Voltaire’s Candide: The Presentation of Evil in Self, Society, and the World
Susan E. Stokley
Theory and Methods of Teaching Secondary English
University of Colorado-Denver
Table of Contents
Context…………………………………………………………………………………3
Introduction, Overview and Rationale…………………………………………………5
Explanation and Definition of Key Terms……………………………………………..9
Assessment and Grading Plan………………………………………………………...10
Sequence and Scope…………………………………………………………………..14
Lesson Plan 1…………………………………………………………………15
Lesson Plan 2…………………………………………………………………23
Lesson Pan 3………………………………………………………………….25
Lesson Plan 4…………………………………………………………………28
Lesson Plan 5…………………………………………………………………31
Lesson Plan 6…………………………………………………………………35
Routines and Structures………………………………………………………………37
Differentiated Instruction…………………………………………………………….38
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….40
Context
Thomas Jefferson High School has a current enrollment of approximately 1150 students. The demographic distribution of students is as follows: White—46%, Black—31%, Hispanic—19%, Asian/Pacific—3%, American Indian—1%. We have few second language learners at Thomas Jefferson, because South High School is the ELL magnet for the district. We do serve a large population of Special Education students at Thomas Jefferson, because we are the district’s Severe and Profound Special Education magnet, and so we have a good reputation for services to this community. We also feature a Computer Magnet Program, funded through the CET department of the district. Both of these internal programs draw students from across the district. Our two main feeder schools are Slavens K-8, and Hamilton Middle School, though we do get some students from Merrill and Place Middle Schools as well. Some of our students live out in Green Valley by the airport, and choose Thomas Jefferson High School over Montebello. Thomas Jefferson is located at I-25and Hampden Boulevard in southeast Denver, in a mixed business and residential neighborhood. While this setting is typical of a suburban neighborhood, Thomas Jefferson is considered an urban school, and has an urban population. Only 34% of the students at Thomas Jefferson qualify for free or reduced lunch, which puts Thomas Jefferson in the middle socio-economic range for high schools in Denver Public Schools.
Test scores at Thomas Jefferson High School have experienced a steady decline in math and 9th grade reading and writing, but increased in 10th grade reading and writing according to the 2009 CSAP scores for the school. The graduation rate for Thomas Jefferson High School is 95%, with 92% of graduates going on to higher education. While these statistics show our strengths and challenges, they also show that we are trending upwards and may soon be off of accredited—on watch status.
Our school improvement plan targets all of these issues and a few more. One of the issues we face is community involvement and relations. With that in mind, a team of administrators and teachers has formed a community outreach committee. One of the goals of this committee is to implement positive community interaction. Recently, students have visited businesses and community centers to assist with promotions, health fairs, and other community events. Another issue is parent involvement in the school community. While Thomas Jefferson has a strong parent group that supports the athletic programs, we do not have parent volunteers and support for the academic aspect of the school. This is partly because so many of our students live in Green Valley and so many of our parents work. The leadership committee has begun an outreach program to these parents in hopes of involving them in their children’s education. In regards to improving test scores, much internal work is being done. The establishment of common planning, and co-curricular groups has been most effective, but we have yet to see positive results from the micro-management of the district home office. For the past three years, Thomas Jefferson High School has participated in an educational grant from the Collegeboard, which requires us to use a standardized curriculum. Ironically, it is during these years that our scores have been their lowest. It is only by editing the curriculum to address the needs of our students, that we have seen a rise in these scores in the English department. Next year, while grades 9 and 10 of this curriculum will be mandated district wide, we will have the opportunity to develop our upper level courses to meet the needs of students in regards to college and workforce readiness.
Introduction, Overview, and Rationale
This unit will be taught in 12th grade Advanced Placement literature. This is the 5th year I have taught this class at Thomas Jefferson High School, but I have never taught this novel. I will teach this unit in the spring of 2010, which is why I chose to write the curriculum for this class. I teach three sections of AP literature, averaging 25 students in each section. As an advocate for access and equity in education, I have an open enrollment policy for this class, and the population has doubled since I arrived in 2005. Another added benefit to open enrollment is that the demographics of my classes match that of the school. One of the district’s goals is to increase enrollment n Advanced Placement classes, and increase AP scores by 3.5% next year. I am looking at an increase in passing scores from 43% to 46.5%, but I think I will exceed this increase by several percentage points by differentiating my instruction to meet the needs of my specific students.
Throughout the course of this unit, students will have the opportunity to apply many different learning strategies to develop the skills they need to become close readers and literary analysts. Some of the work will be done in small groups, some individually, and some as a whole class. This way, all students will be able to participate in ways that are comfortable and engaging for them. Students will transition from a traditional classroom setting with all desks facing the front of the room for ease in viewing multi-media and whole class presentations, to small groups, moving their desks accordingly, to fishbowl discussions held throughout the unit. We will access both the school library and the computer lab for the research portions of the unit, so we will also transition throughout the school.
The overall focus of the unit is to discern how evil is presented in self, society, and the world. The central text is Candide, by Voltaire. The protagonist of the novel is Candide, who believes that this is the best of all possible worlds. Through a series of very unfortunate events, he encounters several examples of the exact opposite, until he finally finds his own best of all possible worlds. As Candide moves through the world, so will my students. They will have the opportunity to decide for themselves what is evil, and how to approach situations in their own lives when evil presents itself in order to make their own decisions. Together, we will explore the philosophy of the Enlightenment, Voltaire’s satirical message, and the social, political, and personal aspects of evil in the novel, and in life.
Instructional Resources
The primary text for this unit is the novel Candide. Written by Voltaire, who was an Enlightenment philosopher, this novel is a parody of the classic adventure/romance novel that was popular at the time, and a scathing satire of the Optimist philosophy of Leibniz that so many people subscribed to during the Enlightenment. The characters in the novel are allegorical, and represent various political, religious, and philosophic figures from that era. Voltaire’s message is that evil exists in many forms, some more insidious and less obvious than others.
Secondary texts for this unit include a poem by William Blake, addressing Voltaire’s mockery of religion, an anti-war poem by Voltaire, several non-fiction texts including critical analysis of the novel, a biography of the author, historical information, and primary texts in the form of a letter from Voltaire and an excerpt from his Dictionary of Philosophy. Students will also use the school library and the computer lab to access various sources both on and off line for the research portion of the unit.
The ability to synthesize several sources to arrive at a statement of author’s purpose is a key component college readiness. Milner & Milner address the challenges of Historical Synthesis in Bridging English as one effective way to enable student writing (Milner & Milner, 2008). Students will have an opportunity to use the sources presented in class and sources they find on their own to create an analysis of the effectiveness of Candide as a vehicle for Voltaire’s message and the philosophies of the Enlightenment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss several of the ideas presented in the book in relation to their own experience in a formal Socratic discussion. In regards to non-print media, students will create a visual representation of Voltaire’s philosophy, and a multimedia travelogue for one of the places Candide travels to in the novel.
Unit Title: Voltaire’s Candide: The Presentation of Evil in Self, Society, and the World
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Questions to Consider: (for use in various activities throughout the novel study)
• Do you think Voltaire believed there is only evil in the world or are there redeeming qualities to the characters in Candide?
