Analysis Of Candide By William Shakespeare - 1154 Words

Eric Schessler Mrs. Leavitt AP Literature and Composition August 17, 2014 Throughout Candide, there is a constant battle between pessimistic and optimistic viewpoints, both looking to find a navigable path through an uncertain and unforgiving world. In the end, the matter seems to be settled when Candide says, â€Å"I also know...that we must cultivate our garden.† (120) over Candide’s adventures, he has been beaten down, but always gotten back up, and all the while he has been lectured by people standing on either side of the optimism/pessimism divide. The conclusion he draws, and ultimately the philosophy that brings he and his companions to a peaceful existence in the end, seems to be the third way out from this battle. â€Å"We must cultivate our garden,† becomes a compromise of the two viewpoints, and provides a relief from the philosophical bickering. The stories main proponent of optimism is Candide’s philosophy mentor Pangloss, who throughout the tale, constantly espouses the same philosophical sentiment, â€Å"It is d emonstrated that things cannot be otherwise: for, since everything was made for a purpose, everything is necessarily for the best purpose.† (18) Even after being beaten, tortured, and delivered across Europe into Turkey, he is still able to believe that all is for the best, and that had not all of these things happened, neither he, Candide, or the rest of their friends be where they were (120). This philosophy is often challenged throughout the book, however, asShow MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pages(1554)[19] 17th century[edit] Simplicius Simplicissimus, by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (1668) The Adventures of Telemachus, by Franà §ois Fà ©nelon (1699) 18th century[edit] The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, by Henry Fielding (1749)[20] Candide, by Voltaire (1759) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne (1759)[20] Emile, or On Education, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1763) Geschichte des Agathon, by Christoph Martin Wieland (1767)—often considered the first true