Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism...

Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaires Candide In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century. Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism. Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide. Voltaire portrays the religious clergy as men who use their positions to further their own causes. In addition, the priests keep the less fortunate oppressed, so the clergy members can continue to enjoy extravagant luxuries. Candide discovers the young Baron, whom he thought to be dead, living among the Jesuit Priests of Paraguay. Assuming the native†¦show more content†¦Yet, the Baron is a man of little if any virtue, not to mention the fact that he is a homosexual. Voltaire also introduces Brother Giroflee, a monk who was forced into the religious orders by his parents at the age of fifteen. He detests the monastery, wishes to set fire to his convent, and employs the services of prostitutes frequently. The religious leaders have not chosen to serve their people any more than the military soldiers have chosen to serve honor. Military leaders and war were also objects in Voltaires satirical narrative Candide. A military leader did not have to possess a great passion for honor or service of his King. After all, Candide qualified simply because he was 5 foot 5 inches tall. Voltaire describes these men serving in the military as lost souls who have been impressed into the service. Soldiers have no real alliance and usually fight on whatever side they find themselves. Voltaire uses words to describe the war that create the image of a melodious marching band at a New Years parade. The story calls war itself heroic butchery. Voltaire uses this oxymoron to express his belief that war was nothing more than organized killing of human beings with no real purpose. Of course, the idea that anything would happen with no real purpose is directly opposing the theory of Optimism expressed by the character Pangloss. According to Pangloss teaching everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. VoltaireShow MoreRelatedA Critique Of The Novel Candide 1238 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel Candide, Voltaire uses irony, exaggeration, understatement, sarcasm and other literary devices in order satirize flaws in society. There are two different types of Satire, that of Horace, which mild and lighthearted, and that of Juvenal, called Juvenalian, which is scornful and scathing, very rarely intended to be funny, but rather make a critique of a societal problem, to call for change. Both types are found in Candide, both characterized in the novel by ironic criticism of weaknessesRead MoreEssay about Voltaires Candide3524 Words   |  15 PagesVoltaires Candide Voltaire’s masterpiece has been read delightfully and with much interest by many people since its scarcely secret publication in Geneva and Paris (1759). When it was first published, there were about twenty copies, most of which were pirated. When Voltaire died (1778) there were already more than fifty, and later on it became the best seller of the eighteenth century. It is true that the local conditions have changed since Candide was written. English admirals are not shot