Satire. Satire is humorous writing intended to point out errors, falsehoods, foibles, or failings. It is written for the purpose of reforming human behavior or human institutions. As you read the selection, observe the behaviors and attitudes of humans Voltaire is satirizing.
Irony. Irony is the difference between appearance and reality. Words may say one thing, but they may imply something quite different.
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Candide was written after the death of Voltaire’s beloved Emilie, Marquise du Chatelet. Mme du Chatelet was a believer in the “philosophical optimism” of the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. Leibniz had argued that the world as it is, with all its problems, is the best of all possible worlds. Despairing over the death of Emilie and suffering from political and religious persecution, Voltaire wrote Candide, a satirical attack on philosophical optimism that has become one of the world’s great classics.
Look for examples of irony as you read the selection. Use a graphic organizer like the one below to help you better understand how irony is used.
What hypocrisies in word or deed have you observed in our society? How do you feel when you hear or witness these hypocrisies?
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