I found that Martin was a person who wasn't ever happy with his current situation and who always looked at the bad side of everything. When referring to Paris, I thought it wasn't only Martin's critique to Paris but Voltaire's critique to France and its culture. I think Martin is a very tragic and almost crazy man since when asked by Candide “‘But what was this world created for?'... 'To drive us mad,' replied Martin."(Pg95) This quote shows that Martin has a pessimistic view on life and on events which contrasts the optimistic tone which had characterized Pangloss and Candide's attitude towards life. Something that is almost always present throughout Voltaire's text is the misfortunes that happen to its main characters. For example when Martin narrates how he was “... robbed of all I had by some pickpockets at Saint Germain's Fair, and spent eight days in prison on suspicion of being a pickpocket myself."(pg95) Which are so unlikely to happen and so unfair that they make the reader laugh at them. I thought Martin wasn't a good man because of the reasons he gave Candide for which he would stay with him, which were basically money.
I found it ridiculously funny when Candide left his sheep to the Academy of Sciences at Bordeaux and that their annual prize was given to a Northern scholar who demonstrated that because of a formula the sheep was necessarily red and that it would die of scab. This, I found, was an imminent absurdity in Voltaire's text, probably mocking the Academy of Sciences in Bordeaux and the scientists who participated for gaining the annual prize. I think that Candide's wealth has not brought him as much misfortune as his lack of money had in earlier times. If the doctors hadn't noticed that he had diamonds and other richness, and they wouldn’t have taking "care" of him, probably he would have recovered quickly. Obviously the doctors and the ladies made sure he didn't get better so that they could keep taking his money. As Martin puts it " 'I remember being ill myself during my first visit to Paris. I was very poor. But then I had no friends, no kind ladies, and no doctors, so I soon recovered.'"(P97) Voltaire further critiques the Catholic Church as he shows how the priest who Candide was consulting suggested strongly that he should pay him for the sins he had committed in this world so that he would be forgiven in the other. This is pretty much the selling of indulgences which caused Martin Luther to start the Protestantism. Maybe Voltaire names Candide's companion, who hates church and their ideals and corruptness, Martin not by coincidence but as a representation of his protest against church. I found it really entertaining when Candide asked the abbé how many good plays there were written in French and when the abbé answered him that there were about fifteen or sixteen good plays out of six thousand Martin answered that that was a lot of good plays. This shows the sarcasm Voltaire uses throughout his novel and also the extremely pessimistic views of Martin.
Once again, Voltaire's Candide makes me remember Don Quijote, some anecdote that I found pitiful was how Candide was tricked by the Marchioness and the abbé so easily. The misfortune that made me remember most to Don Quijote was the one of the fake letter allegedly written by Lady Cunégonde but which was actually just a fake, and also her impersonation by a stranger, both events happen in Don Quijote. In one occasion Sancho has to pretend that he has already turned in the letter from Don Quijote to Dulcinea and that she requests that he returns as soon as possible to her. In other occasion, Don Quijote is tricked into believing that his beloved Dulcinea is enchanted and will only be released by Sancho's self flogging. Both novels, Don Quijote and Candide are very funny but what makes Candide so special is that so much happens in such a short novel. Again, throughout this chapter I found a very strong critique against France and its corruptness from the high noblemen to the very low pickpockets and whores.
Voltaire continues criticizing countries ways and culture throughout the book. Although, he isn’t as harsh with England as he was with France, he still critiques them with a satirical tone. Throughout this chapter I can see once more how Candide is used by the others because of his richness. During the last chapters Voltaire shows the world as he looks at it, an unfair, horrible place where everyone is misfortunate even if they appear to be happy. It was unbelievable that Paquette had saved herself from the sickness she suffered but what impressed me most was the horrible lifestyle she had to endure just so that she could survive. Paquette’s prostitution made me remember of the situation of some girls in our actual world have to put up to, girls who don’t have anything else to sell but their body. This thought made me very sad and melancholic and I think that maybe that is what Voltaire wants at this point of his novel. He has already mocked life and most of the aspects of it, now he has adopted a melancholic and depressing tone, through Martin’s philosophy and also through Candide’s discoveries that everything is not meant to be as it is and that there is nothing that happens to us that is for the greater good.
