Poem On The Lisbon Disaster Vs Candide

Given the pervasive nature of media and its mixed messages, suffering is nearly inescapable; nonetheless, suffering is integral to emotional development, and to resist is potentially detrimental. Ricard mentions a story about a King asking for the history of the world

Candide, with his innocent optimism, taught the reader that there isn’t always a silver lining; Irene Redfield proved that one’s judgement and actions don’t always go hand-in-hand; Bob Hicok illustrated that, despite all of one’s observations, hope can still be found. These lessons were brought to us, for the most part, through observations which these narrators had seen and experienced. The lessons found in these texts also show the hypocrisy which these characters have, despite their observations and experiences, still permeates their beliefs and morals. To begin, it would be best to know what observation entails: the term “observation” means “the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information” or, in fewer words, gaining knowledge through watching the world around us. The use of such vivid imagery and observation has long been a powerful weapon in the arsenal of great writers, like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, and has brought about multiple lessons and teachings for people throughout the ages. The narrator’s observations in Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”, Larson’s “Passing” and Hicok’s “Go Greyhound” allows them to realize their own hypocrisy and disconnect between their actions/experiences and beliefs.

Just think, if some terrible natural disaster or terrible event happened, what would you do? Would you give up or do you have something to believe in, in order to have the motivation to keep moving forward and giving it your best? In A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, the author Barbara W. Tuchman used large disastrous events in the 14th century to let people know that even through the toughest of times; as long as people work together, and have faith in humanity and the right things, anybody can endure through tragic events. In A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, Tuchman focuses on the life of a French nobleman by the name of Enguerrand de Coucy who lived in the 14th Century from the years of 1340, to 1397.

Suffering is an obstacle that everyone has to confront at all times in their life. Most of time, suffering is painful. However, if people consider it as a chance for learning, they can gain a broader appreciation of life and success. They will grow one step further in the process of overcoming and stepping out from the disincentive. However, confronting suffering is not necessarily drawing the beneficial consequences: sometimes, suffering seems ultimately pointless. It may ruin people devastatingly and even lead them to the dehumanization by drawing out their negative hidden traits. A Long Way Gone--a book of Ishmael’s dreadful memories of being a boy soldier and the atrocious truth of the war--and Othello--a tragedy of jealousy, vengeance, and love--indicate those two

A life lived under someone else’s expectations is no life at all. Many people live their lives allowing others to tell them what to do. They allow others to put them down, and to make them feel less of a person. There have been stories about man versus man, man versus nature and most importantly man versus self. In “The story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe we see how each writer uses setting, characterization, and dramatic irony to show how allowing others to dictate ones life can lead to disastrous ends.

Voltaire's Candide is a short satirical novel based on the life, adventures, and ultimate enlightenment of the title character Candide. The novel was subtitled ironically, The Optimist, in reference to a type of philosophy prevalent in Voltaire's day, which the author found repellant. Candide is his answer to optimism as a philosophy. Likewise, Samuel Johnson's Rasselas presents a worldview (according to the philosopher Imlac) that at times appears to be somewhat stilted. Not as cynical or satirical as Candide, however, the hero Rasselas learns lessons about life that to a certain extent elude Voltaire's hero. This paper will show how Johnson's Rasselas learns to be satisfied with pursuing his vocation as prince and "administer [of] justice" (Johnson 197), while Voltaire's Candide learns that man is essentially doomed to suffer from his own folly and ignorance in the ironically dubbed "best of all possible worlds" (Voltaire 14).

Voltaire’s Candide portrays an exaggerated image of human cruelty and suffering in the world. Specifically, Voltaire criticizes people’s lack of willingness to prevent suffering, and their tendency to accept the idea that there is nothing anyone can do about human outcomes. He upholds his belief that practical ways of solving problems generate improvement. He believes that human indifference and inaction cause suffering to carry on. Voltaire’s believes that naïve optimism, absolute pessimism, cruel indifference, and lack of reason hinder positive and constructive change.

Have you ever felt an earthquake, been able to experience the Age of Enlightenment? Voltaire wrote the story of Candide inspired by events and the age during which it was written. The Lisbon Earthquake was the event and The Age of Enlightenment was the age in which it was written. We are about to delve into the history behind Candide and the two main historical contexts in Candide the Lisbon Earthquake, the Age of Enlightenment.

Suffering is embedded in our daily lives. There are devastating things going on in our daily environments and yet, people seldom realize this as they occupy themselves with other tasks. W.H. Auden’s, Musée des Beaux Arts, is a statement on human perceptions and how we use them to observe, or block out human suffering. While we are doing ordinary things like eating, or opening a window, bad things can be happening to others and it is as easy as looking up, to see what is actually going on. Auden illustrates societies’ indifference to human suffering through the form of his poem and by alluding to artwork that compares human perceptions and juxtaposes ordinary images with images of suffering and tragedy.

A majority of us squander our time fantasizing about a faultless society, a place where sorrow has not meaning but is replaced with harmony, compassion, and riches. Essentially, we want a place where dreams come true. On the contrary, how often do we reflect on the worst? A place where sorrow is the only meaning and harmony, compassion and riches have no existence. Susceptibility, combat and abhorrence- the contemplation of our future. Glimpses of these are shown through demoralizing literature, where the dire stuff is an extrapolation of our world.

The presentation explored how Voltaire satirized the idea of determinism and optimism- Enlightenment philosophies that were prevalent during his time. Determinism establishes that God sets a path for each person to follow regardless of their decisions and optimism establishes that all is for the best. Several events during Voltaire’s time lead to his disbelief of the philosophy such as the Lisbon Earthquake and the Seven Years War. Voltaire challenged these beliefs by attempting to show death and destruction throughout “Candide” and consequently showing philosophers such as Pangloss attempting to justify the events. The theme of determinism/ optimism is carried out throughoutthe novella in a satirical manner in order to show the public the absurdity of the

It is essential to establish whether we have a right to decide a person’s capacity to endure suffering. The experience of suffering differs from person to person. Are there any rational ways of determining what suffering consist of for a group of people? Is it ever morally acceptable to allow a person to suffer? Do we have the right as a nation to step in to mitigate a person’s suffering?

Life’s sufferings offer us a lesson to build character and faith to ultimately gain judgement.

“Suffering” is a word which carries negative connotations, used to incite pity, empathy or fear. Why would it not? Is suffering not simply agony, defined justly by the Oxford Dictionary as “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship” (“Suffering)? Yet, we accept suffering as part of life, a fundamental aspect that defines living. Nietzsche tells us that the very act of living is suffering itself, but to survive is to find value in that suffering. Yet, what sort of value can be attached to an idea so negative? Pico Iyer’s editorial in the New York Times explores the value of suffering, likening suffering to passion and “[p]assion with the plight of other’s makes for ‘compassion’” (________________).I began to think upon the cohesive

Suffering is a staple to the human condition. It can light the fire beneath and push progress, or it can lead to wallowing and a sense of helplessness. Often, helplessness leads to despair, which leads to more suffering, beginning an endless cycle of distress and anguish. Once stuck in this cycle, personal suffering begins to affect all aspects of one’s life, especially the environment around them. This feeling moves across genres and literary eras, giving a sense of human connection across generations. In Robert Browning’s Caliban Upon Setebos, Caliban is stuck in the world of an uncaring god. With an inability to please him, Caliban is helpless in his plight. Similarly, Hamm, from Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, is stuck in a cycle of