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**__Key Question for Candide - HW for class 34__** A. Throughout the novel, Voltaire repeats the message that we are not living in the best of all possible worlds. We can first see this when the sailor drowns the Anabaptist, the one that saved himself from the shores of the sea as mentioned in page 13, "The good Jaques (Anabaptist) runs to his(the sailor's) assistance, hauls him back on board, and in doing so is himself pitched into the sea in full view of the sailor, who leaves him to drown without even a backward glance." Only such inhumane treatment of a person to another could happen in a non-perfect world. Similarly, Pangloss disturbingly argues that "Lisbon harbour was built expressly so that this Anabaptist should one day drown in it.".
 * Q. Why is this not the best of all possible worlds?**

Violence and war is also present in this novel, as shown in page 8. " Here old men riddled with wounds or lead shot looked on as their wives lay dying, their throats cut, clutching their children to their blood-stained breasts; over there lay young girls in their last agonies, disemboweled after having satisfied the natural urges of various heroes; others still, half burned to death, cried out for someone to come and finish them off. Brains were scattered over the ground, amidst severed arms and legs." If a world was perfect, there would be no sufferings of people, but clearly this is not the case. As you can see, people are shown devastated at the aftermath of the war that happened in an Abar village.

Lastly, in page 23 of chapter 10, Cunégonde is shown saying "' But who could possibly have stolen my pistoles and diamonds?' said Cunégonde in tears. 'What shall we live on? How will we manage? Where shall I find the Inquisitors and the Jews to give me more?' - 'Alas!" said the old woman, 'I strongly suspect it was that reverend Franciscan who slept in the same inn as us last night in Badajoz.." What Cunégonde is feeling here is betrayal and sad at the fact that the reverend Franciscan supposedly stole her pistoles and diamonds. If a world was perfect, there would be no need for anyone to steal anything, but as it is shown to be quite the contrary, it is logically proven that we are NOT living in the best of all possible worlds.

 A. This book is filled with all kinds of disastrous things; from war to greed, dishonesty, slavery, and even cataclysms. The list would go on and on. Despite all this, in the same way that a world cannot be the best, it certainly can't be the worst. Voltaire gives the reader a sense of a "ray of hope" to make sure that we're not completely left devastated at the world we live in after reading the book. For example in chapter 1, Voltaire writes that for Candide, the protagonist says"Next to being born Baron von Thunder-ten-tronckh, the second degree of bliss was being Mademoiselle Cunégonde; the third was seeing her every day; and the fourth was listening to Pangloss, the greatest philosopher in the province, and therefore, in the whold world." on page 4. If a world was filled with dismal and glum events, no one would look forward to things in the future nor would they be happy at anything. This is not true for Candide as he says quite the contrary. This means that although we could be living in the "worst of all worlds", we can get through it by having hopes and thinking and looking forward to happy things. Also near the end of the quote, you can probably see that Candide has fallen in love with Cunégonde. Another happy thing! Love is just one of the many many things that make the world so joyful. Also, judging by the Anabaptist's personality, we can conclude that people are not always mean and full of themselves the whole time.
 * Q. What "rays of hope" do you see?**