 |
| from Leonard Bernstein's musical adaptation of Candide |
For Wednesday: Candide, Chs.13-22 (pp.30-62 Dover
edition)
As
before, answer TWO of the following in a short paragraph: cite a specific
passage whenever possible to help me understand where your answers/ideas came
from.
1. In
many ways, Candide is a book about
education: how do young people learn to be adults in the modern world (of the
18th century, that is)? What lessons
do Candide and Cunegonde receive in right and wrong, and are either of them
forced to corrupt their “good” nature simply to prosper in the world? Does success require a moral sacrifice for
Voltaire?
2. El
Dorado is fabled paradise in the New World, which many explorers, including Sir
Walter Raleigh, spent their lives trying to find. Lucky for him, Candide stumbles right onto
it. What does Candide see in El Dorado
that goes against the very nature of European civilization? Why might this entire passage be an elaborate
satire of tradition and the idea of “whatever is, is right”?
3. After
the incident with the monkeys, Candide remarks, “after all, pure nature is
good, since these people, instead of feasting on my flesh, have shown me a thousand
civilities, when they learned I was not a Jesuit” (39). How is Candide guilty of adopting Pangloss’
philosophy too literally here? What
lesson does he miss in this episode that the reader catches at once?
Cera Miller
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
- The first thing they notice in El Dorado are children playing in the road with toys made of gold, emeralds, and rubies. They believe the children belong to the king because of the riches they possess, because in their minds no commoner could possess such wealth (chapter 17, page 41). Then when they go to meet the King, they are greeted by his court, which has both males and females; it was very rare to find a woman in power during this time in Europe. Then when they do meet the King, they are instructed to hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek (chapter 18, page 45). In Europe this was not considered proper behavior, especially since he was a King, and they commoners. Candide makes the statement that El Dorado was better than Westphalia (chapter 17, page 41). This statement contradicts all of his and Pangloss’ views about the world. Candide is realizing that his world was not as perfect or as right as he originally thought.
Question 3
- At this point and time, Candide is having to stretch and bend the truth to make it fit into Pangloss’ philosophy. Pangloss was idle and overly optimistic about the world which is the reason there was a bay at Lisbon for James the Anabaptist to drown in (chapter 10, page 10). But what Candide is stating is that the Oreillons did not kill him because he is not a Jesuit, but he is. And the only reason they believed he was not a Jesuit was because the clothes belonged to a dead Jesuit, which was Cunegonde’s brother. And Candide had been depressed after killing him because he thought himself to be “the best-natured creature in the world, and yet I have already killed three men” (chapter 15, page 36). He is being even more optimistic than Pangloss ever was because at least Pangloss never thought killing someone was lucky (chapter 16, page 39).
Great responses; yes, Candide has to contract his mentor here, since Pangloss is so grossly wrong. El Dorado is better than any land in Europe, much less Westphalia. Of course, he still isn't able to abandon Pangloss' teaching, nor realize that staying in El Dorado would be better than returning to Europe a rich man (as he naively tries to do). I get the sense whenever I read this that Pangloss is a self-help guru, who doesn't really believe his own philosophy, but knows that everyone else does. He can't undermine his product, so he keeps affirming it (until the very end, nd then only to himself). Or maybe he lies so much he actually believes his own lies. At any rate, it's sad how desperately Candide clings to this belief in the face of so much contrary evidence.
