Chapters 4-9
When beginning to read the next couple of chapters I commenced to notice a change on the events and circumstances taking place. All along I had noticed that Candide was lacking in personal opinion due to the fact that he had no experience and no base of comparison, therefore he believed everything he was taught. After being kicked out of the castle he has the opportunity to confront the real world and have his own perspective on life. Soon he becomes aware of all the devastation and cruelty taking place, and his theory on “the perfect world” starts to turn aside. Unfortunately with the reappearance of Pangloss, the progress he had achieves becomes slightly stuck, and Candide begins doubting and contradicting his theory’s against those of Pangloss.
When Pangloss and Candide reunited the philosopher tells him about the misfortune that fell upon Cunégonde, the king, himself and everyone back in the castle. Astounded by the horrible events that took place Candide faints twice, he was devastated by the fact that someone which he considered “…a pearl among women, the masterpiece of nature.” (Chap. 4 Pg. 29) had been so violently treated. It amazed me how he refers to someone which he had kissed ounce as a masterpiece. Clearly noble women were highly respected and admired, and Cunégondes seductive beauty conquered Candide’s heart to a greater extent of that stated in the novel.
When Pangloss finished telling the tragic story he remarked, “But we have been amply avenged, for the Abars did just the same in a neighboring estate which belonged to a Bulgar nobleman.” (Chap. 4 Pg. 28) Based on Pangloss theory everything happened for the best in the best of all worlds, but how could such a catastrophic event be beneficial? The philosopher’s statement included revenge and tragedy for not only the Abars but the Bulgars too. Nothing advantageous was being brought out by this violence, nothing positive would further on occur based on this event. This comes to prove that perhaps the natural world was created perfectly and that humans indeed as well could be created ideally, but the evolution of the human race on the planet had come to show otherwise and not all that took place would lead to a greater good.
As I continued reading I came up with a statement to which I believe everyone can relate, “…love, the comforter of humanity, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all living beings; tender love!” (Chap. 4 Pg. 29) I believe love is the base of life. Our everyday purpose and everything we do is based upon the search or use of love. Love is what keeps us going everyday and preserves human life. Regrettably there are many times in which we are found in the absence of love, therefore cruelty and violence take place such as in the world Voltaire is presenting.
“Men must have somewhat altered the course of nature; for they were not born wolves, yet they have become wolves. God did not give them twenty-four pounders of bayonets, yet they have made themselves bayonets and guns to destroy each other. “(Chap. 4 Pg. 31) stated James the Anabaptist, which contradicted Pangloss theory. Possibly we were brought into the world as flawless beings, but clearly as James states we have evolved into sinners. Humanity has created its own violence and developed ways to propagate it throughout the years; we have become our own enemy.
As the novel develops we can evidently see that the Anabaptist is portrayed as a wise being that comprehends and has actual theories about life. He serves for the good of everyone, inclusively the sailor which struck him. After being punched by a sailor he returns to help him, risking his life and accidently falling into the water. As Candide attempted to help him “… Pangloss stopped him by proving that Lisbon harbor was made on purpose for this Anabaptist to drown there.” (Chap. 5 Pg. 33) Evidently Voltaire is mocking religion and philosophers. The Anabaptist, which wasn’t catholic, indeed is a noble being, wise and helpful to human kind was left to drown based on Pangloss idiotic philosophies.
Further on horrible accident continue to happen, among them an earthquake which ended the lives of thirty thousand men, women and children, the Anabaptists death, and the destruction of Lisbon among others. Along with these events the University of Coimbra announced a sacrificial ritual to prevent approximating earthquakes. “…the Basque and the two men who refused to eat bacon were burnt; and Pangloss was hanged… The same day another earthquake occurred and caused tremendous havoc.” (Chap. 6 Pg. 37) Consequently Candide was left alone, the Anabaptist had drowned, Pangloss was hanged, and Cunégonde was disemboweled by soldiers. What greater good had come from all of this? The sacrifices had been useless and besides the destruction caused to the port, three life’s had been ended pointlessly. Finally Candide was begging to realize the reality of the world, the violence and the imperfection of it.
