Satiric Themes in Voltaire's Candide. Term Paper

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Warfare was obviously distasteful for Voltaire as he showed with 'Te deum' or the Christian hymn of thanksgiving. The soldiers of both the parties sing the song even though neither side was in a position to have won the battle. Voltaire showed that the atrocities of war would never be prevented even with international laws. As Voltaire depicted two armies present as a glorious spectacle, he was showing the terrible atmosphere that was created in the music and gunfire. Candide saw that on the battlefield that guns and bayonets would lead to more thirty thousand rogues death and Candide trembled in terror. So when the both kings and their armies sing 'Te Deum' only Candide seems to understand that both sides of the village are ruined. In summary, Voltaire is quite clear when he describes all that Candide saw from the shocking massacre of the community was the soldiers' lust and bloodthirstiness.

Middle Paragraph

Voltaire used Candide to demonstrate is own inherent rationality and to ridicule those thinkers who seemed to believe that suffering should be a natural part of the basic plan of the universe; whether they were rich and privileged or representatives of the church. Consider the expulsion of the Baron for example. In actuality, Voltaire made the situation disgraceful even though he presented in a comical way. Voltaire's rationality as an author can be seen by the expulsion representing subsequent misery but many characters had to illustrate their philosophies about the event. An example could be how Martin explained that life should be either alarming or boring. Another example was how Dervish emphasized that God was not concerned with individual misfortunes and he made obvious that he does not wish to waste his time in philosophical discussions.

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In other words, he treats them well and then gives them a healthy philosophy which is a viable solution to boredom. Another demonstration of rationality is when Candide politely but firmly goes back to his work of cultivating his own garden to show that life is not ideal but at least humans can make it bearable and each person can be reasonably happy through hard work and honesty. Rationality and common sense are Candide's weapons as he takes his many adventures.

Closing/Summary Paragraph

This essay reflected the satiric themes in Voltaire's Candide. The report focused on the themes of nobility, the horrors and follies of war and rationalism. The essay also attempted to provide concrete examples for the themes as well as demonstrated how they were applied. The novel was well written and jumped all over as Candide took his many adventures. Candide moved from the Barons farm to Walderberghoff- trarbk-dikdorff, off to Holland, then a shipwreck, to Lisbon, to Avacena in Sierra Morena, to Paraguay, to Eldorado, to Swinam in Dutch Guiana, Buenos Ayres and Venice and finally to Bordeaux, Normandy, the coast of England and Venice, to the palatial home of pococurante, to a hotel, to the house of the Prince of Transylvania and finally back on Candide's farm. It took these exotic locations to help bring to life the various satirical themes that give insight into Voltaire as an author and story teller. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

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