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Example research essay topic: Trials And Tribulations State Of Mind - 1,712 words

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Essay 1 02 / 08 / 99 Page 01 Two popular writing techniques used by many of the enlightenment's great were irony and humor. Great writers such as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere and Francois-Marie About De Voltaire made excellent use of these techniques. With humor, both writers wrote stories which kept their audience involved in funny situations, while with irony the writers were able to explain their underlying messages. Born seventy-two years apart, they are a superb example of how these techniques were carried out over time.

Moliere's Tartuffe and Voltaires Candide are classic texts, which unmask man and society through their clever dark comedy. After reading these two works, one will undoubtedly see how similar the two authors perceptions were during this great awakening. Moliere's Tartuffe is a great ironic story centered on one mans family and the trials and tribulations throughout their household. The protagonist in Tartuffe is Orgon.

Orgon is portrayed as an over-trusting fool. He is over concerned with his beloved guest to such great extent that he becomes blind to the obvious fallacies that stand before him. As said in scene two by Dorine, ... but hes quite lost his senses since he fell beneath Tartuffe's infatuating spell. He calls him brother, and loves him as his life, preferring him to mother, child, or wife, Orgon has put his family and the truth aside from him and has lost his reason (21 - 22). It is Orgon's state of mind which this story actually thrives upon.

Without the fool, there is no one to take advantage of. Page 02 Similarly, Voltaires Candide is an ironic story centered on one mans trials and tribulations through life. The protagonist in the story is Candide. Candide is portrayed as a heartbroken wanderer. Unlike Orgon, he is not an outright fool. He is over concerned with the loss of his beloved to such great extent that he becomes easily mistreated and hopelessly lost.

The reader can feel a pity for Candide that he cannot equate with Orgon. Very early in chapter 2 it states, ... [Candide] wandered for a long time without knowing where he was going, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, which foreshadows how the rest of the story will unfold (338). Like in Tartuffe, it is Candide's state of mind in which this story also thrives upon. Without losing something great, there can be no reward for finding something great. Everyone has put faith in something while losing sight of the truth, but hopefully not to the extent that Orgon did. Also everyone has chased a lost cause, or perhaps has lost more than gained, but not to the extent that Candide did.

Both Moliere and Voltaire set up their stories with realistic protagonists, ones whom the reader can empathize with, but who are set to extreme natures. Every protagonist has to have an antagonist; David had Goliath, The People have The Government, and Batman has The Joker. Of course, when you have a fool as great as Orgon, the antagonists in the story will be near infinite. However, Orgon had three main antagonists to look at. In Tartuffe, Orgon's most important antagonist is himself. In order to believe the amount of lies that he did, Orgon had to convince himself to throw away his own self reason and common sense.

In act three from scene five, Orgon's son Damis catches Tartuffe in the act of Page 03 seducing Orgon's wife (45). But of course, Orgon cannot believe what he does not want to believe, so he dismisses Damis claim as slander. Tartuffe is Orgon's most apparent antagonist. He is the one who is held the highest by Orgon, but in actuality he is the one directly lying to him. The last of the important antagonists to Orgon is his housemaid Dorine. She is constantly trying to tell him how foolish he is being.

Orgon actually has the most physical confrontation with her than of all the rest. In act two from scene two, Orgon takes a swing at Dorine to shut her mouth (32). He cannot stand her sarcastic way of speaking to him, but it is only in this manner that she gets him to answer for his behavior. Also so, when you have a setting as vast as Candide's, the antagonists in the story will be near infinite. However, Candide had three main antagonists as well. In Voltaires Candide, Candide's most important antagonist is also himself.

Candide is cursed from the beginning of the story until the end because he is determined to get back his true love. His true love, Cunegonde, plays a very similar role to Tartuffe in robbing Candide of his senses. Candide becomes so enraptured with the thought of finding Cunegonde again, he is taken advantage of and all his fortune is stolen from him (372). Candide's quest became a great antagonist for him; life itself was against him.

