Alexander Pope’s Essay Essay

Alexander popes Essay on Man and Voltaires Candied espouse opposing views on how conclude should be used during their time. They had varying opinions about taking homos breeding in general with Pope adopting a pessimistic view of life while Voltaire expounded on scathing remarks about things and events which he observed. Pope elucidated that he had two origins for piece of writing his essay and that was first, he thought that principles, maxims, or precepts so written, twain strike the reader more strongly at first and be more easily retained by him afterwards. The second reason was because he knew that he could express himself more using the poetic style instead of prose itself. First, Pope uses this reasoning ability to work on his references and regard for God as sound as His great domain. It was a requirement then that the writers would regard the religious authority in such a high regard. It seems that Pope uses reason in come in to d headspring on the fruitlessness an d meaninglessness of life. Pope reasons that this maze of life has a reason for being so and believes that there is a visualise for everything and that there is no haphazardness in what happens to man A mighty mazeBut not without a plan a wild, where weeds and conflates promiscuous shoot Or garden, tempting with forbidden fruit. Together let us beat this ample field, Try what the open, what the covert yield born(p) in 1694 to a middle-class family in Paris, Francois-Marie Aroused, later kn declare as Voltaire, grew up at a time when the majority of the people in France lived in abject poverty. When he came of age, Voltaire witnessed the iron-fist rule of the aristocracy, and at the same time, the spread of the Enlightenment and its ideas of beity and basic human rights, as well as the importance of reason and scientific objectivity.It is not surprising then that he entrust devote his time writing biting satire which eventu aloney garnered him a solid constitution in France. So scathing were some of his writings that it caught the ire of its target, the government, which unhesitatingly meted out punishments, ranging from exile to imprisonment. In fact, it was during his incarceration in the infamous Bastille that he acquired his nom de plume. Thus, he uses reason in other kind of biting way in order to effect changes.Aside from the government, Voltaire also criticized the church with equal fervor and in with perfect reason he could ever think of. Indeed, he became a lifelong champion of the poor and the downtrodden, and used the power of the pen to further his cause, writing with a rare kind of passion against both(prenominal) tyranny and religious persecution. In the 1750s, greatly dismayed by the injustice and disaster that surrounded him, Voltaire organize out to write what would become his signature work, Candied, where he simultaneously criticized the nobility and the Church, and the peoples misguided optimism (Spark Notes).Candied, the protagoni st of the novel was an illegitimate child of a German baron who grew up under the tutelage of the philosopher Dr. Pan gloss who taught him about unconditional, and often misguided, optimism It is demonstrable that things cannot be other than they are, for since everything is do to serve an end, everything inevitably serves the best end. Observe noses were made to support spectacles, hence we have spectacles. Legs, as anyone can plainly see, were made to be breeched, and so we have breeches.. . . Consequently, those who say everything is well are uttering mere stupidities they should say everything is for the best (p. 2). The philosophy, thus, blockages out the perverted idea during Voltaires time that all thingsincluding all human sufferingis assort of a cosmic plan, and one must not question whatever tragedy comes his way, for to do so is tantamount to questioning Gods plan. baffle another way, since God is perfect, then he must have created a ball that is no less than the b est of all possible worlds. In the meantime, Candied deplorable in love with the barons daughter, Lady Cunegonde, but the blossoming affair was cut short when the baron caught them kissing. He kicked the young Candide out of his house, and so began the long list of Candides misfortunes which collectively challenged his conviction about the best of all possible worlds. His experiencesand later, those of Dr. Panglosscould serve as proof to the notorious Malcolms equity which states that if something can go wrong it will.This is how Voltaire was able to parody Dr. Pangloss philosophy first, his philosophy is proven false by real-world evidence and second, Pangloss philosophy ultimately encourages com orchestratency toward all that is wrong in the world. At one ridiculous scene, when Dr. Pangloss benefactor, the Anabaptist Jacques, was drowning in the bay of Lisbon, the philosopher prevented Candide from trying to rescue him by insisting that the bay of Lisbon had been specially sop py so that the Anabaptist might drown in them (p. 13).One could also draw from this event that people like Pangloss are ludicrously fatalistic to a point that there is no reason to make any effort to put matters into