"Candide" Discussion Questions (Justus Schmitt)

The eighteenth century is known as the Age of Reason. What are the major disconnects that Voltaire reveals between human beliefs and human behavior? What behaviors most undercut the idea that reason had finally triumphed over the superstition and savagery of previous eras? What are the main targets of Voltaire’s satiric wit? 

One of the main examples for hipocracy and the differences between human beliefs and human behavior in Candide is the religion. Voltaire satirizes it timeless through corrupt, hypocritical religious leaders who appear throughout the novel, like a fictional Pope Urban X, who should normally have been celibate, a Inquisitor who keeps a mistress while being strictly Catholic and acts for the Catholic church, and a Franciscan friar who operates as a jewel thief although many people in the Franciscan church are really poor. Then, Voltaire also created a Jesuit colonel with a possibility of him being homosexual. Also, a lot of religious leaders punish anyone who disagrees with them on even the smallest of theological matters, the Inquisition, for example, persecutes Pangloss for expressing his ideas, and Candide for listening to these ideas. 

Another important example of hipocracy in Candide is exposed Eldorado, where Candide earns a huge fortune and it looks as if one of the worst of his problems, poverty, might be over. Candide can bribe his way out of most violent situations. Yet, Candide is more unhappy as a wealthy man than as a poor. In fact, Candide’s optimism hits an incredibly deep low after Vanderdendur cheats him by taking all of Candide's sheep and with those his fortune of diamonds. Candide’s money constantly attracts false friends. Pococurante’s money drives him to such boredom that he cannot appreciate great art. As terrible as the oppression and poverty that plague the poor and powerless may be, it is clear that financial fortune - and the power that goes with it - creates at least as many problems as it solves. The main targets of Voltaire is especially the Catholic Church and money.

Within the context of the novel, Eldorado really is the “best of all possible worlds.” Overflowing with riches, ruled by an enlightened king, it is a land with no need of courts or prisons, where the inhabitants lack nothing and live in a state of continual gratitude. Why do Candide and Cacambo decide to leave such a paradise and return to a world riddled with greed, lust, ignorance, dishonesty, and cruelty, a world where violence both savage and civilized is the norm? What aspects of human nature is Voltaire satirizing when he writes that “our two happy wanderers resolved to be happy no longer and to seek His Majesty’s permission to depart” (p. 49)? 

Even though Cunegonde was about to get married to another person and Eldorado, where he was, was very nice and perfect considering its society, he vainly loved Cunegonde so he wanted to do anything to marry her. 

Cacambo faithfully bidded to Candide´s will, and Candide needed to fulfill his selfish heart. He always wanted something else, and was never content or grateful for what he has received or still miraculously has, such as his life. Voltaire is satarizing because there was no real reason why they wouldn't be happier any longer. They had everything.

Candide Reading Questions #'s 1 and 9

1)      In the very first chapter Candide is literally kicked out of the “most beautiful and delightful of possible castles,” expelled from an “earthly paradise” (p. 5). At the end of the novel, he says “we must cultivate our garden” (p. 94). What is Voltaire suggesting by framing his story in this way and by echoing the Biblical story of the fall? Has Candide lost and then regained paradise? 

-         -  To Candide the Castle of Thunder Ten-Tronckh was a paradise on earth because it had all that he could ever want: A girl he loved, all his meals paid for, A tutor that taught him about the world and philosophy, and a place to live in comfort. When he was kicked out he noticed that he had fallen from paradise just like Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Also just like Adam and Eve he began to experience sadness and despair as if a thick shield, that had protected him and had kept him ignorant, had suddenly been removed. By Voltaire writing the book like this we see that the philosopher is mocking the religious persons because Candide’s World did not change but remained the same so I would say that Candide is Naïve and did not regain his paradise.

9. Martin tells Candide that Paris is “a chaos, a throng in which everyone pursues pleasure and almost no one finds it” (p. 58). In what ways is this statement also true of nearly all the people we encounter in the novel? To what degree is it true of human beings generally? What are the consequences of this pursuit of pleasure?

- Generally speaking I believe most people never find true happiness during their lifetime. Take the example from the book of the lovers Candide and Martin see in the streets of Paris. Most people in the world never find true love. If you do, good, you are one of the lucky ones. Love is one of those things that can have a good ending where you live happily ever after with your Prince/Princess, or you end up heartbroken. Now the good news is that while most never find that happiness most people do find little pleasures in life. You can have fun with friends, find a dollar on the street, or have an intriguing conversation with a random person. In the book Martin makes it a point to point out all the bad things that can happen to people to Candide to prove his philosophy. While most of the time he is right there are always a few exceptions to the rule.

Discussion Questions #5 and #12

Voltaire suggests that romantic love does not exist in Candide, her beauty was what captured his interest in her as Miss Cunegonde. She was the driven force throughout the whole journey, yet she was the start of all his problems as she was at fault to have Candide banished from the castle. When Candide first hears of the unfortunate appearance of Cunegonde, he refers himself as a man of honor and will love her still. Truly, we can infer his belief will soon be taken to a disadvantage as her lack of beauty will continue to define their dying relationship. Voltaire emphasizes on the idea that people take to great account the physical features more significantly than any other attributes, and with this we are at a continuous disadvantage and blinded by our true ability to love another. For, Candide was as naïve as he may be, he was also a fooled lover.

