Candide still serves as an effectual whip with which to lash once again the perpetuators of this suffering. (Weitz 12) The theme of human misery is Voltaire's primary achievement in integrating philosophy and literature in Candide. (Weitz 12) "Do you think," asks Candide of Martin as they approached the coast of France,"that men have always massacred each other, as they do today that they have always been false, faithless, ungrateful, thieving, weak, inconstant, mean spirited, envious, greedy, drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloody, slanderous, debauched, fanatic, hypocritical, and stupid?". Martin replies with further question." do you think that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could find them?" "of course I do" Candide answers. Martin responds,"well, if hawks have always had the same character, why should you suppose men have changed theirs?".
Voltaire's Candide is a novel which contains conceptual ideas and at the same time is also exaggerated. Voltaire offers sad themes disguised by jokes and witticism, and the story itself presents a distinctive outlook on life. The crucial contrast in the story deals with irrational ideas as taught to Candide about being optimistic, versus reality as viewed by the rest of the world.
In Candide, Voltaire sought to point out the fallacy of Gottfried Leibniz's theory of optimism and the hardships brought on by the resulting inaction toward the evils of the world. Voltaire's use of satire, and its techniques of exaggeration and contrast highlight the evil and brutality of war and the world in general when men are meekly accepting of their fate.
Voltaire uses the episode of “The storm, the shipwreck, the earthquake, and what became of Dr. Pangloss, of Candide, and of Jacques the Anabaptist” to speak about the idea of nature being good being false. Through the use of various characters and episodes, Voltaire criticizes and attacks religion, social class structure, and the idea that nature is good by creating situations in which he shows his opinion on the overall flaws of society.
Candide is an outlandishly humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism espoused by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. It is the story of a young man’s adventures throughout the world, where he witnesses much evil and disaster. Throughout his travels, he adheres to the teachings of his tutor, Pangloss, believing that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." Candide is Voltaire’s answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists - an easy way to rationalize evil and suffering. Though he was by no means a pessimist, Voltaire refused to believe that what happens is always for the best.The Age of Enlightenment is a term applied to a wide variety of ideas and advances in the fields of philosophy, science, and medicine. The primary feature of Enlightenment philosophy is the belief that people can actively work to create a better world. A spirit of social reform characterized the political ideology of Enlightenment philosophers. While Voltaire’s Candide is heavily characterized by the primary concerns of the Enlightenment, it also criticizes certain aspects of the movement. It attacks the idea that optimism, which holds that rational thought can inhibit the evils perpetrated by human beings.
... that in life there will be many obstacles which can and should be overcome. Life has its difficulties but the world would be a miserable place if people passively accepted that everything that happened to them was for the best - shrugging off responsibility. Voltaire believes that people should not allow themselves to be victims. He sneers at naive, accepting types, informing us that people must work (be active) to make their happiness.
Voltaire's Candide uses anti-heroism as an object of mockery against the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Candide, the hero of the novel travels around the world where he encounters many difficulties. During his travels, he sticks to the teaching of his tutor, Doctor Pangloss, believing that "everything is for the best" (3). Voltaire points out the illogicality of this doctrine, "if Columbus had not caught, on an American island, this sickness which attacks the source of generation [...] we should have neither chocolate or cochineal" (8). The sheer stupidity of these illogical conclusions points out Voltaire's problem with most optimists: the illogical degree to which they would carry their doctrine. Voltaire would argue that noses were not designed for spectacles, but rather spectacles were designed for preexisting noses. Pangloss's interpretation of cause and effect is so ignorant as to be comical. While Candide tells an interesting story, it is more important as a satire. However, this does not prove Voltaire is a pessimist.
The book Candide by Voltaire is a humorous satire constructed of many themes. Through his book, Voltaire expresses his views on life by criticizing many aspects of humanity at that time. He focused in war, religion, and love, but the main target of Voltaire's satire was a certain philosophy. All of the previous topics unite to ridicule the philosophy that, as the character Pangloss said, "things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end" (1).
In the novel Candide by Voltaire, Candide had the foundation of a fulfilling life laid out for him. He had a stable job working for a nobleman, a good mentor, and even a girl that he knew was perfect for him. Everything was well until he made a mistake with the girl he loved and was kicked out of his city, shattering all his stability and forcing him to encounter the realities of the world he lived in. Voltaire uses character interactions to comment on the human condition by pairing an optimistic view with naivety during Candide’s youth and a pessimistic view after his experiences with tragedy, therefore criticizing some of the common optimistic worldviews during his time and leaving more of a pessimistic outlook at the end of Candide’s journey.
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.
...s essay and Voltaire’s opinion on it. Pope and Voltaire write to condemn man, his prejudice, greed, ego, and all else that defines man, tearing down the belief of a perfect world. Contrary to Pope however, Voltaire believes society should be intermingling, changing and transforming, the exact things that Pope insults and abhors in his poem. Although “Candide” and “An Essay on Man” discussed similar topics, there were many ideas presented that are contrary, like the purpose of man, and many ideas that are in agreement, like the characterization of humans as generally abominable and greedy beings. The message that I get from both author’s combined is; humans are naturally, greedy, egoistic, and jealous beings, however, with their own will, they can surpass all these feelings. Strong will can overcome many hopeless predicaments.
Defining optimism and redefining the philosophies of the fictional Pangloss and the non-fictional Leibniz, Candid embarks on a mishap journey. From the very onset, Voltaire begins stabbing with satire, particularly at religion.