Neoclassical Rough Draft

Arden Jacobs

Ms. Wilson

Brit Lit B

May 7, 2013

Neoclassical

“Satire is a type of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring social reform,” (Holt, 618). Voltaire satirized German philosopher’s, Gottfried Leibniz’s, theories of optimistic philosophy. In Voltaire's Candide he uses outrageous exaggeration, improbable situations, and warped logic to criticize the social norms of 18th century Europe for the purpose of change. 

Voltaire uses outrageous exaggeration to emphasize the absurdity of social norms. “Next day, when they left the table after dinner, Cunegonde and Candide found themselves behind a screen; Cunegonde dropped her handkerchief, Candide picked it up; she innocently held his hand; the young man innocently kissed the young lady’s hand with remarkable vivacity, tenderness, and grace; their lips met, their eyes sparkled, their knees trembled, their hands wandered.” (Voltaire, 620). Voltaire uses innocent and chaste diction to exaggerate the affair. “There were two thousand men in the regiment. That made four thousand strokes which laid bare the muscles and nerves from his neck to his backside.” (622). By exaggerating on how many people are in the regiment, and how many strokes Candide gets it emphasizes the societies need for unnecessary punishments. When Candide was first punished, he was thrown out of the castle and put into an improbable situation.

 

The improbable situations Candide is put into expand on how the society is flawed in how to think. “Ah, sir, come to table; we will not only pay your expenses, we will never allow a man like you to be short of money; men were only made to help each other.” (621). The chances of running into two charitable men, who do not expect anything in return is very unlikely. For Candide to then believe, “that is what Doctor Pangloss was always telling me, and I see that everything is for the best.” (620). The German philosophy that everything is for the best, is very optimistic, to the point where they believe that there is even a reason for evil.

 

To the society created in Candide, the optimistic philosophy is dressed up as common sense. The people have a warped sense of logic and the things that would normally be viewed as absurd are actually considered normal. “Pangloss taught metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology. He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause and that in this best of all possible worlds,” (619). This warped theory of optimism was important enough to teach it to the children of the society.

 

Voltaire heavily criticized the social norms of 18th century Europe. Voltaire used outrageous exaggeration, warped logic, and improbable situations to ridicule his world. He wrote Candide to help enlighten the members of his society to change their ideology of cultural norms.