Satire and Social Criticism

The Enlightenment is a period in history that was characterized by transmutation of advances in philosophy, science and medicine. The main theme of the enlightenment was the sentiment that stack of the world could actually make an effort to create a bust world. In the process, the philosophers embraced different figurative tools to enlighten the mickle, and among these, satire stood out. Satire oddly assumed the form of bitter, harsh criticism to hypocrisies, in fairishices and inhumane practices that characterized the society at the time.Candide by French philosopher Voltaire is a bizarrely humorous tale chronicling the adventures of a upstart man throughout the world, but the aspect that has made it generate so much interest is how it satirically challenges the social norms and optimism that characterized the age. First, Voltaire pokes fun at the fearful family by naming the forcey Thunder-ten-tronckh, a silly set of language aimed at attacking the pride the barons family have in their noble heritage. Voltaire is challenging natural superiority assumed by aristocrats.For example, the barons sister, despite being the mother of Candide, refused to marry his father further because he had 71 noble lineages while she had 72 (Voltaire, 2008). The satire here(predicate) manages to make the concern nobles had everywhere lesser people look in the beginning absurd. Dr. Panglos (the name translates to all-tongue) belonged to the metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology school of thought. He often taught the young Candide the principles of his doctrine which upheld the belief that all things were created with a purpose, which is ultimately the best purpose (Voltaire, 2008).Voltaire uses Pangloss to parody the philosophers of the seventeenth century and before who debated topics of no benefit to humanity. Voltaire most likely mat that the verbal acrobatics of these thinkers were so ridiculous and critics of this tale feel that he was lampooning the philosophie s of Leibniz. Leibniz believed that a pre-meditated harmony existed in the world and that the world must be the best place ever since a perfect God had created it. Voltaire, on the other hand, is an opponent of this blind optimism on account of the tragedies that afflict mankind.He uses the difficulties Candide has to endure and the Lisbon earthquake which claimed over 75 percent of the urban center despite a ritual which involved burning some people in a slow fire in order to hamper catastrophes like these having been conducted. The tragedies that Candide suffers in the hands of the Bulgarian army underline the hardness and suffering that existed within armies. Noblemen started war, and it was the common men serving in the battlefields that tidal bore the full brunt of conflicts (Voltaire, 2008).While the people are suffering, clergymen hypocritically squabble over religious doctrines and worry more about converting people into their faith kind of of tackling the wars, famines and oppression which plague the society. M whatsoever satirists have developed a mother wit of satire that is more or less in line with the stances Voltaire espouse in his effort to reform the society. I choose to analyze the day-after-day Show hosted by Jon Stewart since 1999. Jon Stewart applies satire to address the social, governmental, and economical issues facing the the Statesn society in the present time.Among his themes are political tolerance and the consequence to which current events affect the youth not only in America but also in the whole world (The day-by-day Show, 2007). The nonchalant Show has aired every Monday to Thursday since July 1996 on Comedy interchange and hosts a variety of political and celebrity figures with the aim of getting their sound judgment on current socio-political issues affecting the American society. Watching an episode of the Daily Show, I visualized Jon Stewart wanting his audience to approach current issues with pragmatism.I watc hed the episode in which he hosted 2008 republican presidential candidate basin McCain. McCain, as part of his presidential campaigns, had announced that he would make an way at Liberty institution, an institution founded by Jerry Falwell who McCain had earlier denounced as an factor of intolerance (The Daily Show, 2007). Stewart rightfully identified the hypocrisy of the appearance versed that it was in direct opposition of the principles McCain so often preached. It was an attempt to just secure votes against the values the candidate had preached all along.Jon Stewarts show assumes that that any political leader should stand his ground and stick to his or her beliefs with suppose to the issues that affect the society (The Daily Show, 2007), failure to which he or she would be drifting into madness. Desperate attempts to win over public hold water in policy issues should be based on conviction quite an than on hysteria as stirred by those seeking political office. Stewart wa nted the society to see people for what they really were, as a strategy to establishing a just system, rather than the instantaneous stances they adopt when the privation arises.