• Why do many of the characters, including Miss Cunegonde and Pangloss, presumably die and then reappear? Is there significance to their being "brought back to life"? Why is the Anabaptist James the only major character who dies and does not reappear? (Teachervision)
• Voltaire satirized people of every walk of life, every race, religion and occupation. How do the 18th century "victims" of his satirical wit compare to contemporary examples? Are the hypocrisies and social ills that Voltaire identifies similar to or different from ones society faces today?
• Candide goes on a truly epic journey through the course of the novel.
- Do people differ from one another that much over the course of his travels? How? (Bookrags)
Enduring Understandings:
• Students will understand that there are many types of evil in the world, some more insidious and less obvious tan others.
• Students will know how to synthesize sources to create a general analysis of any topic.
• Students will know how to read actively and write analytically.
Skills: (from the Colorado Model Content Standards)
STANDARD 1: Students read and understand a variety of materials. In order to meet this standard, students will
• make connections between their reading and what they already know, and identify what they need to know about a topic before reading about it;
• adjust reading strategies for different purposes such as reading carefully, idea by idea; skimming and scanning; fitting materials into an organizational pattern, such as reading a novel chronologically; finding information to support particular ideas; and finding the sequence of steps in a technical publication.
STANDARD 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences. In order to meet this standard, students will support an opinion using various forms of persuasion (factual or emotional) in speaking and writing.
• support an opinion using various forms of persuasion (factual or emotional) in speaking and writing;
• experiment with stylistic elements such as voice, tone, and style.
STANDARD 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. In order to meet this standard, students will
• use pronoun reference correctly in writing
• use phrases and clauses for purposes of modification and parallel structure in writing and speaking;
• use internal capitalization and punctuation of secondary quotations in writing;
• use manuscript forms specified in various style manuals for writing (for example, indenting for extended quotations, precise placement and form of page numbers, appropriate line spacing); and refining spelling and grammatical skills
STANDARD 4:Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• make predictions, analyze, draw conclusions, and discriminate between fact and opinion in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and viewing;
• identify the purpose, perspective, and historical and cultural influences of a speaker, author, or director.
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• use reading, writing, listening, articulate speaking, and viewing to solve problems;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime; and
• critique the content of written work and oral presentations.
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime.
STANDARD 5: Students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, reference, and technological sources. In order to meet this standard, students will
• evaluating information in light of what they know and their specific needs;
• using available technology to access information, conduct research, and produce a carefully documented product.
STANDARD 6:Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. In order to meet this standard, students will
• read literature to investigate common issues and interests;
• read literature to understand places, people, events, and vocabulary, both familiar and unfamiliar.
• read, respond to, and discuss novels, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, content-area and technical material, plays, essays, and speeches;
• use literary terminology accurately, such as theme, mood, diction, idiom, perspective, style, and point of view.
• understand the common themes in the literature of the world.
• develop and support a thesis about the craft and significance of a classic work of literature.
• understand the common themes in the literature of the world.
(Colorado Department of Education)
Explanation and Definition of Key Terms
Irony - a perception of inconsistency, sometimes humorous, in which the significance and understanding of a statement or event is changed by its context.
Example: The firehouse burned down.
Dramatic Irony - the audience or reader knows more about a character’s situation
than the character does and knows that the character’s understanding is incorrect.
Example: In Medea, Creon asks, “What atrocities could she commit in one day?”
The reader, however, knows Medea will destroy her family and Creon’s by day’s end.
Structural Irony – the use of a naïve hero, whose incorrect perceptions differ from
the reader’s correct ones.
Example: Huck Finn.
Verbal Irony - a discrepancy between what is said and what is really meant;
sarcasm.
Example: A large man whose nickname is “Tiny.”
Satire - using humor to expose something or someone to ridicule.
Examples: Animal Farm; Gulliver’s Travels.
Philosophical Optimism — This is a school of philosophy that believes that everything that happens in the world has some point and, in the end, everything happens for the best.
For example, in the event of a disaster, the “good end” of what seems to be a tragedy
may not be apparent at the moment, but there is good that will come out of the
disaster. Voltaire opposes this point-of-view because he thinks it makes people
complacent and discourages them from working to make things better in the world.
The Problem of Evil — The presence of evil in this world is something philosophers,
theologians, and average people have long grappled with. Philosophers pose this
question: “If God is all good and all knowing, how can He allow such terrible, evil
things to happen in a world that He has created?”
Divine Providence — Allied with the belief in Philosophical Optimism was a religious notion that there is a divine will that guides our fate; that is, everything that happens to us is God’s will. Related to the question of Divine Providence is the question of Free Will. If our lives are ordained by God, are we responsible for choosing good or evil in our lives?
Do we have any control over our lives, or are we simply pawns of fate?
Cause and Effect — This idea is used by philosophers to prove the existence of God. They argue that for every effect there must have been a cause; in tracing this back we
eventually reach the “uncaused cause”: God.
Sufficient Reason — In Leibnitz’s philosophy, the sufficient reason is that which justifies the existence of things. Like the uncaused cause, the ultimate sufficient reason is God (Perfection Learning).
Assessment and Grading Plan
Assessments for this unit will be both formative and summative. Formative assessments will include exit slips, daily class work, discussions, and reading logs. These assessments will be used to inform instruction throughout e course of the unit and to show student understanding of the content, skills, and strategies they encounter and apply. Summative assessments will take place at the end of the unit in the form of the visual representation of Voltaire’s philosophy, the multi-media travelogue, and the in class essays students will write in practice for the essay portion of the AP test in May.
Formative Assessments
• Admit/Exit Slips—these will be reflections on daily discussions an class work.
• Observations of discussions
• Weekly Reading Log—see lesson 2
• Critique of Non-Fiction Text discussion—see lesson 3
• Reading Notes—see lesson 3
• TP-CASTT graphic organizer—see lesson 5
Summative Assessments
• In-class timed essay—see lesson 4
• Analytical essay—see lesson 5
• Visual representation of character—see lesson 6
--Relevance of quotes to character’s philosophy
• Multimedia travelogue—presentations to follow completion of the unit
Grading plan
Grading for formative assessments will be point based and vary according to difficulty and time spent. Entrance/Exit slips will receive 5 points. Observations of discussions will be rubric based. Weekly reading logs will be awarded 30 points each based on thoughtfulness and completion of all sections. Reading notes will be assessed at 30 points as will the TP-CASTT graphic organizer.
Grading for summative assessments will be point based and vary according to difficulty and time spent. The in-class timed essay will be assessed according to the Advanced Placement Rubric created by the Collegeboard with a conversion point scale of 0-100 points. The analytical essay, based on the TP-CASTT graphic organizer will be assessed at 40 points. The visual representation of a character will be assessed with a rubric totaling 75 points, and the multimedia travelogue, which will be completed in groups of four, will be assessed at 100 points per student.
Rubrics for Assessments
Observation of Discussions
ATTRIBUTE 10 15 20
LISTENING Recognizes and responds to others speaking. Uses and practices listening processes regularly. Habitually uses listening processes.
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Eye contact, gestures, posture, facial expression, voice. Comprehends some information from non-verbal cues. Draws accurate conclusions from body language and facial expressions. Able to recognize and use subtle non-verbal communication cues.
