Satire can be found in our everyday life, something we find in the Newspaper, Tv, music even in Novels. Most political cartoons we find in newspaper are a very big example of satire. What is satire? The main purpose of satire is to criticize or point out issues in society or in an individual. Satire can be defined as the comic portrayal of human departures form reason or common sense or ethics or morality. The writer uses irony to make the reader believe or have the same view as them. A very good example of irony is when Don Quixote addresses two prostitutes as beautiful but then is laughed at. Don Quixote by Miguel de cervates and Candide by Voltaire clearly shows the use of satire.
Don Quixote has read so many books about knights and their work, to the extant he believes himself to be a knight. In chapter 8 we find Don Quixote and his friend Sancho when they caught sight of thirty or forty windmills which were standing on the plan there. Don Quixote immediately says “Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we could have wished; for you see there before you some thirty or more lawless giants with whom I mean to battle. I shall deprive them of their lives and with the spoils form this encounter we shall begin to enrich ourselves; for this righteous warfare, and it is great service to God to remove so accursed a breed from the face of the earth”. ( Quixote ,P 1208) Sancho being confused asks “which giant”, Don Quixote believed the windmills were giants, but as a reader you begin to question why he wants to attack or kill the so called giant , they were not a threat nor did they attack him they were basically harmless not until Don Quixote shouted at the top of his lungs “ Do not seek to flee, cowards and vile creatures that you are for it is but a single knight with whom you have to deal.”( Quixote ,P 1208) After he said those words the wings began turning. Now as a reader you begin to think if don Quixote strange behavior makes him a fool. The writer gives another example of satire when Don Quixote and Sancho arrived in an inn, Don Quixote who believes the inn is a castle and wants to rest there after a long day of battle because he believes he is the great Don Quixote de la Mancha. When Don Quixote arrived at the inn, he meets two prostitutes and respectfully talks to them, the prostitutes who are not used to hearing kind words form people laughs at him and portrays him as a fool. The writer uses satire to point out the lack of respect towards prostitute, even though their job isn’t conceded as a real job or it’s a sexual oriented job they should be treated as women and not be treated less or be less respected because they are prostitute.
In the story Candide, Voltaire uses satire to criticize religion, military and societies, he is trying to make the reader understand that Greed, malice and lust do not comprise the total possibility of human kind. Voltaire uses satire in chapter 24 when Candide is convsied that the monk and the pretty girl whose name is Paquette, who was singing out loud were happy and believes they are not miserable people. After plaquette poured out her heart to Candide in the hotel room on what is it like to caress indiscriminately an old merchant, a lawyer, a monk, a gondolier, to borrow skirt to go have it lifted by some disgusting man and to be robbed, she tells Candide that she is one of the most miserable creature in the word. Candide is in shook and ask Paquette “how’s this? you looked so happy, so joyous when I meet you; you were singing, you careseed the Theatine with such a natural air of delight; you seemed to me just as happy as you now say you are miserable”. she replied, “that is another one of the miseries of this business”. (P1601)
Candide said to the monk “you seem very happy with your life”.(Quixote 1601) Brother Giroflee tell Candide that more than a hundred times he has been tempted to set his convent on fire and go Turk and explained how he was forced by his parent when he was fifteen years old so they could leave more money to cursed his older brother. Also explain how when he goes back to the monastery at night he is ready to smash his head against the wall. Voltaire is trying to tell his reader that monks or any religious leader is no better than a regular human being and gives the reader the idea that most member of the church are not dedicated to serving God or were forced to serve in the church.
