This text will concern itself with the use of satire in Voltaire’s ‘Candide’ and Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal.’ Writers have in the past employed satire in an attempt to not only criticize, but also expose the wrongs in society. In essence, the utilization of satire has been mostly with reference to the political class in an attempt to criticize the political leadership’s follies. In this endeavor, writers routinely make use of ridicule, exaggeration, irony, as well as humor.
Voltaire makes significant use of satire in ‘Candide.’ Essentially, the satirical novel follows a young man by the name Candide as he explores the world gaining a great deal of knowledge about the various hardships and suffering people go through (Cronk, 2009). It is important to note that in addition to sarcasm, Voltaire has also extensively used other literary devices in the satirical novel. Some of the subjects Voltaire has variously satirized include the human nature and formal social systems. For instance, with regard to formal social systems, Candide satirizes class hierarchies by way of, amongst other things, mocking aristocracy with references to physical descriptions as well as titles. For example, in reference to the Baron of Westphalia, there is clear understatement in the following sentence: “the Baron was one of the most powerful lords in Westphalia, for his castle had not only a gate, but windows” (Voltaire, 2017, p. 117). The fact that windows, in addition to a gate, can qualify an individual to be very “powerful” amongst peers is clearly satirical.
It is also important to note that ruler ineptitude and hypocrisy, as well as political hypocrisy is well satirized in the satirical novel. For instance, in seeking to refer to the pride and...
These include, but they are not limited to, y Souza, y Lampourdos, y Figuerora, and Don Fernando d’lbaraa (Voltaire, 2017). In a satirical sense, the satirical novel also makes references to organized religion in its various formats. Towards this end, it should be noted that one of the common threads in most religions is that there is a benevolent God and that all things happen for a specific purpose. It is, however, important to note that as Candide explores the world, he encounters some really bad scenarios which, as per his disposition, indicate that the belief in a benevolent being is largely foolish. It should also be noted that references to the purchase of a sex slave by a Jew, engagement of a prostitute by a monk, as well as an act of theft by a friar are good examples of religious satire as used in the satirical novel. In this case, satire has been utilized in an attempt to indicate not only the foolish nature of religious officials, but also the extent of their hypocrisy.
One of the philosophies that have been satirized in this case in an attempt to indicate how absurd it indeed is includes that of “since everything was made for a purpose, everything is necessarily for the best purpose” (Voltaire, 2017, 134). In this case, Voltaire makes use of a hyperbole. In one specific scenario, for instance, where we have a drowning James the Anabaptist, Candide is stopped from saving the drowning man by Pangloss because in his opinion, the unfolding event occurs by design – that is, it was meant to happen.
Ireland’s rich landlords and their cruel ways are exposed in ‘A Modest Proposal’ by Swift. The said landlords are largely blind to the plight of those in dire need…