CO-OPERATION Sometimes shows ability to wait to give appropriate verbal / non-verbal responses. Usually shows ability to wait to give appropriate verbal / non-verbal responses. Habitually shows ability to wait with openness and awareness to give appropriate verbal / non-verbal responses.
PARTICIPATION Tells thoughts, feelings, ideas so others understand. Rarely talks during the discussion or talk is off the subject. Offers few ideas to the discussion. Shares freely and explains with details. Makes connections to what others say. Talk inspires others. Supports and leads others in discussion.
(Discussion rubric, 2009)
Advanced Placement Essay Rubric
# Description %
9-8 Superior papers are specific in their references, cogent in their definitions, and free of plot summary that is not relevant to the question. These essays need not be without flaws, but they demonstrate the writer's ability to discuss a literary work with insight and understanding and to control a wide range of the elements of effective composition. 100-92
7-6 These papers are less thorough, less perceptive or less specific than 9-8 papers. These essays are well-written but with less maturity and control than the top papers. They demonstrate the writer's ability to analyze a literary work, but they reveal a more limited understanding than do the papers in the 9-8 range. Generally, 6 essays present a less sophisticated analysis and less consistent command of the elements of effective writing than essays scored 7. 91-81
5 Superficiality characterizes these 5 essays. Discussion of meaning may be pedestrian, mechanical, or inadequately related to the chosen details. Typically, these essays reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature writing. They usually demonstrate inconsistent control over the elements of composition and are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as the upper-half papers. On the other hand, the writing is sufficient to convey the writer's ideas. 80-75
4-3 Discussion is likely to be unpersuasive, perfunctory, underdeveloped or misguided. The meaning they deduce may be inaccurate or insubstantial and not clearly related to the question. Part of the question may be omitted altogether. The writing may convey the writer's ideas, but it reveals weak control over such elements as diction, organization, syntax or grammar. Typically, these essays contain significant misinterpretations of the question or the work they discuss; they may also contain little, if any, supporting evidence, and practice paraphrase and plot summary at the expense of analysis. 74-60
2-1 These essays compound the weakness of essays in the 4-3 range and are frequently unacceptably brief. They are poorly written on several counts, including many distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. Although the writer may have made some effort to answer the question, the views presented have little clarity or coherence. 59-25
0 These essays respond with no more than a reference to the task, contain completely off-topic responses, or are blank. 24-0
(AP essay rubric, 2009)
Visual Representation of a Character
CATEGORY 25 20 15 0
Graphics - Originality Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display. One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display. The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others. No graphics made by the student are included.
Content - Accuracy At least 10 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. At least 7-9 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. At least 5-7 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. No quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster.
Graphics - Relevance All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation. Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Multimedia Travelogue
CATEGORY 70 60 50 40
Presentation Well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention. Rehearsed with fairly smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time. Delivery not smooth, but able to maintain interest of the audience most of the time. Delivery not smooth and audience attention often lost.
Sources Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format. Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format. Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired format. Very little or no source information was collected.
Organization Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. Content is logically organized for the most part. There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts.
Oral Presentation Interesting, well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention. Relatively interesting, rehearsed with a fairly smooth delivery that usually holds audience attention. Delivery not smooth, but able to hold audience attention most of the time. Delivery not smooth and audience attention lost.
Originality Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. Uses other people's ideas (giving them credit), but there is little evidence of original thinking. Uses other people's ideas, but does not give them credit.
Workload The workload is divided and shared equally by all team members. The workload is divided and shared fairly by all team members, though workloads may vary from person to person. The workload was divided, but one person in the group is viewed as not doing his/her fair share of the work. The workload was not divided OR several people in the group are viewed as not doing their fair share of the work.
Scope and Sequence
Four Week Unit—Allowing for Presentations—Modified Block Schedule—One 90 minute block, Three 50 minute periods.
All readings are to be completed on the due date for discussion and review the next day!
FEBRUARY 2010
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
8 Weekly Vocab Test
Hand out Unit Packet and review.
Hand out Candide
Read Ch 1 with class
Ch 1-2 9 Opening Lesson 1
Part 1—readings 1&2
Ch 3-4
10 Opening Lesson 1 Part 2—readings 3&4
Ch 5-6
11 Opening Lesson 2
Part 2—readings 3&4
Ch 7-8 12 Weekly Reading Log #1—Lesson 2
Weekly discussion
Ch 9-10
15Weekly Vocab Test
Lesson 3—Critique of Non-fiction
Cornell Notes
Guiding Questions
Ch 11-12 16
Lesson 3—Critique of Non-fiction
Cornell Notes
Guiding Questions
Ch 13-14 17 Lesson 4—In Class Timed Writing
Review Planning/Revision Strategies
Ch 15-16 18 Lesson 4—In Class Timed Writing
Review Planning/Revision Strategies
Ch 17-18 19 Weekly Reading Log #2—Lesson 2
Weekly discussion
Ch 19-20
22Weekly Vocab Test
Lesson 5—Read Poem and complete Graphic Organizer
Model Analytical Essay
Ch 21-22 23 Review criteria for projects/presentation
Allow time for teams to work together today in lab and libary
Ch 23-24 24 Analytical Essays on Poems Due—Lesson 5
Ch 25-26 25 Analytical Essays on Poems Due—Lesson 5
Ch 27-28 26 Weekly Reading Log #3—Lesson 2
Weekly discussion
Ch 29-30
1 March 2010
Final Objective Assessment of Candide 2 Character Visuals 3Multimedia Presentations 4 Multimedia Presentations 5 Character Visuals
Opening Lesson
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: In this first lesson, students will be able to understand the historical, social, and personal context of the novel.
Standards: STANDARD 1: Students read and understand a variety of materials. In order to meet this standard, students will
• make connections between their reading and what they already know, and identify what they need to know about a topic before reading about it;
• adjust reading strategies for different purposes such as reading carefully, idea by idea; skimming and scanning; fitting materials into an organizational pattern, such as reading a novel chronologically; finding information to support particular ideas; and finding the sequence of steps in a technical publication.
STANDARD 4:Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• make predictions, analyze, draw conclusions, and discriminate between fact and opinion in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and viewing;
• identify the purpose, perspective, and historical and cultural influences of a speaker, author, or director.
STANDARD 6:Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. In order to meet this standard, students will
• know and use literary terminology;
• read literature to investigate common issues and interests;
• read literature to understand places, people, events, and vocabulary, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Assessment: Admit/Exit Slips
Observations of discussions
Materials: Biography of Voltaire from Lucidcafe.com
Voltaire and Candide by Harry Maugan
Letter on the subject of Candide, to the Journal encyclopédique
15 July 1759 from the Norton Critical Edition of Candide
“Mock On, Mock On, Voltaire, Rousseau” by William Blake with an anonymous response.
Sequence:
5 min Anticipatory Set:
Answer the following question on your index card:
How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
40 min Lesson
Introduce the book and the author. Hand out background material on Voltaire and his philosophy. Have students read each section individually, or read them aloud as a class, annotating for wows and whoas. (See appendices.)
After students have finished each section of the background material, ask them to share their wows and whoas as a whole class.
