In the books introduction, Michael Woods tells us that Voltaire wrote, " Satires don't correct anyone, irritate the foolish, and make them even more mean." I believe that this is true. Many satirical things can be funny, but once they go to a certain place it can make people upset because it is there beliefs that are being made fun of. Optimism is one thing that is greatly satirized throughout the book. If Pangloss or someone like him were to read this book, I think that he would think that the book is exaggerating the actual circumstance. I think he would still say all is for the best. Pangloss is the one who had to go through the trials and tribulations and he still thought that it was for the best.

Martin believes that man is equally miserable. He knows of the bad in the world, but he is also as blind to the world as Pangloss. He only sees the bad, but there is good in the world too. Martin only sees the other extreme. They don't see anywhere in the middle and the world lies in the middle. Nothing is all miserable and nothing is all good.
Throughout the book they went through a lot of public misery, but there were private griefs too. I think that these private grief's were crueler because they were things that went on in there homes and inside of their heads. The things that they went through affected their minds and made them question their beliefs. The public miseries weren't things that made them think differently, they were things that bruised them on the outside. I don't think that people realize that things that toy with emotions and thoughts are crueler than others.

Women during the Age of Reason

6. The old woman tells Candide: “Imagine my situation, the daughter of a pope, only fifteen years old, who in the space of three months had been exposed to poverty and slavery, had been raped almost daily, had seen her mother torn to pieces, had endured war and famine, and was now dying of the plague in Algiers” (p. 29). What does this passage, and others like it, suggest about the reality of women’s lives during the Age of Reason? 


6. Many women during the Age of Reason were seen as weak and less of a human being than a man. Women also had little to no education whatsoever. The main role of a woman during this time period was to please men. It was also not against the law to physically abuse women, so a lot of men got away with treating women like pieces of meat. Men saw women as being inferior to them. Women during this period were basically slaves.

Paquette the Party Pooper

Syphilis Hands

Paquette is not the deepest character, but she's probably the nastiest. She shows up a few times in the book, throwing a twist in the plot each time. The first time, when Pangloss is "educating" her, she gives him Syphilis. The second time, she is seen with a monk. She's a prostitute and helps support Martin's pessimistic views. The third and final time, Paquette shows up again with the monk in utter despair. She and the group go to a dervish, but they're too pathetic and unenlightened to be helped.

Abbe the Liar

When Candide met Abbe, he was at lost of words he had been so depressed about Cunegonde for so long. After a game of cards, Abbe took advantage of Candide's new found wealth after a game of cards. After finding out about Cunegonde, he sees his opportunity and takes advantage of the depressed Candide. Candide was then suduced by a mysterious mistress who stole his diamond rings. Later, Candide finds a letter telling him to go to Cunagone, only to find out that he had fallen into a trick. Abbe had him arrested in the hotel Candide thought he was meeting Cunegonde at. Candide got his way out with money, and landed in England. However, lost his riches because of the crook, Abbe, and the mistress in which he had a relation with.
Candide was taken advantage of emotionally, and because of that he lost a great deal of wealth to this liar. He lied to get his money because he noticed he was richer than normal men. Candide should've been more careful with who he shows his money around to, but it was not a reason to take his momey in any way. People like Abbe make the world a worse place. It can also symbolize the unequailty that makes people steal and lie. Some people live off of stealing things, like food and money. However, this happening to Candide is just like when he lost his sheep. One would hope he learned the first time when he was being robbed of his riches.

Without Feet or Her Dad

A girl's mother died while giving birth to her, so all her life it was her and her father. They lived a decent life until her father lost his job. A world of hurt was about to come their way. They lost their house and their car. Even though her father tried to look for a new job, there was not luck. Now living off unempolyment money, they moved into a ragedy apartment. There was literally only enough money to pay bills. So, the girl got a part time job at a pizza place far away from their apartment, but it was a job and they needed the money.

They had so little money that she couldn't get new snow boots for the harsh winter ahead, and her snow boots were almost nonexsistant. Knowing that they had little money, missing a day of work would mean a day without food. So, when there was a huge blizzard that winter, she walked to work in her deteriating snow boots. When she reach the shop it was closed, no one had called her to tell her that the shop was closed. So, she trudged back home. 

When she got back home she couldn't feel her feet. Her father helped her get her shoes off, realizing that her feet were purple, bruised, and frozen. Knowing they had little funds, she didn't go to the hospital. He tried everything he could to get her feet warm again. A day or so later, her feet were black now. Her father decided to take her to the ER. The doctor told her that she was going to have to lose her feet because the frostbite had gone too far. Now with no feet, she returned home and went to bed. The next morning an officer was knocking on the door. He told her that her father was dead. She raced to her father's room, only to find a suicide note addressed to her. The note was saying that he was no longer the father he should be for her. He blamed himself for everything his daughter went through. Luckily, their next door neighbor was kind enough to take her in. However, now, she has neither her feet nor her father. 

Shoe Stabbing

A Texas couple were in a heated argument. She said that he grabbed her. She wanted for people to think that it was self-defense. She stabbed her boyfriend 25 times. When they found his body, he was lying face up with her shoe in his forehead.

Royal Hunk of Burnin' Love

People were really messed up in the 14th century. King Edward II wasn't the best king; he was irresponsible, politically incompetent, and a butt. But he didn't have to die like he did.

His wife and her lover dethroned him by shoving an animal horn up his anus and sticking a hot iron inside. His internal organs were burned from the inside, making it really easy to say he died of something other than murder.

It probably smelled really bad. /.\