Settle1

Amanda Settle

Mrs. Balka/ Period 2

IB English 11

19 October 2018

Candide ​Supervised Essay

Prompt #4

The Enlightenment period was a time for new philosophies and philosophers to speak

and reveal their own ideas. Optimism was a popular way of life at the time; Gottfried Wilhelm

Leibniz introduced this idea as a way to believe that everything happens for reason and

everything is for the best. In ​Candide​, the author Voltaire satirizes the philosophies and

juxtaposes one with another in order to, reveal is own philosophical idea to society; Voltaire

believes in a middle ground between optimism and pessimism and to reveal this he uses

satirical techniques, such as ridicule, hyperbole, and caricature.

Optimism, according to Leibniz, is a belief that since God is perfect, the world he created

must also be perfect and he only allows things to happen with a cause. Optimism in ​Candide​ is

represented by one of the main characters, Dr. Pangloss, “he proved incontestably that there is

no effect without a cause”, showing that he believes everything is for the best (Voltaire, 20).

Voltaire continues to ridicule this idea throughout the text. When James the Anabaptist had

fallen overboard and drowned in shipwreck, Pangloss comforted Candide, “by proving that

Lisbon Harbour was made on purpose for the Anabaptist to drown there” (Voltaire, 33). Voltaire

mocks this idea by showing the absurdity that a tragic death can be looked at as a good thing;

Voltaire does the same thing when Pangloss died. Voltaire satirizes this idea of optimism

through death several times throughout the book, with James and Pangloss. The deaths of the

war, was also satirized to show the absurdity of optimism. While Candide was fighting in the

war, he describes the “beauty and brilliance of the display. Bugles, fifes, oboes, drums, and

salvoes of artillery produced such a harmony as Hell itself could not rival” (Voltaire, 25). The
hyperbolization of Candide’s optimistic blindness is revealed as he sees disasters as “meant to

be” situations and not for what they really are, tragic events. Voltaire’s use of ridicule and

hyperbole allows the reader to understand the foolishness that even death and what comes out

of death can be seen as good.

The idea of pessimism is a tendency to see the worst in all situations, the character

Martin is used to juxtapose the two ides: optimism and pessimism, to reveal Voltaire true beliefs.

Voltaire hyperbolizes the idea, as Martin continuously reveals his belief, “that man was created

by the forces of evil and not by the forces of good…[and] that God has abandoned [the world] to

some mischievous power” (Voltaire, 92). Martin specifically brings up the idea pessimism,

everytime he is involved or witnesses an accident and assumes that is was purely and diabolical

act from God or the men that he created. Voltaire’s introduction of pessimism juxtaposes the

idea of Optimism to reveal Voltaire’s purpose, to believe in Deism; that nothing is the happens

for a reason to be the best or the worst, things just happen. Through his juxtaposition, Voltaire

hyperbolizes the two ideas to show their insanity. Voltaire also uses caricature to reveal his

purpose, Candide is seen killing the Baron and his peers but then after is flustered because he

is, “the best-tempered man there ever was, yet [he has] already killed 3 men” (Voltaire, 67).

Voltaire is able to mock this philosophical idea by caricaturing Candide characteristic that he is,

“the best-tempered man”, yet he just lashed out and killed 3 men because of something they

said. Voltaire caricature of Candide, is another way to reveal the follyness of optimism and

pessimism.

Voltaire uses ridicule, hyperbole, and caricature to expose the foolishness of the

philosophies, during the Enlightenment period, and imply that society should live by finding a

middle ground between the two concepts, and not by over-exaggerating the simplicity of

situations.