5 min Exit Slip/Conclusion
Answer the following questions on your index card:
How did Voltaire view his world? How did others view Voltaire? Infer what these perspectives have to do with the exploration of evil in Candide.
Differentiated Instruction: Students will work individually and as a group with a variety of texts. They will annotate as they feel necessary, and participate in whole-class discussion of each piece of the background material. The variety of the materials will appeal to a variety of interests in different genres including satire/humor, poetry, and non-fiction.
Suggestions for Extension: We will revisit the essential questions and the exit slip from today’s lesson frequently throughout the course of our reading of Candide. Students will have the opportunity to respond both orally and in written form to each, and apply these concepts to their own experience on our literary blog.
Appendix 1 Thinking Notes
Thinking Notes help students become more involved in their reading and gives them a way to record their thoughts about the text. The notation system is simple, and not as intrusive to the reading process as a dialectical journal, for example. If students cannot mark the book, they may use small sticky notes to place the symbols.
Some common thinking notes:
Yes agree
X disagree
+ new
! WOW
? I wonder
?? don’t understand
* important
Students may add other thinking notes to their text based on imagery, style, tone, character, etc.
Appendix 2 Biography
Voltaire
Author and Philosopher, 1694 - 1778
Francois Marie Arouet (pen name Voltaire) was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. Voltaire’s intelligence, wit, and style made him one of France’s greatest writers and philosophers.
Young Francois Marie received his education at “Louis-le-Grand,” a Jesuit college in Paris where he said he learned nothing but “Latin and the Stupidities.” He left school at 17 and soon made friends among the Parisian aristocrats. His humorous verses made him a favorite in society circles. In 1717, his sharp wit got him into trouble with the authorities. He was imprisoned in the Bastille for eleven months for writing a scathing satire of the French government. During his time in prison, Francois Marie wrote “Oedipe” which was to become his first theatrical success, and also adopted his pen name “Voltaire.”
In 1726, Voltaire insulted the powerful young nobleman, “Chevalier De Rohan,” and was given two options: imprisonment or exile. He chose exile and from 1726 to 1729 lived in England. While in England Voltaire was attracted to the philosophy of John Locke and ideas of mathematician and scientist, Sir Isaac Newton. He studied England's Constitutional Monarchy and its religious tolerance. Voltaire was particularly interested in the philosophical rationalism of the time, and in the study of the natural sciences. After returning to Paris he wrote a book praising English customs and institutions. It was interpreted as criticism of the French government, and in 1734 Voltaire was forced to leave Paris again.
At the invitation of a highly-intelligent woman friend, “Marquise du Chatelet,” Voltaire moved into her “Chateau de Cirey” near Luneville in eastern France. They studied the natural sciences together for several years. In 1746, Voltaire was voted into the “Academie Francaise.” In 1749, after the death of “Marquise du Chatelet” and at the invitation of the King of Prussia, “Frederick the Great,” he moved to Potsdam (near Berlin in Germany). In 1753, Voltaire left Potsdam to return to France.
In 1759, Voltaire purchased an estate called “Ferney” near the French-Swiss border where he lived until just before of his death. Ferney soon became the intellectual capital of Europe. Voltaire worked continuously throughout the years, producing a constant flow of books, plays and other publications. He wrote hundreds of letters to his circle of friends. He was always a voice of reason. Voltaire was often an outspoken critic of religious intolerance and persecution.
Voltaire returned to a hero’s welcome in Paris at age 83. The excitement of the trip was too much for him and he died in Paris. Because of his criticism of the church Voltaire was denied burial in church ground. He was finally buried at an abbey in Champagne. In 1791, his remains were moved to a resting place at the Pantheon in Paris.
In 1814, a group of “ultras” (a right-wing religious group) stole Voltaire’s remains and dumped them in a garbage heap. No one was the wiser for some 50 years. His enormous sarcophagus (opposite Rousseau’s) was checked and the remains were gone. (see Orieux, Voltaire, vol. 2 pp. 382-4.) His heart, however, had been removed from his body, and now lies in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. His brain was also removed, but after a series of passings-on over 100 years, disappeared after an auction.
(Lucidcafe, 2009)
Appendix 4 Voltaire’s Candide by Harry Maugans
This is a step away from “Technology, BMWs, and Business”, however I just wrote this quick article on Candide and thought I’d share.
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire constructed the novella “Candide” partially for the purpose of entertainment, but mostly to satirize the fallacy of Gottfried William von Leibniz’s theory of optimism. Throughout the course of his saga, Voltaire juxtaposes the raw, unrepressed optimism of one character in the story with exaggerated real-world adventures of pessimism and gloom. From gruesome war to disease, sedition, and deceit, Voltaire misses none of the bad in the “best of all possible worlds”.
Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician in Voltaire’s time. He argued that our world was the epitome of perfection, and all evils that transpire are for the betterment and evolution of our ideal society. God, he believed, was perfect, and as Earth is the conception of God, it must maintain such sound imperfections. However Voltaire chooses to begin writing on these premises alone to further accentuate his satire, purposefully overlooking the inescapable evil that comes with the “best of all possible worlds”. Leibniz was actually not suggesting our world was perfect, but rather the best of all the worlds available to God. Voltaire disregarded this in “Candide”.
Dr. Pangloss is introduced as the literary symbolic representation of Leibniz’s theory. Conceived early in the novella, the then naive Candide reveres Pangloss as the supreme authority on all philosophical matters and follows his teachings without question. Candide enters the world with this very closed-minded philosophy to further exaggerate Voltaire’s satirical aim, but throughout the story he experiences a fierce internal conflict between his childhood schooling and the realities of society. Voltaire also created the character of Martin, a very pessimistic antagonist acting as the devil whispering palpable cynicism into Candide’s ear. As their journey progresses, Candide finds it harder and harder to support the unyielding raw optimism of Pangloss.
At one point in “Candide”, the characters arrive at Eldorado, a utopia designed to metaphorically represent the perfect society described as “the best of all possible worlds”, a quote used by Leibniz and Pangloss to portray our “perfect” society. This city is “impossible” to find, and is described with details to make it seem as distant from reality as possible. By materializing Leibniz’s ideological perfection without laws, jails, or the need for material goods, Voltaire is showing Leibniz’s theory as laughable. This allows Candide to see for himself the quintessential essence of Pangloss’s teachings, just before being submerged again headfirst into the icy waters of society’s realism when they leave. Eldorado is one of Voltaire’s strongest examples of the philosophical collision in the novella, since it reaches beyond speculation and rumor to show Candide hard, physical evidence of the Atlantistic notion brought forth by Pangloss.
Chapter Nine is a hard hit for Candide’s faith in Pangloss’s teachings. He is forced to murder two men in an attempt to protect his own life and that of his mistress Cunégonde. They die in the exact same way for a nearly identical cause, and still the Grand Inquisitor is given a grand burial while the civilian man is thrown on a dunghill. They were both human beings- were their lives worth different values? Candide questions the ideological perfection of society’s injustice.
