Voltaire's Use Of Satire In Candide
François-Marie Arouet, who went by the pen name Voltaire, was one of the most well-known satirical writers of all time. Voltaire’s use of humor, irony, and exaggeration in his novels exemplified his distastefulness towards the religion, government, and aristocrats of his time (Lewis, 1992). Not only was Voltaire a writer, he was also known as a poet, critic, and intellectual. During this time, many held high optimism, understanding that God is in control and that he plans and make everything work for the good of mankind. Voltaire, being witness to hate, cruelty and natural disaster in this world, could not take part in the beliefs of this time. In spite of this disagreement, Voltaire wrote his famous novel Candide (subtitled Optimism) and displayed his opposition in the form of a satire (Fiero, 2011).
Candide is about a boy named Candide who was brought up in the home of Baron Thunder-ten-tronck, in
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The women of this time did not have much chance for a fulfilled life, either they marry into a wealthy family or be secured as a mistress (“Position of Women,” n.d.). The women characters of Candide were seen as just this, every woman mentioned were at some point subjected to rape in the story. Voltaire writes, “Girls who had been disemboweled after having sated their natural needs of some of the heroes were breathing their last.” Unfortunately, rape was seen as normal and natural, as if the men or “heroes” were only fulfilling their need and women are there to supply it. Voltaire illustrated this degrading act towards females, due to the normality of it in the eighteenth century. One female character says that she is “forced to continue this terrible profession that you men find so pleasant while to us women it is by an abyss of misery”. Voltaire wanted it to be known how devastating it is to degrade females and exploit them in such a way (“Position of Women,”
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803 Words | 4 PagesDarrius Jackson Professor Origill Western Civilization 11/19/2014 Voltaire's wrote Candide to show his view on how society and class, religion, warfare, and the idea of progress. Voltaire was a deist and he believed in religious equality, he wrote Candide to attack all aspects of its social structure by satirizing religion, society and social order by showing his hypocrisy. Voltaire was a prominent figure during the enlightenment era. Although he was not a typical enlightenment writer at his time because he wrote about issues including social freedom, religious inequality and civil liberty that other philosophers did not at the time. Voltaire's outspoken opinions made him very unpopular and landed him in jail but that did not stop him from
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Oppression Of Women In Voltaire's Candide
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Voltaire's Use Of Satire In Candide
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Women In Voltaire's Candide
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1226 Words | 5 PagesOne key facet of living in the world today is the ability for people to have free will over their own lives. In Voltaire’s story “Candide,” it is clear to observe that although Candide is free to form his own decisions, he allows himself to be strongly determined by his surroundings as well as everyone who he encounters. This story proposes that Candide is trying to find a balance between submitting completely to the speculations and actions of others while also taking control of his life through blind faith. Throughout the story, Candide encounters frequent hardships along his voyage to prosperity. These obstacles include, but are not limited to becoming a bulwark, being beaten and forced to watch his beloved Pangloss having been hanged, leaving such an amazing place as Eldorado, being lied to and tricked out of diamonds by the abb`e, killing Cunegonde’s two lovers, almost being boiled alive for killing the monkey lovers, and being persuaded to be promiscuous on Cunegonde.
Example Of Satire In Candide
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1501 Words | 7 PagesVoltaire is well known for his suggestive satirical work, especially his masterpiece Candide. Candide is a timeless piece still relevant today, that was written to warn the public about the consequences of radical optimism (Online-Literature 1). The main character, Candide, is a naïve and trusting young man who is banished from his home. Despite his life being filled with a series of bizarre disasters, Candide holds fast to his optimism – which serves as an example to readers. Voltaire emphasizes the dangers of radical optimism by incorporating tone, themes and utilizing satire in Candide.
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