Voltaire may be contradicting himself through Martin as he begins to believe that there is no point in proving the existence of life. Martin bases his judgment of life through real experiences, while Pangloss only sets theories. And with this, it is usually Martin who appears smarter when he states his-self right through logic. Voltaire has a thought that maybe, life itself should not be spent seeking out the question to its existence but instead one must actually live it. In reason, one must undergo experiences himself to understand the real meaning of life’s existence.

The Serial Killer and Incest-Rapist's Daughter

My tragic story is about the daughter of the Austrian criminal Josef Fritzl, captured in a basement dungeon that he built under his house. Fritzl made his daughter write letters to him and her mother, saying she had joined a cult. During the 24 years that he had her imprisoned, Fritzl raped his daughter often, and she had seven children with him. One of the baby boys died and Fritzl burnt his corpse. The Austrian court determined this death as a crime. The police eventually found out about his crimes when one of the children became very sick and he took her to the hospital. 

Fritzl was tried and convicted on several charges, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a facility for the mentally ill in March 2009. Fritzl could become eligible for release after fifteen years, but he is expected to be in prison until he dies. A forensic psychiatrist diagnosed him with a personality disorder and a sexual disorder. 

Killer and Rapist Josef Fritzl

I Don't care what you say this story is sad

TFIOS also known as The Fault in our Stars is a very tragic book about two teens 16 year old Hazel and 17 year old Augustus Waters. Both are diagnosed with some form of cancer. Hazel meets him in a support group and they begin dating. They go to Amsterdam to find the author of AIA (An Imperial Affliction). Augustus's Cancer then has a recurrence and she has to watch him die slowly. She then also has to read a eulogy that she wrote herself.

Life is Beautiful (1997, movie)

A very tragic story

Several years pass in which Guido and Dora marry and have a son, Giosuѐ (Joshua) (Giorgio Cantarini). 

Dora and her mother (Marisa Paredes) are estranged due to the unequal marriage. Later on, a reconciliation takes place just prior to Giosuѐ's fourth birthday. 

In the second half of the film, World War II has already begun. Guido, Uncle Eliseo and Giosuѐ are forced onto a train and taken to a concentration camp on Giosuѐ's birthday. Dora demands to be on the same train to join her family and is permitted to do so. 

In the camp, Guido hides his son from the Nazi guards, sneaks him food and tries to humor him. In an attempt to keep up Giosuѐ's spirits, Guido convinces him that the camp is just a game, in which the first person to get 1,000 points wins a tank. He tells him that if he cries, complains that he wants his mother, or says that he is hungry, he will lose points, while quiet boys who hide from the camp guards earn 1,000 points. 

Guido convinces Giosuѐ that the camp guards are mean because they want the tank for themselves and that all the other children are hiding in order to win the game. He puts off Giosuѐ's requests to end the game and return home by convincing him that they are in the lead for the tank. Despite being surrounded by rampant misery, sickness and death, Giosuѐ does not question this fiction because of his father's convincing performance and his own innocence. 

Guido maintains this story right until the end when, in the chaos caused by the American advance, he tells his son to stay in a sweatbox until everybody has left, this being the final test before the tank is his. After trying to find Dora, Guido is caught, taken away and shot dead by a Nazi guard, but not before making his son laugh one last time by imitating the Nazi guard as if the two of them are marching around the camp together. 

Giosuѐ manages to survive and thinks he has won the game when an American tank arrives to liberate the camp. He is reunited with his mother, not knowing that his father has been killed. Years later, he realizes the sacrifice his father made for him, and that it was because of that sacrifice that he is still alive today. In the film, Giosuѐ is four and a half years old; however, both the beginning and ending of the film are narrated by an older Giosuѐ recalling his father's story of sacrifice for his family.

 But "Life Is Beautiful" is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future. About the necessary human conviction, or delusion, that things will be better for our children than they are right now.

Realistic Optimists = More Sucess and Happiness

 

Important ideas to single out (from article) 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/realistic-optimists_n_3816827.html

"These realistic optimists may get the best of both worlds, using their realism to perform better at work and elsewhere, but aren't getting bogged down by unhappiness"said Sophia Chou. 


"Realistic optimists tend to choose accuracy over self-enhancement; the unrealistic optimists tend to choose self-enhancement,"

"Interestingly, the realistic optimists also got better grades, on average, than their less grounded peers -- probably because they didn't delude themselves into thinking they would do well without studying or working hard,"

"They are more prone to anxiety than their completely unrealistic peers. That's likely because they recognize the possibility of failure,"

"...more self-control and control over their interpersonal relationships".

How most people look at SATIRE

How to Analyze Characters:

Quick Tips 

1) Identify the Personality of the character

    

Clues include what they do, say, feel, behaviour, and emotion.

Also consider: words, action, feelings, movements, mannerism, reactions 

2) Character Role 

Find the character's impact to the story. 

One could either have a major role as the protagonist, or simply a supporting role.

Types:

•            Protagonist, main character
•            Antagonist, character being the obstacle or challenge to the protagonist
•            Foil, character used in order to emphasize the main character's traits

3) Character Development

    (consider the growth and change within the character)

    Two most common types: 

•             Dynamic, character changes and grows as the story unfolds, respond to                                               experiences or events 
•             Static, character never changes (boring)

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/writingabookreport/a/characteranalysis.htm

What would Candide say?

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