Voltaire also adds an interesting touch of satire through his choice of character names. Pangloss is loosely translated as “all tongue” or “windbag”, an ironically fitting name for one who offers no proof to support his claims. Candide is translated to “white”, a slightly deeper translation, but no less fitting. In the beginning of the novella, Candide is a very naive child, innocent and pure. He accepts the teachings of Pangloss, the only philosophy he is exposed to. As he makes his journey all over the world, his purity staggers in parallel with his maturity. He begins to question his personal beliefs, however always remaining true to his honesty, loyalty, and generosity” sparkling associations with the unblemished color white. His continued loyalty is apparent by maintaining his honest oath to always love Cunégonde, even after she grows old and loses her beauty. His generosity is illustrated when Candide offers some riches to the ousted king after hearing his tale from a world far less than the best possible.
In many ways, “Candide” is an allusion to Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”. Voltaire uses “Candide” to poke ridicule, even to the point of criticizing, the endless flaws of the world. From government corruption to inhumane warfare, Voltaire tends focuses more on the issues at large, rather than Chaucer’s focus toward individuals like merchants and friars’ however there truly is no difference. Society is composed of merchants, friars, priests, physicians, knights, and pardoners, so essentially both authors are attacking the same body, but from different angles. Where Chaucer may compare the nun to a prostitute, Voltaire compares the Bordeaux police officer to a common thief. When juxtaposing both works, rather than seeing a contrast, you see a single large picture, seamlessly flowing from one source to the other. One might wonder how much influence Chaucer had on Voltaire.
“Candide” is a remarkable literary work written by the very embodiment of the 18th century enlightenment. Voltaire forever shifted the paradigms of modern satire through a witty, yet pointed assault on Leibniz’s blind theory of optimism. Devouring Leibniz’s premises with colorful, yet blatant, real-world contrasts, Voltaire reflects the sheer lunacy of such a theory. Moral of the story? If Voltaire disagrees with someone, he lets the world know it.
(Maugans, 2006)
Appendix 4 Voltaire Letter
Letter on the subject of Candide, to the Journal encyclopédique
15 July 1759
Voltaire addressed the following letter to the Journal encyclopédique, dating it 1 April 1759. (This may have been a poisson d'avril, an April Fool's joke!) It was not printed in the Journal encyclopédique until 15 July 1759.
In any case, the letter reveals Voltaire's love for disguises and literary games, as well as the controversial nature of Candide. In this letter he disguises himself as the brother of the supposed author of the tale, Captain Demad. (It should be remembered that Voltaire also knew English well enough to make puns of this sort rather frequently.) By adopting this persona, he further displaces authorial responsibility for Candide, which in the original edition had been attributed to the "Docteur Ralph" (see the post-script at the end of the letter and an image of the title page of the first edition). This game of disguises also reminds us that Candide was subject to censorship and that Voltaire did not openly claim it as his own work.
Despite these precautions and strategies of misdirection, Voltaire uses this letter to reaffirm some of the critiques from his tale, notably his denunciation of the Jesuit dominance of Paraguay (chapters 14 and 15) and his ridicule of the doctrine of "all is well."
The Journal encyclopédique was a fairly high-profile periodical at the time. It was largely supportive of the philosophes and of Voltaire in particular. But it had given a negative assessment of Candide.
The English translation of this letter is taken from the Norton Critical edition of Candide, Voltaire, Candide or Optimism, a new Translation, Backgrounds, Criticism, translated and edited by Robert M. Adams (New York: W. W. Norton & Company "A Norton Critical Edition," 1966), p. 175-6.
________________________________________
Gentlemen,
You say, in the March issue of your journal,* that some sort of little novel called Optimism or Candide is attributed to a man known as Monsieur de V . . . I do not know what Monsieur V . . . you mean; but I can tell you that this book was written by my brother, Monsieur Demad, presently a Captain in the Brunswick regiment; and in the matter of the pretended kingdom of the Jesuits in Paraguay, which you call a wretched fable, I tell you in the face of all Europe that nothing is more certain. I served on one of the Spanish vessels sent to Buenos Aires in 1756 to restore reason to the nearby settlement of Saint Sacrement; I spent three months at Assumption; the Jesuits have to my knowledge twenty-nine provinces, which they call "Reductions," and they are absolute masters there, by virtue of eight crowns a head for each father of a family, which they pay to the Governor of Buenos Aires--and yet they only pay for a third of their districts. They will not allow any Spaniard to remain more than three days in their Reductions. They have never wanted their subjects to learn Spanish. They alone teach the Paraguayans the use of firearms; they alone lead them in the field. The Jesuit Thomas Verle, a native of Bavaria, was killed in the attack on the village of Saint Sacrement while mounting to the attack at the head of his Paraguayans in 1737--and not at all in 1735 as the Jesuit Charlevoix has reported; this author is as insipid as he is ignorant. Everyone knows how they waged war on Don Antequera, and defied the orders of the Council in Madrid.
They are so powerful that in 1743 they obtained from Philip the Fifth a confirmation of their authority which no one has been able to shake. I know very well, gentlemen, that they have no such title as King, and therefore you may say it is a wretched fable to talk of the Kingdom of Paraguay. But even though the Dey of Algiers is not a King, he is none the less master of that country. I should not advise my brother the Captain to travel to Paraguay without being sure that he is stronger than the local authorities.
For the rest, gentlemen, I have the honor to inform you that my brother the Captain, who is the best-loved man in his regiment, is an excellent Christian; he amused himself by composing the novel Candidein his winter quarters, having chiefly in mind to convert the Socinians. These heretics are not satisfied with openly denying God necessarily made our world the best of all possible ones, and that everything is well. This idea is manifestly contrary to the doctrine of original sin. These innovators forget that the serpent, who was the subtlest beast of the field, tempted the woman created from Adam's rib; that Adam ate the forbidden fruit; that God cursed the land He had formerly blessed: Cursed is the ground for thy sake: in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Can they be ignorant that all the church fathers without a single exception found the Christian religion on this curse pronounced by God himself, the effects of which we feel every day? The Socinians pretend to exalt providence, and they do not see that we are guilty, tormented beings, who must confess our faults and accept our punishment. Let these heretics take care not to show themselves near my brother the Captain; he'll let them know if everything is well.
I am, gentlemen, your very humble, very obedient servant,
Demad
At Zastron, April first, 1759
P.S. My brother the Captain is the intimate friend of Mr. Ralph, well-known Professor in the Academy of Frankfort-on-Oder, who was of great help to him in writing this profound work of philosophy, and my brother was so modest as actually to call it a mere translation from an original by Mr. Ralph. Such modesty is rare among authors.
*N.B. [Note by the Journal encyclopédique] This letter was lost in the post for a long time; as soon as it reached us, we began trying--unsuccessfully--to discover the existence of Monsieur Demad, Captain of the Brunswick Regiment.
(Voltaire, 1759)
Appendix 5 Blake Poem
Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau!
Mock on, mock on – ’Tis all in vain!
You throw the sand against the wind,
And the wind blows it back again.
And every sand becomes a gem
Reflected in the beams divine;
Blown back they blind the mocking eye,
But still in Israel’s paths they shine.
The atoms of Democritus
And Newton’s particles of light
Are sands upon the Red Sea shore,
Where Israel’s tents do shine so bright.
27
Predictably, an anonymous poet replied on Voltaire’s behalf:
Hope on, hope on, Boswell and Blake
Hope on and pray: ’tis all in vain.