The section ends again recurring to love. After Candide reunites with Cunégonde and they share their stories Candide kills Cunégondes master as a result forcing them to leave. As I mentioned before, love is the center of the universe and what preserves life. It must always be present among us to prevent violence, but in this case violence was present in the name of love contradicting my initial prediction. Off course that loves will always be `present among humanity causing both harmony and destruction. So possibly if we were brought to the world as ideal beings by a perfect God are we supposed not to love to live in peace? Voltaire expresses a mixture of all the elements of life such as religion, love, and philosophy and through satire attempts to ridicule them and show their reality.
When Pangloss and Candide reunited the philosopher tells him about the misfortune that fell upon Cunégonde, the king, himself and everyone back in the castle. Astounded by the horrible events that took place Candide faints twice, he was devastated by the fact that someone which he considered “…a pearl among women, the masterpiece of nature.” (Chap. 4 Pg. 29) had been so violently treated. It amazed me how he refers to someone which he had kissed ounce as a masterpiece. Clearly noble women were highly respected and admired, and Cunégondes seductive beauty conquered Candide’s heart to a greater extent of that stated in the novel.
When Pangloss finished telling the tragic story he remarked, “But we have been amply avenged, for the Abars did just the same in a neighboring estate which belonged to a Bulgar nobleman.” (Chap. 4 Pg. 28) Based on Pangloss theory everything happened for the best in the best of all worlds, but how could such a catastrophic event be beneficial? The philosopher’s statement included revenge and tragedy for not only the Abars but the Bulgars too. Nothing advantageous was being brought out by this violence, nothing positive would further on occur based on this event. This comes to prove that perhaps the natural world was created perfectly and that humans indeed as well could be created ideally, but the evolution of the human race on the planet had come to show otherwise and not all that took place would lead to a greater good.
As I continued reading I came up with a statement to which I believe everyone can relate, “…love, the comforter of humanity, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all living beings; tender love!” (Chap. 4 Pg. 29) I believe love is the base of life. Our everyday purpose and everything we do is based upon the search or use of love. Love is what keeps us going everyday and preserves human life. Regrettably there are many times in which we are found in the absence of love, therefore cruelty and violence take place such as in the world Voltaire is presenting.
“Men must have somewhat altered the course of nature; for they were not born wolves, yet they have become wolves. God did not give them twenty-four pounders of bayonets, yet they have made themselves bayonets and guns to destroy each other. “(Chap. 4 Pg. 31) stated James the Anabaptist, which contradicted Pangloss theory. Possibly we were brought into the world as flawless beings, but clearly as James states we have evolved into sinners. Humanity has created its own violence and developed ways to propagate it throughout the years; we have become our own enemy.
As the novel develops we can evidently see that the Anabaptist is portrayed as a wise being that comprehends and has actual theories about life. He serves for the good of everyone, inclusively the sailor which struck him. After being punched by a sailor he returns to help him, risking his life and accidently falling into the water. As Candide attempted to help him “… Pangloss stopped him by proving that Lisbon harbor was made on purpose for this Anabaptist to drown there.” (Chap. 5 Pg. 33) Evidently Voltaire is mocking religion and philosophers. The Anabaptist, which wasn’t catholic, indeed is a noble being, wise and helpful to human kind was left to drown based on Pangloss idiotic philosophies.
Further on horrible accident continue to happen, among them an earthquake which ended the lives of thirty thousand men, women and children, the Anabaptists death, and the destruction of Lisbon among others. Along with these events the University of Coimbra announced a sacrificial ritual to prevent approximating earthquakes. “…the Basque and the two men who refused to eat bacon were burnt; and Pangloss was hanged… The same day another earthquake occurred and caused tremendous havoc.” (Chap. 6 Pg. 37) Consequently Candide was left alone, the Anabaptist had drowned, Pangloss was hanged, and Cunégonde was disemboweled by soldiers. What greater good had come from all of this? The sacrifices had been useless and besides the destruction caused to the port, three life’s had been ended pointlessly. Finally Candide was begging to realize the reality of the world, the violence and the imperfection of it.
The section ends again recurring to love. After Candide reunites with Cunégonde and they share their stories Candide kills Cunégondes master as a result forcing them to leave. As I mentioned before, love is the center of the universe and what preserves life. It must always be present among us to prevent violence, but in this case violence was present in the name of love contradicting my initial prediction. Off course that loves will always be `present among humanity causing both harmony and destruction. So possibly if we were brought to the world as ideal beings by a perfect God are we supposed not to love to live in peace? Voltaire expresses a mixture of all the elements of life such as religion, love, and philosophy and through satire attempts to ridicule them and show their reality.
