Essay on Voltaire’s Candide: The Accuracy of Candide -- Voltaire Candi

Voltaire is correct in Candide, where he argues that life on earth is hell in more ways. Voltaire accurately describes how selfish people often be and how they inflict misery on others as a result. Voltaire too describes accurately common forms of cruelty in society. Although he may be mistaken that every(prenominal) wars are equally senseless and avoidable, Voltaire is correct in showing that war inevitably produces atrocities, which makes for hell on earth. In support of these statements, lets examine Voltaires accurate exposition of human selfishness. An example would be the behavior of the sailor who Pangloss and Candide met on their voyage to Lisbon. This sailor was rescued from drowning by Jacques the Anabaptist. Yet when Jacques fell into the sea himself, the sailor refused to chance his own life to save him. As a result of this selfishness, Jacques died. Later on, when the sailor reached shore, he ignored the fatherings of people horribly injured by a recent earthqu ake. Instead the sailor took money from them in order to get drunk and hire a prostitute. This sailor was wholly self-centered and uncaring some anyone else and by not helping anybody out he in effect inflicted misery on them. When the terrorists destroyed the World Trade Centers, and many police and firemen were killed, many people received money for relatives that did not die, and used the money for gambling, booze and whores. Human nature in this regard has not changed since the book was written. This being so, Voltaires exposition of how human selfishness can often turn life on earth into a hell is accurate. Voltaires depiction of how common cruelty is in society is also well supported. For example, Voltaire describes how Candide en... ... again as an example, there were many instances of people who risked their own lives to save others and as a result received citations and promotions as well as the admiration of their family and friends. This objection to my argument, how ever, does not take an important thrust of Candide into account. That is, that Voltaire felt that he had to use exaggeration and one-sided presentation to make sure his auditory modality did not refuse to contemplate deeply just how much cruelty and selfishness exists at all times all around them and how much people suffer because of that. Works Cited and Consulted Frautschi, R.L. Barrons Simplified Approach to Voltaire Candide. New York Barrons Educational Series, Inc., 1998. Lowers, James K, ed. Cliff Notes on Voltaires Candide. Lincoln Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Voltaire. Candide. New York Viking Publishers, 1976.