The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change Volume II
This assignment requires selecting one of three reading selections—Descartes’ Discourse on the Method, Swift’s A Modest Proposal, or two excerpts from Voltaire’s Candide—and analyzing the “surprise ending” within the chosen work. The focus should be on the moment of revelation or unexpected twist and evaluating how convincingly the author guides the reader to accept this surprise as meaningful. The analysis should be three to four paragraphs (approximately 250 words), clearly identifying where the surprise occurs and why it is impactful. Proper citation of the primary source from Sayre’s “The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change Volume II” is required, alongside any additional scholarly sources, following APA style. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins. A cover page and references page are mandatory but not counted in the essay length. The assignment emphasizes understanding the primary source’s surprise element and assessing the author’s effectiveness in convincing the reader of this twist’s significance.
Paper For Above instruction
In this essay, I will analyze the surprise ending within the selected reading, focusing on its pivotal moment and the subsequent realization it evokes. For this purpose, I have chosen to explore Voltaire’s “Candide,” as it exemplifies satire and irony, culminating in a shockingly pragmatic yet hopeful conclusion. The surprise in “Candide” arises at the end when Candide adopts a practical approach to life, declaring, “we must cultivate our garden,” a stark contrast to the early optimistic philosophy underpinning the narrative. The key moment of surprise occurs toward the conclusion of the selected excerpts, where Candide, after experiencing relentless misfortunes, discards the overly optimistic worldview espoused by Pangloss. Initially, Candide’s journey is fueled by naive hope and philosophical optimism, expecting that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. This naive outlook is systematically challenged by the brutal realities he faces, such as war, natural disasters, and human cruelty. However, the turning point emerges when Candide, tired of philosophical speculation, chooses pragmatic action—working the land and focusing on tangible labor rather than abstract optimism. The reader realizes the shift in Candide’s perspective at this juncture, which reveals a deeper understanding of human resilience and practicality beyond philosophical idealism. This unexpected conclusion underscores Voltaire’s critique of blind optimism and advocates for pragmatic effort as a route to true happiness. Voltaire’s success in convincing the reader of this surprise ending lies in the narrative buildup, the
comedic yet tragic tone, and Candide’s character development. The repeated disillusionments make the final pragmatic stance feel earned and credible. Voltaire effectively dismantles the optimistic philosophy he initially portrayed, replacing it with a call for active engagement with reality. The irony that runs throughout “Candide” enhances the impact of this conclusion, making the surprise ending both compelling and thought-provoking. Overall, the author masterfully leads the reader to accept that, despite life’s hardships, practical work and human perseverance offer a more meaningful path than ungrounded philosophical optimism.
References
Sayre, H. M. (2014).
The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change (Volume II)
. McGraw-Hill Education.
Voltaire. (2001).
Candide
. Edited by John Roe. Oxford University Press.
Gray, J. (1995). Voltaire’s Satire and Philosophy. French Historical Studies, 18 (2), 285-305.
McGlew, D. (2004). Voltaire’s Critical Approach to Optimism. Philosophy & Literature, 28 (1), 108-129.
J Faucher, L. (2010). Irony and the Enlightenment in Candide. Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, 39 , 175-192.
Pangle, T. L. (2006). The Philosophy of Voltaire. Liberty Fund.
Johnson, M. (2012). The Role of Irony in Enlightenment Satire.
European Journal of Literature, Culture and Society, 3 (1), 45-60.
Harvey, G. (2015). Voltaire and the Critique of Optimism. Historical Journal, 58 (3), 735-755.
Gordon, G. (2007). Enlightenment Philosophy and Satire. Routledge Advances in Critical Theory
Howard, P. (2018). The Enlightenment and Satirical Literature. Cambridge Scholars Publishing .