Chapters 10-15
Along the following chapters I found several occasions in which Voltaire used satire to mock both the nobility as well as the catholic religion, but this time the development of the novel had changed drastically. Candide, Cunégonde and the old lady are no longer victims of the world’s violence but they have become included in it. As Candide experiences more of the real life he becomes involved in what the world is really made up of. He has become a murder avoiding his actions and running away along with his lover.
At the beginning we can still see grasps of Pangloss theories left in Candide. Although he has now faced reality and majorly doubts Pangloss theory, Candid still idolizes his lifelong teacher and still recurs to his lessons. For instance after escaping the Inquisitor, Cunégonde whines about the loss of her diamonds and moidores , Candide responds, “Our excellent Pangloss often proved to me, with a sigh, that worldly goods are common to all men, and that everyone has an equal right to them.” (Chap. 10 Pg. 47) Although Candid has a better understanding of the worlds true circumstances, he still refers to nonsense such as believing that everyone has the same rights over natural goods. Even though most of the planet resources can be owned by anyone, during the past the church was dominant over the land and rich resources were owned only by the nobility, therefore although they were common, only aristocracy possessed them.
On the other hand we also see statements mentioned by Candide which lead us to believe he has left Pangloss theories behind. In this case Candide said to his companions, “We are going to a different world, and I expect it is the one were all goes well, for I must admit that regrettable things happen in this world of ours, moral and physical acts that one can not approve of.” (Chap. 10 Pg. 48) Finally, throughout his experiences, he has been able to realize that all the misfortunes taking place are not for the best. The tragedies, violence and murders that the three character shad to go through were for no greater good or positive purpose. Indeed Candide has begun to recognize the devastation and hypocrisy of the institution and leaders found on earth.
The characters continue in their voyage towards Cadiz complaining and whimpering about their unfortunate affairs. Cunégonde and Abigail seem to collide on eachs hardships and which were worse, Cunégonde responds, “…unless you have been ravished by two Bulgars, had two stabs in your belly, and two of your country houses demolished; unless you have had two mothers and two fathers butchered before your eyes, and beheld two of your lovers flogged at an auto-da-fé, I don’t how you can rival me, especially as I am a barons daughter with seventy-two quartering’s in my coat of arms…” (Chap. 10 Pg. 48-49) This quote allows us to see mainly all the devastation that had occurred, all the deaths and all the cruelty that was taking place. From Voltaire’s point of view it is clearly represented a mockery towards the aristocracy that due to the fact that she had a certain number of quartering’s and was a baron’s daughter nothing of this sort was supposed to happen to her. Are poor and lower class people the only ones who must suffer? Can’t a baron or inclusively a king have misfortunes? Abigail replied by telling Candide and Cunégonde about her past and all the bad luck and brutality she had gone through and when doing so she mentioned she was the daughter of Pope Urban X and Princess of Palestrina. “Having heard the old woman’s story, the lovely Cunégonde began to pay her respect due to a person of her rank and quality.” (Chap. 13 Pg. 58) It is absurd that Cunégonde would be paying her respect to the old women due to her rank not because of her strength and the troublesome past which she overcame. Clearly Voltaire despised the superficiality of the nobility and the class discrimination.
Along these chapters I also found Voltaire’s way of ridiculing sex and women. Abigail tells her companions of the time when she came against pirates. She mentioned “… what surprised me more was that they put their fingers into a place where we women normally admit nothing but a syringe-tube. These seem to me an unusual custom, but that is how we regard everything new when we first leave our native country.” (Chap. 11 Pg. 51) The ignorance of the women in a way saved them from a greater trauma, but they were being sexually abused and didn’t even know about it. It reflects women’s lack of knowledge and ignorance towards subjects other than manners and servitude. Females were treated as objects as we can see from the rest of the novel; they were sold and bought, sexually abused and emotionally mistreated. On the other hand Voltaire also demonstrates women’s seductive and physical powers for instance Abigail’s beauty when young that allowed her to manipulate men and saved her from for instance being ripped by limbs such as her mother, instead she was protected by the captain that considered her the most beautiful and wanted to keep her.
