Candide is a humorous‚ implausible account by Voltaire satirizing the optimism endorsed by the philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment. The story is of a young man’s adventures around the world‚ where he witnesses malicious human behavior and calamity. Throughout his travels‚ he abides to the teachings of his lecturer‚ Pangloss‚ believing that "all is for the best in this world‚" even though he visited and experienced torture time and time again. The Age of Enlightenment is a term applied
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Voltaire’s Candide seems to display a world of horror‚ one filled with floggings‚ rapes‚ robberies‚ unjust executions‚ disease‚ natural disasters‚ betrayals and cannibalism. Pangloss‚ the philosopher‚ has a constant optimistic view throughout the entire novel even despite all of the cruelty in the world. While looking back on the book I couldn’t think of many characters that displayed admirable qualities. Even though Pangloss stuck to his views that everything is for the best in this best of all
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A confrontation that Candide has is with a slave outside the town of Surinam after he has left El Dorado. While talking to the man he learns that “when we work at the sugar-canes‚ and the mill snatches hold of a finger‚ they cut off the hand; and when we attempt to run away‚ they cut off the leg; both cases have happened to me. This is the price at which you eat sugar in Europe.” After learning of this “abomination” he renounces his optimism that he has held onto through other horrible situations
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The main character Candide went through many hardships throughout the literature. He always had the attitude of a very understanding and positive person. Candide loved to live. He thought he lived in the best of worlds‚ in the best of towns there was. This was not the fact. Candide went through many hardship he had to overcome. This would test his positive outlook on his life. Throughout the story Candide comes upon many different people who would lead him on different journeys. These things combined
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The first utopia mentioned in Candide is Westphalia‚ a region in Germany. The roads of Westphalia are known to be wet and muddy and definetly not the utopia that is described by Pangloss‚ a philosopher who lives in a castle located in Westphalia and who also has a theory that everything happens for a reason or in other words philosophical optimism. Those living in his castle are without a dobut staying in the best castle of the whole world or at least that is how is perceived by the baron and his
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not literary enough‚ and my greater implications not great enough. However‚ one thing I think that I did well was allowing the text to shape my claims‚ rather than manipulating the text to support claims I was seeking out. My final thesis and claims were much different from my original intention as they evolved a lot as I continued exploring the text. I hope you like my work‚ and I appreciate your feedback and time. Humans have a need to understand
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Candide Questions 1. Describe three targets of Voltaire’s satires in Candide? Using Candide‚ cite one example for each. In Candide‚ there are three targets: religion‚ optimism and the military. An example for criticism of religion is on page 10‚ “When a brutish sailor struck him roughly and laid him sprawling; but with the violence of the blow he himself tumbled head foremost overboard… Honest James ran to his assistance‚ hauled him up‚ and from the effort he made was precipitated into the sea
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Candide‚ a satirical novel based in the 1750’s that not only ridicules all of society but none other than the church as well. When Voltaire wrote this novel he knew exactly how controversial his work would be considering that the church had control over the moral and social order of that time. Throughout the novel there are instances where he refers to religion as a serious matter and there are times when all he does is ridicule it. Voltaire leaves you wondering what exactly he meant to say and
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1. In the very first chapter Candide is literally kicked out of the “most beautiful and delightful of possible castles‚” expelled from an “earthly paradise.” At the end of the novel‚ he says “we must cultivate our garden.” What is Voltaire suggesting by framing his story in this way and by echoing the Biblical story of the Fall? 2. Why does Candide select Martin to be his travel companion? How do Martin’s views differ from Pangloss’? Offer specific details in the two philosophers’ outlooks—yes
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religious hypocrites: "Nothing that I more cherish and admire than honest zeal and true religious fire. So there is nothing that I find more base than specious piety’s dishonest face." In Candide‚ Voltaire makes use of several characters to voice his opinion mocking philosophical optimism. In the story Candide is asking a gentleman about whether everything is for the best in the physical world as well as the moral universe. The man replies: "I believe nothing of the sort. I find that everything goes
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