“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” (Voltaire) This quote by Voltaire embodies his extreme disposition against war. Voltaire has always been a large proponent in the anti-war movements in eighteenth century England. His disposition against war is clearly displayed in his novel “Candide.” Voltaire utilizes the techniques of comparison, satire, imagery, and dichotomy to display the many idiosyncrasies and follies of war and through his attempts of displaying war he often also criticizes the human nature and nobility.
Voltaire Satirizes war many times and many ways in Candide. The first instance of it appears almost immediately in the novel when Candide …show more content…
This displays the unreason of the soldiers in the war and as a result also displays the unreason as war as a whole. Shortly after this Candide finds himself in the middle of a battle field, here again Voltaire’s opposition to war is clearly displayed. He describes the war as “There was never anything so gallant, so spruce, so brilliant and so well disposed as the two armies. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, and cannon made music such as Hell itself had never heard. The cannons first laid flat about six thousand men on each side; the muskets swept away from this best of worlds nine or ten thousand ruffians who infested its surface. The bayonet was also a sufficient reason for the death of several thousands. The whole might amount to thirty thousand souls. Candide, who trembled like a philosopher, hid himself as well as he could during the heroic butchery.” (Candide 5) In the first sentence of this excerpt Voltaire uses extremely positive adjectives such as ‘gallant’, ‘spruce’, and ‘brilliant’ to initially describe two armies standing across from each …show more content…
The village has been “burnt according to the laws of war.” (Candide 5) while walking through the war-ravaged village Voltaire’s anti-war stance is clear here unlike when he was using satire to criticize the previous battle “old men covered with wounds, beheld their wives, hugging their children to their bloody breasts, massacred before their faces; there, their daughters, disemboweled and breathing their last after satisfying the natural wants of the Bulgarian Heroes.” (Candide 5) Through his graphic depiction of the towns destruction and of the people who were killed although they were not even fighting in the war he is attempting to bring to light all of the extra destruction and death that comes with war outside of the battlefield. Voltaire often does this as described by Daniel Brewer “Through his writing he fashioned an effective public self, a performative person whose ethical words were designed to bring about acts of justice.” (Brewer 1848) Here Voltaire instead of utilizing ethical words he using horrifying, descriptive language to try and bring about acts of justice by. Though the whole passage is not negative he ends it by calling the Bulgarians who destroyed the village and killed countless men, women, and children ‘heroes.’ This is intentional to show that those who commit these deeds are viewed as heroes back in their homes but,
Voltaire Satirizes war many times and many ways in Candide. The first instance of it appears almost immediately in the novel when Candide …show more content…
This displays the unreason of the soldiers in the war and as a result also displays the unreason as war as a whole. Shortly after this Candide finds himself in the middle of a battle field, here again Voltaire’s opposition to war is clearly displayed. He describes the war as “There was never anything so gallant, so spruce, so brilliant and so well disposed as the two armies. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, and cannon made music such as Hell itself had never heard. The cannons first laid flat about six thousand men on each side; the muskets swept away from this best of worlds nine or ten thousand ruffians who infested its surface. The bayonet was also a sufficient reason for the death of several thousands. The whole might amount to thirty thousand souls. Candide, who trembled like a philosopher, hid himself as well as he could during the heroic butchery.” (Candide 5) In the first sentence of this excerpt Voltaire uses extremely positive adjectives such as ‘gallant’, ‘spruce’, and ‘brilliant’ to initially describe two armies standing across from each …show more content…
The village has been “burnt according to the laws of war.” (Candide 5) while walking through the war-ravaged village Voltaire’s anti-war stance is clear here unlike when he was using satire to criticize the previous battle “old men covered with wounds, beheld their wives, hugging their children to their bloody breasts, massacred before their faces; there, their daughters, disemboweled and breathing their last after satisfying the natural wants of the Bulgarian Heroes.” (Candide 5) Through his graphic depiction of the towns destruction and of the people who were killed although they were not even fighting in the war he is attempting to bring to light all of the extra destruction and death that comes with war outside of the battlefield. Voltaire often does this as described by Daniel Brewer “Through his writing he fashioned an effective public self, a performative person whose ethical words were designed to bring about acts of justice.” (Brewer 1848) Here Voltaire instead of utilizing ethical words he using horrifying, descriptive language to try and bring about acts of justice by. Though the whole passage is not negative he ends it by calling the Bulgarians who destroyed the village and killed countless men, women, and children ‘heroes.’ This is intentional to show that those who commit these deeds are viewed as heroes back in their homes but,