DeleteSrijita Ghosh
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2 - The main factors presented in the passage that distinguish El Dorado from the very nature of the European civilization includes the system of religion, attitude of the people in power (King) and the lack of greediness in people for power and riches. It is seen that when Candide enquires the old man (172 years old!) about the established religion of the country, he actually gets red in the face by the question and replies that “Can there be two religions, then? Ours, I apprehend, is the religion of the whole world; we worship God from morning till night.”- this clearly shows how the people of El Dorado do not even have the thought of ‘two’ religions in their mind. Neither do they have ranks of people like monks, or priests. And I beleive that this is a very important factor that sets this country apart from the rest of the world, since it is an established fact that many of the wars and killings take place on basis of religion (even today!). This point is further elaborated in the lines spoken by Candide through the mouth of Cacambo - “What!” said Cacambo, “have you no monks among you to dispute, to govern, to intrigue, and to burn people who are not of the same opinion with themselves?” Moreoever the people of El Dorado do not pray to God for fulfilling their wishes and desires, instead they pray to show their gratitude and thank God for all they have.This kind of mindset really shows how the people in this country are happy and content, not desiring for more more as is seen everywhere else. Finally, we see that the ritual of greeting the King of this country is not by doing any kind of submissive action but by hugging and kissing him, just like it is done when people meet their close ones. This implies to the fact that the King is not arrogant and actually considers his citizens as equal. I believe that a place where the people in power care for the mass and treat them as equals, such a place is bound to have a friendly, peaceful and happy environment.
Candide, upon stumbling into the country of El Dorado, realises that the philosophy of Pangloss that he had been blindly following all this while may actually be incorrect. For the very first time he starts questioning himself and indirectly Pangloss’s philosophy, that, is indeed whatever he had known till now at its possible best?
Question 3 – Candide had been blindly following Pangloss’s philosophy of “what is, is for the best” , since he was little. And the influenc e of this philosophy on the way of his thinking and perception to situations, keeps increasing. The Oreillons, thought of Candide as a Jesuit due to his clothing and were ready to feast upon him and his companion. What changed their mind from the idea of feasting upon them to immense kind hospitality, was due to Cacambo’s ability to intelligently handle the situation by persuading them to logically believe that Candide was a friend of their community and not a Jesuit, and that he has actually killed one of the person in the highest order. This smart move by Cacambo solved the situation for Candide and himself. The Oreillons did not give up on killing and feasting upon the two on their own but were actually convinced to do so.
By the words of Candide when he says - “after all, pure nature is good, since these people, instead of feasting on my flesh, have shown me a thousand civilities, when they learned I was not a Jesuit” (39) – it sounds like he almost takes their escape for granted. He fails to see the work done by Cacambo here which led to their lucky escape. He chooses to see from a different perception which relies a lot on luck, that -he was able to escape from this situation because he had killed Cunegunde’s brother, and thus the murder was justified in his own thoughts. But the actual scenario as is clear to the reader is that the escape was possible due to Cacambo’s presence of mind due to which he could persuade the Oreillons into not killing them.
Excellent responses: as you suggest, El Dorado is a devastating satire of Voltaire's Europe, where kings rule only to oppress, religion judges only for greed, and the common man/woman dies for the petty squabbles of the rich. Candide cannot understand a world where men are truly brothers, and religion is practiced equally by all, without monks and popes to tell them how to do it "right." Unfortunately, though he sees the truth throughout his travels, he has a tough time letting go of his mentor's philosophy. For many people, it's more comfortable to know what to think than to have to think for one's self.
DeleteAshley Rinner
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2.
I think one of the reasons it surprised them is that maybe in Europe, for one children wouldn't be playing with such prized things, and also children aren't really taught to appreciate those things. It's kind of something we learn. If you ask a 5 year old if they want a piece of cake, or a shiny nickel, they will probably choose the cake. Most kids want the instant gratification rather than what they could get with something else like money. They wanted to play with them only, not spend them. They left them once they saw something better, and allowed them to be taken by the travelers, so I don't really think Candide was right when he said “Where are we?” cried Candide. “The King’s children in this
country must have an excellent education, since they are taught to show
such a contempt for gold and precious stones.” They didn't seem to care for them much more than any other toy they would bore of and leave to rust in the rain, as a bike that had lost it's newness to a child. I think as the chapter moves on, Candide starts to see that not everything that is, is for the best. One thing on his mind, is that Cunegund is not there. How is that for the best, being away from his love? And how is it that the things treasured elsewhere, are of nothing there?