I found it ridiculously funny when Candide left his sheep to the Academy of Sciences at Bordeaux and that their annual prize was given to a Northern scholar who demonstrated that because of a formula the sheep was necessarily red and that it would die of scab. This, I found, was an imminent absurdity in Voltaire's text, probably mocking the Academy of Sciences in Bordeaux and the scientists who participated for gaining the annual prize. I think that Candide's wealth has not brought him as much misfortune as his lack of money had in earlier times. If the doctors hadn't noticed that he had diamonds and other richness, and they wouldn’t have taking "care" of him, probably he would have recovered quickly. Obviously the doctors and the ladies made sure he didn't get better so that they could keep taking his money. As Martin puts it " 'I remember being ill myself during my first visit to Paris. I was very poor. But then I had no friends, no kind ladies, and no doctors, so I soon recovered.'"(P97) Voltaire further critiques the Catholic Church as he shows how the priest who Candide was consulting suggested strongly that he should pay him for the sins he had committed in this world so that he would be forgiven in the other. This is pretty much the selling of indulgences which caused Martin Luther to start the Protestantism. Maybe Voltaire names Candide's companion, who hates church and their ideals and corruptness, Martin not by coincidence but as a representation of his protest against church. I found it really entertaining when Candide asked the abbé how many good plays there were written in French and when the abbé answered him that there were about fifteen or sixteen good plays out of six thousand Martin answered that that was a lot of good plays. This shows the sarcasm Voltaire uses throughout his novel and also the extremely pessimistic views of Martin.
Once again, Voltaire's Candide makes me remember Don Quijote, some anecdote that I found pitiful was how Candide was tricked by the Marchioness and the abbé so easily. The misfortune that made me remember most to Don Quijote was the one of the fake letter allegedly written by Lady Cunégonde but which was actually just a fake, and also her impersonation by a stranger, both events happen in Don Quijote. In one occasion Sancho has to pretend that he has already turned in the letter from Don Quijote to Dulcinea and that she requests that he returns as soon as possible to her. In other occasion, Don Quijote is tricked into believing that his beloved Dulcinea is enchanted and will only be released by Sancho's self flogging. Both novels, Don Quijote and Candide are very funny but what makes Candide so special is that so much happens in such a short novel. Again, throughout this chapter I found a very strong critique against France and its corruptness from the high noblemen to the very low pickpockets and whores.
Voltaire continues criticizing countries ways and culture throughout the book. Although, he isn’t as harsh with England as he was with France, he still critiques them with a satirical tone. Throughout this chapter I can see once more how Candide is used by the others because of his richness. During the last chapters Voltaire shows the world as he looks at it, an unfair, horrible place where everyone is misfortunate even if they appear to be happy. It was unbelievable that Paquette had saved herself from the sickness she suffered but what impressed me most was the horrible lifestyle she had to endure just so that she could survive. Paquette’s prostitution made me remember of the situation of some girls in our actual world have to put up to, girls who don’t have anything else to sell but their body. This thought made me very sad and melancholic and I think that maybe that is what Voltaire wants at this point of his novel. He has already mocked life and most of the aspects of it, now he has adopted a melancholic and depressing tone, through Martin’s philosophy and also through Candide’s discoveries that everything is not meant to be as it is and that there is nothing that happens to us that is for the greater good.
I found chapter xxv one of the most tedious to read since everything that Pococurante had made him unhappy and didn’t satisfy him. This chapter was a very strong critique from Voltaire to everything: the arts, the literary works, the music and the beauty. I believe the message that Voltaire wanted to transmit was that despite all the belongings and all the richness that we can get in our own world we will always feel misfortunate and we will never feel pleased with what we have. I think that Pococurante was the perfect example of complete unhappiness in life since someone who is poor and misfortunate feels grateful when something good happens in his life, but someone who is rich and never experience misfortune doesn’t learn to appreciate what he has. What Voltaire really wants to transmit throughout this chapter is that we don’t learn to value things until we lose them.
