Satire in: A Modest Proposal and Candide
...s too and have a reason for the better. After encountering a multitude of disasters, Candide questions Pangloss’ philosophy in optimism for the first time when he and Cacambo encounter a slave lying at the side of the road with no left leg and no right hand. When asked "What's optimism?" by Cacambo, Candide replies, "The passion for maintaining that all is right when all goes wrong with us…" weeping as he looked at the salve. (Voltaire pg. 86). Knowing that this can’t be right. Voltaire strongly emphasizes his pessimistic view throughout the story. He used exaggerations and all the inhumanities of society. This is illustrated in the scene where Cunegonde was ready to marry a man for money, not for love. The old woman said "Madam, you have seventy-two quarterings to your coat of arms but not a farthing to your name; you have only yourself to blame if you do not become the wife of the greatest nobleman in South America with the most handsome of moustaches." (Voltaire pg. 59). Another theme that is satirized is society's corruption, materialism and greed. When Candide and Cacambo traveled to Eldorado, and found it to be the best place ever. "If our friend Pangloss had seen Eldorado, he wouldn't have said that the castle of Thunder-ten-tronckh was the finest thing on earth." (Voltaire pg. 80). Leaving a perfect place, such as Eldorado, where they could be seen as equals, and extremely pleased, seems unreasonable. However, they found money more important and left to live in a corrupt world, filled with riches and wealth. “…They were encouraged by the idea of seeing themselves owners of more treasure than Europe, Aisa and Africa could assemble…”. (Voltaire pg. 84 & 85). This shows that humanity value money more than happiness. The theme of human misery in Candide is obvious and he questions humankind’s behavior. "Do you think," asks Candide of Martin as they approached the coast of France,” that men have always massacred each other, as they do today that they have always been false, faithless, ungrateful, thieving, weak, inconstant, mean spirited, envious, greedy, drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloody, slanderous, debauched, fanatic, hypocritical, and stupid?". Martin replies with further question " do you think that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could find them?" "of course I do" Candide answers. Martin responds, ” well, if hawks have always had the same character, why should you suppose men have changed theirs?". (Voltaire pg. 96). At the end, Candide finally begins to be aware of the hopelessness of Pangloss' philosophy. Candide discovers the Turk's truth to life - "...the work keeps us from three great evils, boredom, vice and poverty". (Voltaire pg. 143). Candide’s conclusion is not to rationalize, but to work; not to philosophize about life but to improve it “…that we most go and work in the garden”. (Voltaire pg. 143). Work helps Candide overcome his tragedies and enables him to live peacefully and in happiness. Through the use of irony, satire, and symbolism, Voltaire's develops his pessimistic story of Candide. The truth is that much of our world has been corrupted through mankind’s own self-indulgence. The awful events related in Candide are replayed on a smaller scale everyday on the streets of New York City. In Swift’s A Modest Proposal, he attacks the society by supporting cannibalism in hopes to help Ireland through their economic crisis. His introduction clearly states that his purpose is "For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, And for Making Them Beneficial to the Public." (Swift pg. 52). The purpose of this story was to provide a cheap and easy method for making the poor Irish children "…sound and useful members of the Commonwealth…" (Swift pg. 52). He proposes "…that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food…" (Swift pg. 53). Children of the poor could be sold into a meat market at the age of one, he argues, the overpopulation and unemployment, sparing families the expense of child-bearing while providing them with a little extra income. He gives specific data about the number of children to be sold, their weight and price, and the projected consump...