Question 3.
Candide starts to worry me a bit here. After all, he killed three me, two being priests. That doesn't seem for the best. In this passage, he actually makes a really far stretch. ”What men! what manners!” cried he. “If I had not fortunately run my sword up to the hilt in the body of Miss Cunegund’s brother, I should have certainly been eaten alive. But, after all, pure nature is an excellent thing; since these people, instead of eating me, showed me a thousand civilities as soon as they knew was not a Jesuit.” So according to his twisted version of Pangloss' logic, her brother was made to be killed by him for protection? It sounds like he is going a bit crazy here, and I feel like it's only going to get worse from there if this is any indication.
Great response--kids always want cake over money, since money means nothing to them. However, in El Dorado, this is true for everyone, from a kid to the King. They realize that money becomes an obsession, and if everyone has what they need, they won't want anything more (especially if there's nothing left to obsess over). Candide cannot imagine such a world, since to him everything good needs to be bought, bargained for, or outright stolen. For this reason he leaves El Dorado (which is paradise, basically) to make his fortune back in Europe, which we know is doomed to fail. Martin tells him later that giving people money never helps anyone, and indeed, might doom them to an even greater 'hell.' We certainly see this with Paquette and Friar Giroflee.
Delete2. In chapter 17, Cacambo and Candide stumble upon a village where they find children playing in the road with rubies, diamonds and emeralds. When someone calls the children to come here they drop what they are doing completely, abandon the jewels, and report straight to the master who had called them inside. This is very strange to me because jewels in my eyes hold value, and the young children treat them as if they are nothing just a simple item. Almost as if they don’t have any value in their community. It’s a casualty almost. Candide then proceeds to pick them up and give them to the schoolmaster, however he ends up throwing them back Candide’s way letting them crash to the ground. He continues to go to dinner where it is an elaborate fancy European looking palace where they stay and have dinner. Both Candide and Cacambo offer two large pieces of gold in order to pay for their meal, but the waiter laughs at them and tells him to keep his “pebbles”. The king treats everyone equally and later greets the boys with a court made out of male and females. This is very rare in this time period, because women usually don’t play a part in power. Candides faith is tested again reaffirming this this place is the best place for him to be. This contradicts everything Pangloss has ever said, and Candide is beginning to realize just this.
ReplyDelete3. After the incident with the monkeys, Candide remarks, “after all, pure nature is good, since these people, instead of feasting on my flesh, have shown me a thousand civilities, when they learned I was not a Jesuit” (39). Candide thought that the reason why they didn’t kill him was because he wasn’t a Jesuit but he killed one instead. He almost is talking himself into the fact that that act of murder is justified, since he in the end is benefitting from it. Blinded by this justification, Candide fails to see that it was because of Cacambo’s persuasion that he got out of the killing. Because he was pardoned, this reaffirms Candide’s faith in which the world is good.
Sammie Smith
Great responses; yes, this chapter makes Candide reflect on the importance of travel. It's easy to think you live in the "best of all possible worlds" if it's the only world you know. But traveling a bit makes you question your way of life, and see that perhaps, other people have just as good, or better, solutions to life than you do.
Delete2) The first thing that they was children playing with toys made of precious metals that children were playing with, there were also rubies, and emeralds. But when the children were called away they abandoned the valuables. A few years ago i gave my little brother a few of my watches, he then lost both of them, so there is no way that i would give him, or any other children any precious metals or jewels.The satire could possibly be how now we say that money is the most important thing we can have, yet when Candide tried to return the valuables, and jewels back to the king, they were thrown back at him. Also when he tried to pay for his meal the servant told him he could keep his pebbles.
ReplyDelete3) What Candide failed to realize was that he was not saved by Pangloss' philosophy but by the swift talking Cacambo. If Pangloss' theory is true then the reason that Candide was saved is because he was a murderer which sounds absolutely asinine.