His story was almost epic and thus led him to encounter many obstacles. everywhere he went seemed to become a challenge. Whether it was enduring shipwreck and earthquake, being flogged for talking, or avoiding the cannibal Biglugs, things did not go his way. Much like if Orgon had only listened to his family, Candide only needed to listen to reason and settle somewhere comfortable such as in El Dorado. Candide's Tartuffe would have to be Page 04 the reason for his irrationality and the cause for his isocracy, Cunegonde. Cunegonde was his driving force from the beginning until the end of the story.

Just as Moliere has Tartuffe appear to be so flawless to Orgon at the beginning of his story, so does Voltaire have Cunegonde. And just as Moliere has Tartuffe exposed and dethroned, so does Voltaire have Cunegonde. The tender lover Candide, seeing his lovely Cunegonde with her skin weathered, her eyes bloodshot, her breasts fallen, her cheeks seamed, her arms red and scaly, recoiled three steps in horror, and then advanced only out of politeness (399). Just like Orgon, Candide is shocked to see what his ideal has become.

The biggest conflict to arise in these two stories is individual versus self. This conflict leads to many other minor conflicts though. Orgon has a struggle going on within himself whether he realizes it or not. Orgon must fight his own reason and senses to make light of the truth. Even after his son Damis confronts him with Tartuffe's real intentions, and even after his entire family warns him of putting so much trust into Tartuffe, it takes an entire story and a face to face confrontation for Orgon to reach the truth.

He finally reaches peace within himself when he orders Tartuffe out of his house (57). Also Candide must struggle with his self-motives. He isnt fooled away from the truth as Orgon is, but rather jeopardizes himself with it. In one instance he had, by chance, run across Cunegonde's brother and befriended him.

Now he had not had much luck where he went so far but instead of taking advantage of his good fortune, he proclaimed his love for Cunegonde, enraged her brother and ended up fighting and killing him (362). Page 05 The grand underlying theme to both of these stories can be put as, dont judge a book by its cover. Both Moliere and Voltaire do so well in laying down their irony. In Tartuffe, Orgon is so concerned with Tartuffe's well being, he simply skips over the news of his wifes terrible fever and recent illness (22). He also takes back his word of honor when he explains to his daughter Marine she will not marry her fiance Value but rather Tartuffe (31). It is this behavior towards his family that stings Orgon at the end of the story.

Ironically, it was his pestering and bothersome family who he should have concerned himself with; they were the truth speakers. His own mother says, Appearances can deceive, my son. Dear me, we cannot always judge by what we see (60). He learned that he should not have been so eager to accept Tartuffe as God. In Candide, Candide is so concerned with being with Cunegonde again, he ignored the king of El Dorado's advice to stay there in the land of paradise (369). Choices like this that he made lead him to his inevitable future.

He would find Cunegonde, but she will be very different from whom he was actually pursuing. His image of Cunegonde deceived him at the end of the story as well. Both Moliere and Voltaire criticize mankind's innate nature. They set forth two bumbling men for the reader to laugh at.

It seems that no matter of time can save man from what he will always be. There seems to be a cyclical nature here. Man is either deceiving or deceived. As the time period these two men lived has spanned over seventy years, and as this perception seems to hold true today, it is safe to assume it will hold true for a long while to come. The authors must have written these men in this fashion in order to criticize those men of their time.

This nature reflects on the society as a whole. Those who hold power are especially under examination here. Page 06 The authors are trying to criticize the society they live in through their humorous stories. Each one consists of noblemen, middle class, and peasants. Someone in each story was lifted a little too high in regard, also while someone from each story needed to regain his ability to reason. Both of these faults are the causes of many of the stories problems.

The people of their time could see how the stories ran quite parallel to their reality. As well todays reader can draw certain parallels to his world. Someone once said, Great minds think alike. Moliere and Voltaire prove this statement. Works such as Tartuffe and Candide pushed forth the idea of reason and logic during the enlightenment. A reader from any time period will see how close these two authors stories are.

The underlying themes and conflicts are universal and the characters easy to relate to. If the authors were not known, it could be possible to mistake both works for a single writer.


Free research essays on topics related to: hold true, el dorado, state of mind, end of the story, trials and tribulations

Research essay sample on Trials And Tribulations State Of Mind

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