You think perhaps the dust that blows
Will someday come to life again?
(Blake, 1804) (Anonymous, 1804)
Reading Strategies with a Novel
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: Students will be able to summarize, analyze, and develop higher level questions for use in discussion activities throughout the course of their reading.
Standards:
STANDARD 1: Students read and understand a variety of materials.
In order to meet this standard, students will use a full range of strategies to comprehend essays, speeches, autobiographies, and first-person historical documents in addition to the types of literature mentioned above.
STANDARD 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences. In order to meet this standard, students will support an opinion using various forms of persuasion (factual or emotional) in speaking and writing.
STANDARD 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. In order to meet this standard, students will
• use pronoun reference correctly in writing
• use internal capitalization and punctuation of secondary quotations in writing;
• use manuscript forms specified in various style manuals for writing (for example, indenting for extended quotations, precise placement and form of page numbers, appropriate line spacing); and refining spelling and grammatical skills
STANDARD 4:
Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context.
STANDARD 6: Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. In order to meet this standard, students will
• read, responding to, and discussing novels, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, content-area and technical material, plays, essays, and speeches;
• use literary terminology accurately, such as theme, mood, diction, idiom, perspective, style, and point of view.
Assessment: Weekly Reading Log Observations of Discussions Reflection/Exit Slip
Materials: Candide Rubric for Weekly Reading Log MLA Style Guide Bloom’s questions reference sheet
Sequence:
10 Minutes: Whole class questions & answer period on weekly reading. Transition into small groups for discussions.
30 Minutes: Small groups share their quotes and responses, as well as their higher-level questions with each other. Groups will sort their questions into categories using the Bloom’s questions reference sheet given in class. Groups will then answer each other’s questions using their copies of the novel to support their responses with textual evidence. Teacher will move between groups facilitating discussions and answering questions as they arise.
10 minutes: Whole Class debrief the process and check for understanding. Written reflection/exit slip: *list three new things you learned about the text *list two things you learned about writing higher-level questions *list one thing you would change about this lesson if you could.
Differentiated Instruction: Because of the variety of tasks in this lesson, many of the multiple intelligences and a variety of learning styles are engaged in different aspects of the process. This enables students to excel where they are strong, and receive support where they are challenged.
Suggestions for Extension: Higher-level questions can be mined for future essay assessments, or used as practice for timed writing exercises in class.
Reading Strategies With Non-Fiction Text
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: Students will be able to analyze author’s purpose and the validity of the author’s claims within an argument based on the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Standards:
STANDARD 1: Students read and understand a variety of materials. In order to meet this standard, students will use a full range of strategies to comprehend essays, speeches, autobiographies, and first-person historical documents.
STANDARD 4: Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• use reading, writing, listening, articulate speaking, and viewing to solve problems;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime; and
• critique the content of written work and oral presentations.
Assessment: Critique of Non-Fiction Text discussion Reading Notes
Materials: Tolerance from Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary (appendix 1) Cornell Notes Paper Guiding Questions (appendix 2)
Sequence:
10 minutes: Whole class review of Toulmin argument structure, and the definitions of ethos, pathos, and logos. Read and clarify guiding questions.
20 minutes: Students silently read the entry from Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary taking Cornell notes on the guiding questions as they read. 20 minutes teaches students to stay on task and expedite quickly in practice for AP test in May.
10 minutes: Think-pair-share your Cornell notes with a partner.
10 minutes: Whole class discussion of analysis emphasizing author’s purpose and validity of argument.
Differentiated Instruction: This task involves reading and note taking, with a final discussion. Therefore, many of the multiple intelligences and differentiation strategies are incorporated.
Suggestions for Extension: Activities for extension would be to turn notes into an in- class timed writing in practice for the AP test. Another extension would be to search Voltaire’s Philosophical Dctionary for other arguments that support or connect and establish Voltaire’s perspective on issues presented in Candide such as politics, religion, love, etc.
Appendix 1
The Philosophical Dictionary
Voltaire
Selected and Translated by H.I. Woolf
New York: Knopf, 1924
Scanned by the Hanover College Department of History in 1995.
Proofread and pages added by Jonathan Perry, March 2001.
Tolerance
WHAT is tolerance? it is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly--that is the first law of nature.
It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster. That admits of no difficulty. But the government! but the magistrates! but the princes! how do they treat those who have another worship than theirs? If they are powerful strangers, it is certain that a prince will make an alliance with them. Franois I., very Christian, will unite with Mussulmans against Charles V., very Catholic. Francois I. will give money to the Lutherans of Germany to support them in their revolt against the emperor; but, in accordance with custom, he will start by having Lutherans burned at home. For political reasons he pays them in Saxony; for political reasons he burns them in Paris. But what will happen? Persecutions make proselytes? Soon France will be full of new Protestants. At first they will let themselves be hanged, later they in their turn will hang. There will be civil wars, then will come the St. Bartholomew; and this corner of the world will be worse than all that the ancients and moderns have ever told of hell.
Madmen, who have never been able to give worship to the God who made you! Miscreants, whom the example of the Noachides, the learned Chinese, the Parsees and all the sages, has never been able to lead! Monsters, who need superstitions as crows' gizzards need carrion! you have been told it already, and there is nothing else to tell you-if you have two religions in your countries, they will cut each other's throat ; if you have thirty religions, they will dwell in peace. Look at the great Turk, he governs Guebres, Banians, Creek Christians, Nestorians, Romans. The first who tried to stir up tumult would be impaled; and everyone is tranquil.
Of all religions, the Christian is without doubt the one which should inspire tolerance most, although up to now the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men. The Christian Church was divided in its cradle, and was divided even in the persecutions which under the first emperors it sometimes endured. Often the martyr was regarded as an apostate by his brethren, and the Carpocratian Christian expired beneath the sword of the Roman executioners, excommunicated by the Ebionite Christian, the which Ebionite was anathema to the Sabellian.
This horrible discord, which has lasted for so many centuries, is a very striking lesson that we should pardon each other's errors; discord is the great ill of mankind; and tolerance is the only remedy for it.
There is nobody who is not in agreement with this truth, whether he meditates soberly in his study, or peaceably examines the truth with his friends. Why then do the same men who admit in private indulgence, kindness, justice, rise in public with so much fury against these virtues? Why? it is that their own interest is their god, and that they sacrifice everything to this monster that they worship.
I possess a dignity and a power founded on ignorance and credulity; I walk on the heads of the men who lie prostrate at my feet; if they should rise and look me in the face, I am lost; I must bind them to the ground, therefore, with iron chains.
Thus have reasoned the men whom centuries of bigotry have made powerful. They have other powerful men beneath them, and these have still others, who all enrich themselves with the spoils of the poor, grow fat on their blood, and laugh at their stupidity. They all detest tolerance, as partisans grown rich at the public expense fear to render their accounts, and as tyrants dread the word liberty. And then, to crown everything, they hire fanatics to cry at the top of their voices : " Respect my master's absurdities, tremble, pay, and keep your mouths shut."