-Duke Jennings
Why didn't the children care for the pebbles, especially when they were clearly gold? Why did Voltaire include this scene, and others like it, in El Dorado? What's the point of this to his society? Especially since El Dorado doesn't exist--it's a make-believe world mean to satirize European values.
DeleteAmira Jacobson
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
What Candide sees in El Dorado that he doesn’t see in European civilization is kindness towards men and harmony. Examples of these two things would be when Candide and Cacambo walked into the village; they saw children on the side of the road, playing with toys made of gold, emeralds and rubies. Their schoolmaster called to them, they ran inside, leaving the toys behind. Candide pick them up and returned them to the schoolmaster. Instead of snatching them away, like any other man in the European country would do, he takes them, smiles, and throws them on the ground. Later on, they are allowed to eat without having to pay for their meal and after staying there for a month, both Candide and Cacambo ask to leave. The king offers them a safe way home and tells them that they can take as much gold and jewels as they want. What do all these things have in comment? Greed… There is none. There is only generosity, which refers back to ‘kindness towards men’. No religious persecution occurs, which means there are no punishments because everyone agrees about everything, which, also, refers back to ‘harmony’. That entire passage is satire because, in Candide’s world, there is pain, suffering, starvation, poverty, war, and conflicting religious. The idea of “whatever is, is right”, in he’s world is wrong. This also goes for Voltaire because he was actually living in that hell-hole. I think this passage is a result of wishful thinking on his part.
Question 4
Cacambo expresses perfect confidence, both in his intelligence and his moral uprightness. However, he is no optimist himself. His wide experience of the world has led Cacambo to conclude that “the law of nature teaches us to kill our neighbor.” Martin is a cynical scholar whom Candide befriends as a travel companion. He has suffered a great deal in his life and preaches a philosophy of pessimism. He always expects nothing but the worst from the world, he often has trouble seeing the world as it really is. They add satire because they contradict each other. Cacambo tries to thinks of the positives and Martin thinks of the negatives. They give us more insight about the world because they have experienced many hardships in their life times and have come to the conclusion that, sometimes, they cannot see “the best of people”, because many people are corrupt no matter the circumstance. Candide still does not seem to comprehend this.
Great responses: and yes, Voltaire is condemning his own society through the satirical mirror of El Dorado. Candide cannot imagine a world where greed isn't king, and religion isn't enforced by the tip of a sword. And yet, given the chance to stay in El Dorado, he decides to leave taking tons of gold with him. He would rather be rich in hell than "poor" in heaven!
DeleteDuring the 18th century young people gained their maturity and understanding of life through their Priest or Preceptor. Children would learn right from wrong just as Candide and Cunegonde had through Pangloss. When the chance arose for Cunegonde to accept a marriage to a man she didn't love simply because he had money and social status she quickly took it and without much second thought. I believe Voltaire is showing us how week people can be and how quickly they will forget their moral values for something as stupid as money. He may be trying to show us that even though someone may act or say things to make you think they have strong morals, it may all just be an act.
ReplyDelete2. When Candide and Cacambo stumble upon El Dorado the first thing they see are children playing with jewels as if they were rocks you could find anywhere. And when they pick them up and try to hand them to the teacher he just laughs at them. This is the first thing that contradicts the nature of the European civilization Candide has come from. Money means everything to people there, so how could someone throw jewels around as if they were worth nothing. They next thing they come across is the house filled with people where the are greeted with enormous amounts of food, and when they try to pay they are laughed at once again. How could they not want something in return for all the stuff they gave them? I believe Voltaire is showing us how greedy Candides world is. People are not interested in helping anyone else UNLESS they will get something to benefit them in return. This is not part of the Christian belief but yet many ignore it. Finally they make it to the Kings palace where they merely give him a hug and a kiss as if they were meeting an old friend or stranger. (How could a king be treated with such disrespect where Candide comes from?!) Here Candide and Cacambo stay for a whole month while giving nothing in return. As you can tell the king does not think of himself any more important than his citizens let alone strangers who stay in his palace. In European civilization if you are a king you are greater than everything and everyone. Everything about this world contradicts Candides. Money and status mean everything but in El Dorado it basically means nothing. Along with that the people in El Dorado do not pray to God to give them things, they simple pray to him to thank him for all that he has given them.When a person has a taste of something better than their own they begin to want more and more and more until it totally destroys them as human being, they forget about who they are and what the believe in. How could Candide not question his beliefs and everything Pangloss told him, when everything in this world is simply better than his?
