The Enlightenment An Incredible Change - 1163 Words

The Enlightenment is known as the age of reasons because of its gradual changes or transitions from traditional to modern societies. It was a big change from faith or religion towards science and the intellectual reasoning. Also, many societies or people changed their styles of living and beliefs such as they went from rural to urban, agriculture to commerce, believe to reason, religion to science, and so on. During the Neo-Classical era, many world famous writers such as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin known by Moliere, Jonathan Swift, and Francois-Marie Arouet know by Voltaire wrote some incredible stories, poems, plays and articles about the age of reason. In literature, all of them are well known by the tactics and methods they used in their†¦show more content†¦For instance, Swift proposal based on sarcasm that the society of Ireland should exterminate its infants in order to reduce the starving population or poverty, and use their meat products as the source of food and revenue (343-346). In the novel, â€Å"Candide† written by Voltaire presents to his readers the verbal irony argument against â€Å"philosophical optimist† which in reality most the time doesn’t work or function properly. For example, Candide through the story relearns everything all over again and faces real life scenarios which make him doubt about Pangloss’s teachings about society perspective such as whatever happens to them it’s â€Å"the best of all possible worlds† which Voltaire illustrate as fictional optimism (378). Another component of satire in literature is the situational irony which depicts the opposite outcome rather than what the readers might thought to expect. In the story, â€Å"Gulliver’s Travels† written by Jonathan Swift, presents a man who is easily persuaded or deceived during his journeys to fictional islands and societies where he learns new cultures or traditions and tries to reasonably fit in. Furthermore, Swift presents a good situational irony in voyage four when Gulliver end up in unknown island once again, but this time characters role have changed or reversed. For instance, Gulliver first contact with â€Å"Houyhnhnms† presents to him animal traits, but later he realizesShow MoreRelatedThe Renaissance And The Enlightenment757 Words   |  4 PagesRenaissance Values and Enlightenment Ideals - Conflict or Progress on the Same Journey? The Renaissance and the Enlightenment are two significant periods in world history, specifically in European history. The Renaissance and the Enlightenment have distinctive characteristics, but share the notion of being periods of discovery in many aspects of life. Each period has its own set of beliefs, values, and ideals otherwise known as a â€Å"worldview†. 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These religious liberals deviated from (the Univeralists in the United States for example) or totally rejected (the Deists for example) some orRead MoreSynopsis Of Voltaire s Candide 1011 Words   |  5 PagesFrederick the Great of Prussia and was exiled for differences in politics. Until 1778, he did not return to Paris where he encountered the Enlightenment. Historical information about period of publication Published during the â€Å"Age of Enlightenment† in the mid-18th century, Candide took place during a time of a cultural revolution in Europe and France. The Enlightenment was a time for societal reform, protesting against judgments of church authority and nobility. This time period allowed for rational thoughtRead MoreCommentary on Candide by Voltaire and Irrational Man by William Barrett1406 Words   |  6 Pagesthe aims of the Enlightenment as the latter supports explaining the world through science in a way that separates the ideas from those mentions in the Bible. The novel includes a character named â€Å"Panglossâ€Å", who is a caricature of the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. â€Å"Pangloss† supports the idea that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds, that idea is destroyed in the novel. Candide is a novel that talks about the idea of theodicy The enlightenment sparked the beginningRead More Comparing Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry1286 Words   |  6 PagesMass Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the best ways to fully understand an era is to study its literature. The printed word has the incredible capacity to both reflect and shape the hopes, fears, and ideologies of the time. This is very evident when reading literature from 1960s America, a turbulent period in the history of our country. While the authors styles are very different, there are definite thematic patterns and characteristics evident in