Best of all possible worlds

Westphalia. He begins his journey in Westphalia.He lives in a castle and is being tutored by Pangloss. Pangloss’ philosophy of life is “in the best of possible worlds, the Baroness’ castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady was the best of all possible Baronesses,” (Pg. 1). He believes in blind optimism. He thinks “all is necessary for the best end,” (Pg. 1). Pangloss thinks that everything happens for a reason and he teaches this to Candide.…

his garden to work in. He contemplates about the everything he has gone through to end up the way he did. He finds his answer in the wisdom of Professor Pangloss with which he couldn’t agree more. El Dorado as described by Voltaire is an optimistic world. In El Dorado there is no tyranny to push their power onto the people, everyone is free to do as they choose. They have no punishments and is thought as a safe haven. Even though the people from El Dorado believe in one god they still have a…

Brecht's The Good Person of Szechwan, initially performed in 1943 in Switzerland, spins around the character of Shen Teh/Shui Ta, playing on the possibility of goodness. Shen The is great, or possibly that is the thing that one should consider her to be, and Shui Ta is awful. In any case, the doubles wind up noticeably complex when the play contextualizes them with authentic realism, private enterprise, religion, charitableness, and the different meanings of contemporary ethical quality. The…

humans, asking how we may find satisfaction or happiness in a seemingly dark and corrupt world. He suggests that the key to such contentment is found by minding one's own business and making a true home for himself. In Candide, Voltaire sends protagonist Candide on a worldwide journey in order to chase the love of his life and source of romantic happiness, Cunegonde. Along the way, Candide meets many people, all of which are at various levels of happiness; from the Friar and Paquette, to Lord…

very well depicted in the first chapters. He is instructed by Pangloss, who he innocently believes to be “the greatest philosopher of….. the whole world.” He accepts Pangloss’s optimistic teachings as truth beyond question. After he is taken by the Bulgarians, he strays from their camp without understanding that he is not allowed to do so. Believing that all men have the free will to do as they please, he simply assumes that he is allowed to take a walk if he chooses to. Here we see that…

manifests itself within Voltaire’s narrative as the teachings of Pangloss. It is Pangloss’ belief that “things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve an end, everything necessarily serves the best end” (CITATION NEEDED), or that everything is for the best. However, there are many instances when this philosophy prevents the characters of Candide from making rational decisions. For example, when Candide’s benefactor is drowning, “he wanted to dive to his rescue;…

wisdom. Cacambo having witnessed both the old and new world, he is able to formulate his own thoughts. By putting these two together on a journey, Voltaire shows how these two characters react differently to various situations which helps to highlight Candide’s personality and characteristics. This literary device of foiling is not only shown when comparing Candide to Cacambo, but while comparing the Old Woman and Cunegonde as well. Although all of these characters shared many differences and…

to end his book with the words, “we must cultivate our garden,” this ending line to the book had a pessimistic connotation. This line implies that in order to really progress in the world you need to focus on ways to fix yourself rather than focusing on ways to engage with others in order to find ways to fix the world. Two characters in Candide who portray the meaning of this line throughout the story are Candide and Pangloss. Both Candide and Pangloss face different occurrences during the…

captivating novel with real world influences that help establish the work’s core themes. The trail of destruction left by the earthquake in Lisbon was of cataclysmic proportions; Candide and Pangloss were in awe as they were surrounded by death and devastation. I interpret this event as essentially, one of the first of many turning points in Candide’s attitude. More specifically, the earthquake forces Candide to replace his absolute optimism with a questioning doubt about the world he lives in. …

her when he told [her] that all was for the best in this world". A person is always affected by the feelings of someone they love, and Candide loved Cunégonde very much, so he was unable to overlook her feelings about and unhappiness and disagreement with Pangloss' teaching. Still, Candide was simply so blissful to be with Cunégonde that he did not re-contemplate his feelings on optimism. At this point, Pangloss' belief applies, as Candide is with Cunégonde, and all is well. However, that…