Essay about The Role of the Individual in Candide

All around the world the roles of the individual and of society are completely abstract. As the world changes and develops, the roles of the individual and society change to meet the needs of the people. Voltaires Candide which involves France during the Age of Enlightment Marx Engels Communist Manifesto which involves Germany around 1848 both discuss the roles of the individual and of society in different ways. In both pieces of literature what is expected of the individuals and of society is very different from what is presently happening. The Communist Manifesto discusses human nature and social class while Voltaire discusses the flaws of society and the realities that not everything is for the best. In Communist Manifesto, the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You say individuality vanishes. You must therefore confess that by â€Å"individual† you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property† (The Communist Manifesto 16) The i dea of communism is to encourage people to actually be individuals while being an active member of society. Although the role of the individual are made very clear by Marx they fail due the ideals of human nature. It is said that the human nature can be considered the downfall of communism. Communism as proposed should be extremely successful but due to human nature there is no way for communist success. The success declines as soon as it starts because people lose motivation. People have no motivation to work as hard as they possibly can because everyone is economically equal. This is a flaw of the communist society as opposed to capitalism. Marx wants people to work as an autonomous collective to gain power and take it away from capitalism however, people are only invested in something that benefits them, and communism relies on an all for one, one for all attitudes. According to The Communist Manifesto. the role of society is to provide equality for all people. As stated In bourgeois society, living labor is but a mean to increase labor. In communist society accumulatedShow MoreRelatedThe And Philosophical Movement Of Voltaire s Candide1641 Words   |  7 Pagessuperstition and religious authoritarianism. People began to reflect on themselves rather than relying on the church. Voltaire was a writer and philosopher, who played an important role by incorporating themes of The Enlightenment into one of his famous novels, â€Å"Candide† to spread ideas. Themes including religion, and optimism in â€Å"Candide† were used by Voltaire through his perspective to emphasize the Character s progress out of traditional values with reasoning and thinking. An intellectual and philosophicalRead MorePhilosophical And Satirical Novel Candide Or Optimism 1010 Words   |  5 PagesHistory of Western Civilization II Philosophical and satirical novel by the famous French Enlightenment writer Candide, or Optimism was created in the XVIII century. One of the most popular works of Voltaire received an unexpected destiny. For a long time it was forbidden because of obscenity, and the writer himself admitted that his authorship, then renounced it. 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