I couldn't believe that Cacambo had found his way back to Venice and that he knew the whereabouts of Lady Cunégonde. I thought that when he claimed that Lady Cunégonde was at Constantinople he was just trying to trick Candide in order to regain his own freedom. In this novel several parts included luckless leaders and their misfortunes but I think the image at which Voltaire shows this most vividly is when the six ex despots are met and they tell each other their misfortunes and how they arrived to where they are.
I was glad that they still had money left but I couldn't seriously believe that Lady Cunégonde was still alive, especially after Cacambo said that she had lost her beauty. When he mentioned this, as well as the condition in which she found herself I thought it would be another trick. I couldn't believe still that Pangloss and the Baron were alive. I had predicted this, as Lady Cunégonde had returned from the dead so would the others (Baron and Pangloss). I was glad that Martin and Pangloss finaly met since their philosophies were so contradictory they would make a wonderful pair for discussing metaphysics and other philosophical topics. I thought that the survival of the Baron was very well explained and reasonable. On the other hand, Pangloss survival seemed to me a bit too forced but was very entertaining, especially when it is narrated how the surgeon and his wife thought they had a demon possessed person at their home. I couldn't believe still that Pangloss didn't retract from his beliefs and kept on defending Leibniz philosophy.
I thought for a moment that at last, in the very end of the book Pangloss, Martin, the Baron, Abigail, Cacambo, Lady Cunégonde and Candide would be able to live a clamed happy life. As I learned that Candide had been tricked by the Jews and that he had no more money left I started losing my hope for a happy ending. I realized that they should have never freed the Baron since he only brought troubles afterwards and represented a loss of money, money which they could have used for buying a better place or living better. I was happy with the ending of the story since it was not the typical happy ending one would expect but did represent a happy ending taking into consideration that they ended all together, that Candide did end up with Lady Cunégonde and that neither Pangloss, nor the Baron died. However, I think there was someone else left to be saved, James the Anabaptist who was their original savior.
I was glad that they still had money left but I couldn't seriously believe that Lady Cunégonde was still alive, especially after Cacambo said that she had lost her beauty. When he mentioned this, as well as the condition in which she found herself I thought it would be another trick. I couldn't believe still that Pangloss and the Baron were alive. I had predicted this, as Lady Cunégonde had returned from the dead so would the others (Baron and Pangloss). I was glad that Martin and Pangloss finaly met since their philosophies were so contradictory they would make a wonderful pair for discussing metaphysics and other philosophical topics. I thought that the survival of the Baron was very well explained and reasonable. On the other hand, Pangloss survival seemed to me a bit too forced but was very entertaining, especially when it is narrated how the surgeon and his wife thought they had a demon possessed person at their home. I couldn't believe still that Pangloss didn't retract from his beliefs and kept on defending Leibniz philosophy.
I thought for a moment that at last, in the very end of the book Pangloss, Martin, the Baron, Abigail, Cacambo, Lady Cunégonde and Candide would be able to live a clamed happy life. As I learned that Candide had been tricked by the Jews and that he had no more money left I started losing my hope for a happy ending. I realized that they should have never freed the Baron since he only brought troubles afterwards and represented a loss of money, money which they could have used for buying a better place or living better. I was happy with the ending of the story since it was not the typical happy ending one would expect but did represent a happy ending taking into consideration that they ended all together, that Candide did end up with Lady Cunégonde and that neither Pangloss, nor the Baron died. However, I think there was someone else left to be saved, James the Anabaptist who was their original savior.
1 comment:
Don't call it a come back!
Way to get back in the game.
Avoid using the word "quote."
It's quotation.
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