It is thus that a great part of the world long was treated; but today when so many sects make a balance of power, what course to take with them? Every sect, as one knows, is a ground of error; there are no sects of geometers, algebraists, arithmeticians, because all the propositions of geometry, algebra and arithmetic are true. In every other science one may be deceived. What Thomist or Scotist theologian would dare say seriously that he is sure of his case?
If it were permitted to reason consistently in religious matters, it is clear that we all ought to become Jews, because Jesus Christ our Saviour was born a Jew, lived a Jew, died a Jew, and that he said expressly that he was accomplishing, that he was fulfilling the Jewish religion. But it is clearer still that we ought to be tolerant of one another, because we are all weak, inconsistent, liable to fickleness and error. Shall a reed laid low in the mud by the wind say to a fellow reed fallen in the opposite direction : " Crawl as I crawl, wretch, or I shall petiion that you be torn up by the roots and burned? "
Hanover Historical Texts Project
Return to Hanover College Department of History
Please send comments to:
luttmer@hanover.edu
(Voltaire, 1764)
Appendix 2
The critic of nonfiction must question the text for author’s purpose and validity of the argument. Use the questions below to guide your reading of the piece.
• Who is the author? What are his/her credentials in regards to this topic? (ethos)
• What biases might the author bring to the piece? What is the author’s attitude towards the topic and audience? (tone)
• What is the point of the piece? (claim)
• What sources, if any are used? Personal anecdotes? Empirical research? Primary or secondary sources? Examples from life? (data)
• What rhetorical appeals are used in the argument? (pathos) (logos)
• How does the author connect the claim and the data to create a sound argument? (warrant)
• Jot down anything else you think may support the validity of the argument.
Review your notes and identify the major arguments the author puts forth on his/her topic. Check for validity and support.
Jot down any emotional or logical responses you had to any part of the argument.
Be ready to debrief in class discussion using evidence from the text to support your own claims.
Writing
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: Students will plan and complete an in-class timed essay using evidence from the text to identify and discuss how Voltaire uses satirical techniques against one of the social or political institutes of is time. Next, students will participate in peer review and reflection of the timed writing process.
Standards:
STANDARD 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences. In order to meet this standard, students will
• support an opinion using various forms of persuasion (factual or emotional) in speaking and writing;
• experiment with stylistic elements such as voice, tone, and style.
STANDARD 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. In order to meet this standard, students will
• use pronoun reference correctly in writing and speaking;
• use phrases and clauses for purposes of modification and parallel structure in writing and speaking;
• use internal capitalization and punctuation of secondary quotations in writing;
STANDARD 4: Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime.
Assessment: In-class timed essay.
Materials: Advanced Placement Essay Rubric Copies of Candide AP writing prompt
Sequence: This exercise takes place during a block class session.
10 minutes: Whole class review of Advanced Placement Essay Rubric (appendix 1)
10 minutes: Read and unpack AP writing prompt for skills and strategies needed. (appendix 2)
40 minutes: Plan and write essay.
20 minutes: Students will trade essays with a partner for peer feedback on strengths and challenges.
10 minutes: Whole class reflection of timed writing process.
Differentiated Instruction: Students will complete a classic AP writing task, including planning and reflection. Differentiation of this task is minimal, but students need to practice essays for achievement on the AP test. The reflection portion of this lesson allows students to review and revise their own approaches to this task.
Suggestions for Extension: An excellent extension of this task would be for students to use their peer review and reflection notes to revise and resubmit this essay for evaluation. Another extension of this activity would be to extend the analysis into a summative paper on Voltaire’s use of satire throughout the whole novel.
Appendix 1
Advanced Placement Essay Rubric
# Description %
9-8 Superior papers are specific in their references, cogent in their definitions, and free of plot summary that is not relevant to the question. These essays need not be without flaws, but they demonstrate the writer's ability to discuss a literary work with insight and understanding and to control a wide range of the elements of effective composition. 100-92
7-6 These papers are less thorough, less perceptive or less specific than 9-8 papers. These essays are well-written but with less maturity and control than the top papers. They demonstrate the writer's ability to analyze a literary work, but they reveal a more limited understanding than do the papers in the 9-8 range. Generally, 6 essays present a less sophisticated analysis and less consistent command of the elements of effective writing than essays scored 7. 91-81
5 Superficiality characterizes these 5 essays. Discussion of meaning may be pedestrian, mechanical, or inadequately related to the chosen details. Typically, these essays reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature writing. They usually demonstrate inconsistent control over the elements of composition and are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as the upper-half papers. On the other hand, the writing is sufficient to convey the writer's ideas. 80-75
4-3 Discussion is likely to be unpersuasive, perfunctory, underdeveloped or misguided. The meaning they deduce may be inaccurate or insubstantial and not clearly related to the question. Part of the question may be omitted altogether. The writing may convey the writer's ideas, but it reveals weak control over such elements as diction, organization, syntax or grammar. Typically, these essays contain significant misinterpretations of the question or the work they discuss; they may also contain little, if any, supporting evidence, and practice paraphrase and plot summary at the expense of analysis. 74-60
2-1 These essays compound the weakness of essays in the 4-3 range and are frequently unacceptably brief. They are poorly written on several counts, including many distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. Although the writer may have made some effort to answer the question, the views presented have little clarity or coherence. 59-25
0 These essays respond with no more than a reference to the task, contain completely off-topic responses, or are blank. 24-0
(AP essay rubric, 2009)
Appendix 2
AP Literature In-Class Essay/Timed Writing Prompt—Candide
1987—Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the satirical techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.
AP Literature In-Class Essay/Timed Writing Prompt—Candide
1987—Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the satirical techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.
AP Literature In-Class Essay/Timed Writing Prompt—Candide
1987—Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the satirical techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.
(Open-ended questions for AP literature, 1987)
Poetry
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: Students will complete a TP-CASTT analysis of the anti-war poem “In Camp Before Philipsburg” by Voltaire and compose an analytical essay which discusses Voltaire’s stance on war.
Standards:
STANDARD 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences. In order to meet this standard, students will
• support an opinion using various forms of persuasion (factual or emotional) in speaking and writing;
• experiment with stylistic elements such as voice, tone, and style.
STANDARD 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. In order to meet this standard, students will
• use pronoun reference correctly in writing and speaking;
• use phrases and clauses for purposes of modification and parallel structure in writing and speaking;
• use internal capitalization and punctuation of secondary quotations in writing;
STANDARD 4: Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime.
STANDARD 6: Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. In order to meet this standard, students will
• read, respond to, and discuss poetry
• use literary terminology accurately, such as theme, connotation, tone, point of view, figurative language, imagery
• develop and support a thesis about the craft and significance of a classic work of literature.
• understand the common themes in the literature of the world.
Assessment: TP-CASTT graphic organizer. Analytical essay.
Materials: TP-CASTT graphic organizer (appendix 1) copies of “In Camp Before Phillipsburg” (appendix 2)
Sequence: This exercise takes place during a 50-minute class session.
5 minutes: Whole class review of TP-CASTT graphic organizer, including clarification of terminology and expectations for thoughtful completion.
10 minutes: Read poem while students annotate to facilitate Think- Pair-Share of annotations.
30 minutes: Plan and write essay. This is another opportunity to practice writing on demand as required on the AP Literature test in May.
