Satire in Moliere, Swift and Voltaire

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that satire is a device that writers utilize to comment of the state of the human condition. The author points out that the character Orgon, in Jean Baptiste Moliere's play Tartuffe, illustrates man's gullibility; Swift, in his essay "A Modest Proposal", emphasizes how man has become insensitive to his fellow man by proposing a logical argument and Voltaire in "Candide" demonstrates the folly of philosophy. The paper states that each author shows how the readers can learn from their behavior if they stop being serious long enough to lighten up and learn to laugh.

From the Paper:

"In Voltaire's "Candide", Pangloss becomes the object of satire. He represents the so-called educated individuals that hold themselves in higher regard than everyone else. We are expected to believe that he is a high-minded philosopher. However, as we learn more about him and listen to what he has to say, we have to question just how intelligent he actually is. In fact, he does not seem to have any sense at all. We find out that he has contracted syphilis and through his dialogue, he traces this disease all the way back to Columbus' voyage. The absurdity does not stop there."

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• Comparison Essay # 1803 : "Jonathon Swift and Henry Thoreau"
• Analytical Essay # 85030 : "Satire in "Gulliver's Travels"

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