ones own hands, and to change things that are evil. Voltaire was profoundly critical of the Churchs beliefs as can be seen in his literary works Candide. He draws on this reasoning ability in order to refer to legion(predicate) things around him just as when Pope makes reference to presumptuous man. He uses his reasoning again in order to look at the mysteries that are presented to him. so say not Mans imperfect, Heavn in fault, Say rather Mans as perfect as he ought His knowledge measurd to his state and place, His time a moment, and a point his space. Meanwhile, it was at about this time that more philosophies claimed that reason could be used in order to explain everything. Reasoning ability was placed at a high pedestal explaining that people can make the world a better place to live in and Voltaire uses reason again to counteract this reasoning.He is not given to such optimism, preferring instead to reason that he doubts that there is ever a chance of people securing happiness (1-2). Voltaires reasoning was a bit odd because in his failure to reason out well, he instead adopted the belief that true happiness can only be experienced in an unreal world. (42) lamenting the fact that optimism is a mania for saying things are well when one is in he. (40). Thus, Voltaire uses reasoning in order to satirize the foolishness of believing and being optimistic.Of the writers during the Enlightenment period, Voltaire was one writer who criticized the Church with equal fervor. Indeed, he became a lifelong champion of the poor and the downtrodden, and used the power of the pen to further his cause, writing with a rare kind of passion against both tyranny and religious persecution. In the 1750s, greatly dismayed by the injustice and disaster that surro unded him, Voltaire set out to write what would become his signature work, Candide, where he criticized the nobility and the Church, pointing out the peoples misguided optimism (Spark Notes).The philosophy, thus, points out the perverted idea during Voltaires time that all thingsincluding all human sufferingis part of a cosmic plan, and one must not question whatever tragedy comes his way, for to do so is tantamount to questioning Gods plan. Put another way, since God is perfect, then he must have created a world that is no less than the best of all possible worlds. Later on, Candide meets Martin, an extremum opposite of Dr. Pangloss in that he is a categorical pessimist who finds the world utterly mad and abominable (p.75) where one can find very little sexual morality or happiness (p. 77). Indeed, this philosophy is more effective at explaining real-world experiences than Pangloss, but it too has its flaws. Thus, Martin fails when he predicts that Candides valet trusted with mi llions in gold will surely betray his master out of greed. And like Pangloss, Martin is seen as somebody who does not assume a proactive role in changing the world for the better, for after all, he abides by the idea that man is bound to live either in misery or in boredom.In effect, Voltaire demonstrates that both supreme optimism and absolute pessimism are nothing more than simple abstractions that defies reality. Voltaire shows a pessimistic view of human nature in Candide. To do this he used an complex number perfect worldEl Doradowhere Candide lived in for a short time. Inaccessible to outsiders, the kingdom of El Dorado is full of just and peaceful people who pay no attention to jewels and gold that lay scattered everywhere.But rather than tolerate in the perfect world of El Dorado, Candide has acquired a greed that ultimately made him decide to leave the place, in order to return to the imperfect world where he could live off the jewels he has taken from El Dorado. He said , If we remain here, we shall be only as the other inhabitants whereas if we return to our own world with but a dozen of sheep laden with the pebbles of El Dorado, we shall be richer than all the kings of europium and we may easily recover Lady Cunegonde (p. 52).However, misfortune move to follow him, and culminates in his reunion with his beloved Cunegonde, who, alas, has turned unbearably ugly due to her own share of difficulties. In the end, Candide learns that practical action seems to be the only antidote to human suffering. This he learned when he met a humble old man who, with the help of his children, is content and happy. He told Candide, Labor holds off three great evils tedium, vice and poverty (p. 103). Taking this advice, Candide and his group set themselves to exercise their various talents (e. g.Cunegonde continued to be very ugly, but she became an excellent pastry cook) and their small farm yielded good crops. Indeed, both Pope and Voltaire, being masters at reaso n, utilized this to their reward during their time.WORKS CITEDCandide. Spark Notes online. 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2008 at http//www. sparknotes. com/ lit/candide Pope, Alexander. Essay on Man and Other Poems. Dover Publications New Ed edition (June 16, 1994) Voltaire. Candide. (1759). London Penguin Books. 1997. Alexander Popes Essay on Man and Voltaires Candide adopted opposing views on how reason should be used