In the novel Candide, Voltaire cleverly uses the main components of satire.
His method of using satire to critique both political and religious ideologies are extreme however quite successful in portraying flaws. Voltaire pointed out the folly in philosophical religion and optimism in his book Candide. He showed that religion and philosophical optimism are pointless.
Candide is the story of a young man 's life adventures throughout the world, where he is subjected to evil and disaster. Pangloss, a mentor to Candide, teaches him that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire did not believe that what happens in the world is always for the best. Voltaire shows us the inhumanities of man through social interaction and war. He over exaggerates the wrongs of medieval people. His thoughts are exaggerated but
valid.
Voltaire showed many original ideas in his novel. He confronted major philosophical issues by camouflaging them with humour. The attack on the claim that this is "the best of all possible worlds" is exhibited throughout the novel. Throughout the story, satirical references to this theme contrast with natural disaster and human wrong doing. When reunited with the diseased and dying Pangloss, who had contracted syphilis, Candide asks if the Devil is at fault. Pangloss simply responds that the disease was a necessity in this 'the best of all possible worlds ', for it was brought to Europe by Columbus ' men, who also brought chocolate and cochineal, two greater goods that well offset any negative effects of the disease, Candide experiences numerous disasters through out the novel which leads him to question his belief in optimism. When asked what 's optimism by Cacambo, Candide replies, Alas...it is a mania for saying things are well when one is in hell. Candide eventually becomes aware of the hopelessness of Pangloss ' philosophy. Voltaire ends the novel with Candide discovering the Turk 's truth to life - ...the work keeps us from three great evils, boredom, vice and need. Candide and his acquaintances adapt this new way of life. Even when the entire group has accepted the rustic lifestyle of finding contentment, Pangloss the Optimist attempts to prove how all their prior misfortunes were part of the events necessary for them to reach happiness. Voltaire portrays Pangloss as the true vision of optimism.
Candide eventually learns how to achieve happiness in the face of misadventure. He learns that in order to attain a state of contentment, one must be part of society where there is collective effort and work. Candide learns that labour eliminates want, boredom and vice; which he feels are the three curses of mankind. In order to create such a society, man must do the following: love his fellow man, be just, be vigilant, know how to make the best of a bad situation and keep from theorizing. Voltaire expresses this last requirement for such a society briefly when he says, Lets work without speculating; it 's the only way of rendering life bearable. Voltaire presents some major ideas in his novel. Even as a philosopher of the Enlightenment himself, Voltaire uses Candide as a platform to criticize the utter optimism of his fellow colleagues. Voltaire uses satire as a means of pointing out bigotry, cruelty, and injustice, and makes it seem intolerable to the reader. Voltaire had written this novel with humour although it is evident he was determined to point out these flaws.
In George Orwell 's Animal Farm he shows his views on the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism in his nation. The novel shows the stages of the Russian Revolution. Orwell chooses to portray the happenings of the Russian Revolution on a farm based in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Orwell uses satire throughout his entire novel. The satire in Orwell 's novel is his way of communicating problems and resolutions. The main message in Animal Farm is that power cannot be divided equally. There will never be equality for all. Orwell believes that equality does not exist, for it is impossible for everyone to be equal. The use of the fable as a form of satire allows Orwell to display his opinions without directly opposing the current views. A fable is a story usually having a moral, in which creatures can talk and act like humans. The animals in the book represent different types of human beings. This technique helps Orwell to keep his emotions against exploiters under control. The pigs may have represented some corrupt leaders. Old Major helps them set the rebellion in motion. Old Major is an abstraction which helps to move readers from the concrete reality.
Animal Farm is full of satire, when Orwell wrote all year long the animals worked like slaves , The animals worked very hard even though they may not have known it. Their sacrifice is not for the benefit of themselves as they think but, readers soon realize, for their new masters, the pigs. The pigs kept telling the animals they were better off and because they were gullible and naive the animals believed them even though they had the same amount of food as before and worked harder. Orwell wants people to think for themselves, to question things that don 't seem right, and believe in their own ideas and work together as a team. A society in which all are equal will never exist according to Orwell because people will have different opinions on life and the way society should be. The characters Snowball and Napoleon demonstrate this in the novel because they disagreed on a regular basis and continuously disagreed on everything they could. This form of satire helps Orwell prove his view that society will never be equal because people have different opinions on the way things should be run.
Orwell uses satire as a method to illustrate all the hardships and suffering that were endured when power was abused. At the end the animals had less than they did to begin with while the pigs became upper class. Orwell 's purpose of this novel is to get people to think for themselves and have faith in what they believe in. George Orwell uses the satirical techniques of irony, fable, and allegory to create an impression of the hardships in Stalinist Russia. He is very successful at this because he uses every area of the novel such as the characters, themes, and style to show his view.
Charles Dickens uses satire in his novel Hard Times to portray his feelings of the industrialization of England. Most of what Dickens demonstrates is not clearly described as the way things actually were during the industrialization. Hard Times is a fiction but also a satire that involves ideas and a method of thinking at that time. It wasn 't meant to accurately describe the way things were. Dickens was unfavourable to the utilization education system. Dickens gives a reasonable and accurate description of a usual industrial town which helps disguise his satire. All the buildings in Coketown look alike which shows the conformity of the time. It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage.
Dickens encourages contempt and laughter in the reader. His satire is focussed on Grandgrind, M 'Choakumchild, Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit and the way Coketown operates. M 'Choakumchild appears to be well educated on manydifferent subjects and training but the reader is not impressed by his knowledge or wisdom. His education and knowledge is actually used to make fun of him. Ah, rather overdone, M 'Choakumchild. If he had only learnt a little less, how infinitely better he might have taught much more! M 'Choakumchild knows a lot but Dickens feels that he doesn 't know enough to impact the students.
The idea that this novel takes place in a northern working community reflects the importance in the main message of the novel. Dickens believed people were directly affected by the environment they grew up in. He thought that children whose upbringings were good would succeed in the future and children whose upbringings were difficult, like the children in Coketown, would find it very difficult to succeed and improve their quality of life. Dickens feels that the education used to teach the children was harsh and discourages them to have their own opinion. Dickens wrote Hard Times to get reactions by using satire throughout the entire book. From the very beginning, with the description of Coketown, the characters, their names, and the educational system, you see many different themes of satire.
Voltaire, Orwell, and Dickens do a great job of using different styles of satire to prove their views. They make fun of the social, political and ideological views of their times. Candide by Voltiare, Animal Farm by George Orwell and Hard Times by Charles Dickens are very successful in using satire to show the flaws of each era. These three authors use different forms of satire to make their points. Orwell uses a satirical fable to seem less abrupt with his views. Voltaire and Dickens use satire to show their opposing views. They are all very successful in showing problems without directly stating them.
BibliographyVoltaire (1991). Candide (2nd ed.). New York: W.W Norton & Company.
Orwell, George (1951). Animal Farm. England: Penguin Group.
Dickens, Charles (1995). Hard Times. England: Penguin Group.