5 minutes: Whole class reflection on efficacy of lesson.
Differentiated Instruction: The use of a graphic organizer to organize information needed to be successful with the writing piece of the lesson accommodates different learning styles and affords students an opportunity to practice planning; an important part of the writing process. Differentiation of this task is minimal, but may occur by modifying the length requirements of the assignment based on student IEP accommodations or modifications. Either way, students need to practice essays for achievement on the AP test. The reflection portion of this lesson allows students to review and revise their own approaches to this task.
Suggestions for Extension: One extension of this task would be for students to apply the TP-CASTT strategy to other poems we study for use in a variety of essays such as comparing and contrasting two poems based on their TP-CASTT elements. Another extension would be to analyze Voltaire’s stance on war in the novel Candide and compose an essay discussing the similarities and differences in the treatment of war in both the novel and the poem.
Appendix 1
TP-CASTT
Title Ponder the title before reading the poem
Paraphrase Translate the poem into your own word s
Connotation Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal (Interpretation)
Attitude Observe both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitude (tone, diction, images, mood, etc.)
Shifts Note shifts in speakers and in attitudes (are there changes?)
Title Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level
Theme Determine what the poet is saying
(Cassel, 2009)
Appendix 2
In Camp Before Philippsburg
Without a bed we now sleep sound
And take our meals upon the ground;
And though the blazing atmosphere
Must dreadful to the eye appear,
The air though roaring cannons rend
While warriors with fierce rage contend,
The thoughtless French drink, laugh, and sing,
And with their mirth the heavens ring;
The walls of Philippsburg shall burn,
And all her towers to ashes turn
By fifty thousand Alexanders,
Who all deserve to be commanders,
Though they receive the paltry pay
Of only four poor sous a day.
Lavish of life, with high delight
I see them rushing to the fight;
They all appear both gay and jolly,
Quite covered o'er with fame and folly.
The Phantom, which we Glory name,
Spurs them to the pursuit of fame;
With threat'ning eye, and front all o'er
Bedusted, marching still before,
She holds a trumpet in her hand
To sound to arms, and cheer the band,
And loudly sings, with voice sonorous,
Catches, which they repeat in chorus.
Oh! people brilliant, gay, and vain,
Who drag with patience glory's chain,
'Tis great, an honorable grave
To seek, Eugene and death to brave.
But what will be your mighty prize?
What from your prowess will arise?
Regret your blood, in vain you spilt it;
At Paris cuckolded, or jilted.
(Voltaire, 1734)
Non-Text Lesson
Novel: Candide Grade Level: 12th grade
Essential Question: How does evil present itself in the self, society, and the world?
Goal/Purpose: Students will create a visual representation of a character from the novel that incorporates ten quotes from the text. These quotes will serve to illuminate the character’s philosophy as outlined through their actions and dialogue with other characters. Students will explain the relevancy of their quotes to the character in a presentation to the class.
Standards:
STANDARD 4: Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. In order to meet this standard, students will
• recognize an author's point of view, purpose, and historical and cultural context;
• know what constitutes literary quality based on elements such as the author's point of view, the author's selection of significant details, theme development, and the author's reflection of events and ideas of his or her lifetime.
STANDARD 6: Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. In order to meet this standard, students will
• read, respond to, and discuss poetry
• use literary terminology accurately, such as theme, connotation, tone, point of view, figurative language, imagery
• develop and support a thesis about the craft and significance of a classic work of literature.
• understand the common themes in the literature of the world.
Assessment: Visual representation of character Relevance of quotes to character’s philosophy
Materials: Copies of Candide Student’s choice of artistic materials to create representation of character.
Sequence: This exercise takes place after reading, as a mini-lesson in class. Project to be completed as homework, presentations due the next class meeting.
10 minutes: Whole class review of main characters in Candide
10 minutes: Explanation of project and presentation, showing of model—completed by teacher—Q & A.
35 minutes: Recap of novel, philosophies, whole class discussion of what it means to cultivate your own garden.
Differentiated Instruction: This project accommodates many different learning styles, and is therefore conducive to differentiate instruction. Students have a lot of choice as to how they would like to visually represent their character, and also which quotes they choose. The presentation can range from dressing like the character, making a video, to a simple poster so all students can be successful.
Suggestions for Extension: One extension of this task would be for students to film or re-enact a scene from the novel in a group presentation for the class.
Rubric: Visual Representation of a Character
CATEGORY 25 20 15 0
Graphics - Originality Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display. One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display. The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others. No graphics made by the student are included.
Content - Accuracy At least 10 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. At least 7-9 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. At least 5-7 quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster. No quotes related to the charcter's beliefs are displayed on the poster.
Graphics - Relevance All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation. Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Routines and Structures
By February, the students will be used to several routines and structures in the classroom. The first of these is the weekly vocabulary test that I have made time for in my scope and sequence. Scaffolded vocabulary instruction is new to Thomas Jefferson High School this year, after many years of absence. We believe that this added, context based vocabulary curriculum will benefit our students by increasing their exposure to new words, and allowing them to apply these words in their own writing. Another routine they are familiar with is the cycle of instruction I employ each day. The first part of class introduces them to the material and lesson for the day. Then, we move into the second, longer part of the cycle in which they have an opportunity to practice and apply what they have learned. Finally, we close the lesson with a quick reflection—exit slip—and review their homework for the next day. Wednesday and Thursday are block days at Thomas Jefferson High School. With that in mind, I try to plan two or three activities or instructional modes to keep the students engaged. At least one of these modes involves some kind of small group work. We use this section of the block as writer’s workshop, or for small group discussion, or to analyze different components of the AP test. For test analysis, the students focus on one of the three essays, or a section of the multiple-choice part of the exam. Each Friday, I reserve the majority of the class period for discussion and a question on that week’s reading. We analyze style, imagery, author’s purpose, character development and motivation, irony and satire if applicable. These discussions are usually rich, and have become a regular part of the weekly routine. Differentiated Instruction According to Milner and Milner, differentiation “acknowledges the diversity of learners in any classroom and accommodates those differences by offering a variety of curricular, instructional and assessment options.” (Milner & Milner, 2008). With this in mind, I have created several instructional strategies that address and engage the diverse learning styles of my students. There are opportunities for students to practice peer instruction, and receive direct instruction as needed. When students are working in small groups, I circulate the classroom checking for understanding, clarifying instructions, and keeping students on task. These interactions are an important part of my day, and help me adjust my instruction to their needs. In regards to curriculum, while we are reading a novel as our primary text for this unit, we are also incorporating non-fiction texts and poetry. This will enable students who enjoy a variety of genres to remain engaged in the unit while they explore the philosophies in Candide. The students will be assessed in many different ways in this unit, as they are for each unit. Assessments range from informal discussions to formal multimedia presentations and a creative project. These assessments are high interest, and engaging, but the students also have some more traditional assessments as well. These traditional assessments are the in class timed writing in preparation for the AP test in May, and the analytical essay based on the poetry analysis strategy they learned in class. Admit and exit slips give students a chance to reflect on their own progress, which is a meta-cognitive form of assessment. Differentiation promotes problem solving and critical thinking, as well as teaching effective group interactions and productivity; all of which are important skills for the 21st century.
References
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