Along these chapters Voltaire uses a lot of satire to mock Africans, women, aristocracy, popes and sexuality among others. He mentions absurdities such as a priest which they considered compassionate for persuading soldiers not to eat them whole, but only one of their buttocks. Voltaire places the characters in situations of complete devastation and relates them to ridiculous character to emphasize the hypocrisy of society.
At the beginning we can still see grasps of Pangloss theories left in Candide. Although he has now faced reality and majorly doubts Pangloss theory, Candid still idolizes his lifelong teacher and still recurs to his lessons. For instance after escaping the Inquisitor, Cunégonde whines about the loss of her diamonds and moidores , Candide responds, “Our excellent Pangloss often proved to me, with a sigh, that worldly goods are common to all men, and that everyone has an equal right to them.” (Chap. 10 Pg. 47) Although Candid has a better understanding of the worlds true circumstances, he still refers to nonsense such as believing that everyone has the same rights over natural goods. Even though most of the planet resources can be owned by anyone, during the past the church was dominant over the land and rich resources were owned only by the nobility, therefore although they were common, only aristocracy possessed them.
On the other hand we also see statements mentioned by Candide which lead us to believe he has left Pangloss theories behind. In this case Candide said to his companions, “We are going to a different world, and I expect it is the one were all goes well, for I must admit that regrettable things happen in this world of ours, moral and physical acts that one can not approve of.” (Chap. 10 Pg. 48) Finally, throughout his experiences, he has been able to realize that all the misfortunes taking place are not for the best. The tragedies, violence and murders that the three character shad to go through were for no greater good or positive purpose. Indeed Candide has begun to recognize the devastation and hypocrisy of the institution and leaders found on earth.
The characters continue in their voyage towards Cadiz complaining and whimpering about their unfortunate affairs. Cunégonde and Abigail seem to collide on eachs hardships and which were worse, Cunégonde responds, “…unless you have been ravished by two Bulgars, had two stabs in your belly, and two of your country houses demolished; unless you have had two mothers and two fathers butchered before your eyes, and beheld two of your lovers flogged at an auto-da-fé, I don’t how you can rival me, especially as I am a barons daughter with seventy-two quartering’s in my coat of arms…” (Chap. 10 Pg. 48-49) This quote allows us to see mainly all the devastation that had occurred, all the deaths and all the cruelty that was taking place. From Voltaire’s point of view it is clearly represented a mockery towards the aristocracy that due to the fact that she had a certain number of quartering’s and was a baron’s daughter nothing of this sort was supposed to happen to her. Are poor and lower class people the only ones who must suffer? Can’t a baron or inclusively a king have misfortunes? Abigail replied by telling Candide and Cunégonde about her past and all the bad luck and brutality she had gone through and when doing so she mentioned she was the daughter of Pope Urban X and Princess of Palestrina. “Having heard the old woman’s story, the lovely Cunégonde began to pay her respect due to a person of her rank and quality.” (Chap. 13 Pg. 58) It is absurd that Cunégonde would be paying her respect to the old women due to her rank not because of her strength and the troublesome past which she overcame. Clearly Voltaire despised the superficiality of the nobility and the class discrimination.
Along these chapters I also found Voltaire’s way of ridiculing sex and women. Abigail tells her companions of the time when she came against pirates. She mentioned “… what surprised me more was that they put their fingers into a place where we women normally admit nothing but a syringe-tube. These seem to me an unusual custom, but that is how we regard everything new when we first leave our native country.” (Chap. 11 Pg. 51) The ignorance of the women in a way saved them from a greater trauma, but they were being sexually abused and didn’t even know about it. It reflects women’s lack of knowledge and ignorance towards subjects other than manners and servitude. Females were treated as objects as we can see from the rest of the novel; they were sold and bought, sexually abused and emotionally mistreated. On the other hand Voltaire also demonstrates women’s seductive and physical powers for instance Abigail’s beauty when young that allowed her to manipulate men and saved her from for instance being ripped by limbs such as her mother, instead she was protected by the captain that considered her the most beautiful and wanted to keep her.
Along these chapters Voltaire uses a lot of satire to mock Africans, women, aristocracy, popes and sexuality among others. He mentions absurdities such as a priest which they considered compassionate for persuading soldiers not to eat them whole, but only one of their buttocks. Voltaire places the characters in situations of complete devastation and relates them to ridiculous character to emphasize the hypocrisy of society.
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