Madelyn Lehr
DeleteExcellent responses: as you suggest, El Dorado questions the fundamental beliefs of European civilization. If gold, status, and power were erased, what WOULD be left for mankind to do? And as we see with Candide, he chooses not to live in peace, but to go back to Europe to be rich--even if it is a horrible world.
DeleteAlex Fillat
ReplyDelete2)
When they arrived to El Dorrado what surprised them is that they saw children playing with very prized toys, made of gold and precious stones. The children left the toys and they ran into the school. After that, they pick up the toys and try to give them to the schoolmaster. No one in the European civilization would do that.
3)
Candide didn't see that it was because of Cacambo’s persuasion that the Oreillons didn't kill him. Candide thought that the Oreillons didn't kill him because he wasn't a Jesuit. They believed he wasn't a Jesuit because of the clothes.
Good ideas, but try to be more specific: for example, why wouldn't a European look at the "pebbles" this way? And what does it say about Candide that instead of living in peace and happiness in El Dorado, he chooses to take as many pebbles and sheep as he can and go back to Europe? In general, try to explain why you think what you do--help me see the connections.
DeleteDax Walker
ReplyDelete2.) In El Dorado things are almost a mirror in image of the life Candide is used to back in Europe and most of the world I reckon. When he and Cacambo arrive in El Dorado they see kids playing in the streets with pieces of gold and precious stones like rubies and such. When they try to return the precious items the people laugh because it seems there those earthly stones are not valued no more than dirt is valued to Candide. While they are in the El Dorado they find that they also don't think of religion the way most Europeans do. I remember one paragraph where Candide ask the old man if they prayed and he said no because they have all they could ever want, and I think this is a bit of satire. I think Voltaire is trying to push the issue that you don't have to pursue gold and worship a god night and day to be happy you just need to be happy for what you have.
3.) Candide takes Pangloss's philosophy of "whatever happens is right" a little to serious here I believe. He seems so excited and justified that he no longer feels guilty for killing Cunegonde's brother for he believes if he had not killed him he and Cacambo would have been eaten alive. While in fact if he had never take that man's life he would have never been in that mess in the first place.
Great responses: even though El Dorado isn't a real place, it is a real satire: it challenges how Europeans looked at the world, assuming they lived in the "best of all possible words." But what makes it so good? The Inquisition? :)
DeleteDarryn York
ReplyDelete2. When they arrived at El Dorado they noticed children playing with toys made of gold. This made them think the children belong to the King's family because no commoner would have such valuable things as toys for children. Then they meet the King with his unusual customs such as being told to hug the King and give him a kiss on the cheek and they also meet the court which consisted of male and females which was not expected. Candide says that El Dorado was better than Westphalia but this completely eliminates his views about the world and he now underdstands that his world just wasn't as perfect as he imagined.
3. After the monkey incident occurred Candide said "After all, pure nature is good, since these people, instead of feasting on my flesh, have shown me a thousand civilities, when they learned I was not a Jesuit". Candid took the philosophy too far by killing 3 men, in which 2 were priest. He was so blinded by the philosophy it's kind of like he forgot that killing is wrong.
Remember that these questions are due the day we discuss them (in this case, on Wednesday) for credit. I encourage you to read and think about them, but you can only get credit if you turn them in on the same day.
ReplyDelete