Candide and Douglass: An insight on their lives - Essay Example

? Candide and Douglass: An insight on their lives Here English February English FEBRUARY  The separate lives of Candide and Douglass Knowledge and happiness are the virtues significant to Candide and Frederick Douglas. Both of them lived during the time freedom was hard to seek and slavery was authorized. They both lived their lives on different purposes. Candide looked for a lost love, while Frederick searched for freedom from the bondage of slavery. In this research, I ought to prove that Frederick’s life is more meaningful and has contributed immensely for the development of cultural diversity in the United States. Frederick’s quest for knowledge led him to the path of happiness, while for Candide; his quest for happiness led him to knowledge. This research will show how each of them achieved the virtues they looked for. Frederick was born a slave so that he was denied of the opportunity to learn and had to study of how to read and write from his own. He had no knowledge of his exact birth because as slave he was not taught how to account on dates. He was separated at once from his mother and his kins. It was customary at that time that mothers be separated from their babies in order to avoid bonding relation. He had to take lessons from the neighborhood in exchange of food. Teaching slaves to read and write was against the wishes of white masters at that time because they felt slaves will not serve them when they are learned, but Frederick believed that he can escape from bondage thru knowledge. He was able to do this after several years, and was able to read a great book. He learned about the abolitionist movement from the newspaper which he secretly read. He took great pains in learning to write by copying the letters in the sailboat. He did this alone while hiding this knowledge from others because he feared his masters. Frederick’s ultimate dream and happiness was to become a free man. At age fifteen he became a field worker, and during this time experienced horrifying conditions of slaves. He recalled that when it was time to sleep, all of them had to sleep side by side. He vividly described sleeping conditions of slaves as” “ old and young, male and female, dropped down side be side, on one common bed- the cold, damp floor –each covering himself/herself with a miserable blanket… and here they sleep until summoned to the field by a driver’s horn.”(chap 2, par. 3). To further illustrate the predicaments of slave at that time, Douglas recalled that killing a slave or a colored man is not a crime in Maryland so that when masters killed their slaves, they did not get punished. He suffered beatings along with others who were whipped without mercy just because it was the whim of the master. He experienced hunger, ate like a pig, suffered from heat on summer and coolness in winter; and at one time wished he were dead because he almost lost hope. His first taste of happiness was when he pulled a successful escape from slavery. In 1838, at the age 20, Frederick was successful on his second attempt to escape by posing as a sailor. He led a new life with his wife in Massachusetts under a new name which came to be known as Frederick Douglas. He was very nervous on his first time to talk as he was in front of whites, but because he talked about his own life, he was successful in his oratory. He became an abolitionist, an orator, a preacher and a lecturer. He also became a publisher of his own newspaper, The North Star. As an abolitionist, he participated in the convention in Seneca Falls in 1848 that started movements for equality for women. Frederick became an international figure as he was considered am untiring abolitionist, an indefatigable worker for justice and equal rights for women. Perhaps he attained the peak of his success as he was appointed as a trusted advisor for President Abraham Lincoln, United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, Recorder of Deeds For Washington, D.C., and Minister-General to the Republic of Haiti. He embodied three important rules in life, that is. “to believe in yourself, take advantage of every opportunity, use the power of spoken and written language to effect positive changes for yourself and to society” and he always tell every body that what is possible for him is also possible for anybody.( “A Short Biography Of Frederick Douglas”) By living on this creed, Frederick Douglas made a life that gave him due respect, honor and success which was far more different when he was a slave in the farm. Candide was more fortunate because he learned philosophy and metaphysics from a tutor, while Frederick did not have the same privilege. Like Douglas, he did not meet his parents, although it was suspected that his father was a baron. Unlike Frederick, Candide was not a slave. Candide’s source of happiness, Miss Cunegund was also the cause of his misfortune because he was driven out of the castle due to a kiss. Miss Cunegand was also forced to leave the castle because of brutalities of Bulgarians who later on occupied it. This started Candide’s travel and his quest for his happiness. As he was required to travel to many places, he learned many things like being a leader of an army command. He learned how to fight to save his life. He found the teachings taught by his tutor helpful. His fate took him to several places where he learned the similar characteristics of men; that there were good people and honest men; men who gave him plenty of riches, only to lose them through treachery of men in Paris. He wondered why mankind always massacred one another. He questioned “whether they are always guilty of lies, fraud, treachery, ingratitude, inconstancy, envy, ambition, and cruelty? Were they always thieves, fools, cowards, gluttons, drunkards, misers, calumniators, debauchees, fanatics, and hypocrites?. (Chap21). After a series of travels to many countries, he learned the different cultures of people, saw the calamities of earthquake and persecution of people because of religion. He also experienced delight upon seeing the riches and felt the kindness of the Incas in El Dorado, who gave him gold, diamonds and sheeps, whereupon, he wondered if this is the best of both worlds. He was finally reunited to his long lost love, Candide’ who is now old and ugly, but he married her, nevertheless, It was impossible to imagine that after the disasters, he would live to a most agreeable life in the world together with his friends. This event could be the epitome of Candide’s happiness. Pangloss, his tutor observed that all the events that transpired in Candide’s life, good or bad, is the best of possible worlds and were it not for all these, he would not end up being a farmer who had found peace and happiness. The most common characteristics ascribed to Frederick and Candide were their sense of being adventurous, ambitious, and aggressiveness. Both of them were involved in different adventures and travels. Frederick, from his childhood was ambitious, for he wanted to be freed from being a slave. His quest for knowledge became his pathway to attain his success. He was firm and undaunted as he tried to learn many things from books to crafts of his trade. His adventures were caused by his desire to be a better person, while the travels of Candide were due to his longing to find his happiness. Candide learned many things in the process that ultimately led to his happiness in the contented life as a farmer. Candide is reasonable; he applied reasoning on every experiences he encountered based on what he had learned from his tutor saying that there is a cause and effect for everything. For example, when he saw his tutor afflicted with disease, he reasoned out that “ if Columbus had not caught in an island in America, this disease, which contaminates the source of this generation, and frequently impedes propagation itself, and is evidently opposed to the great end of nature, we should have neither chocolates nor cochineal.” (Chapter 4, p. 17,) Candide believed on the cause and effect principle as he said”"I conceive there can be no effect without a cause; everything is necessarily concatenated and arranged for the best.” (Chapter 3, p.11) Frederick was ambitious and aggressive His ambition led him to strive and be more aggressive in attaining it. In all of his life, Frederick had only one mission that was to escape from slavery. It is the only thing that could make him happy. The drudgery of his life was described in his narrative as he illustrated the slavery conditions and that of his own experiences. He used this experience to relate to others in the movement of abolitionist. I think, based on the summaries of the lives of Candide and Frederick, Frederick led a more productive life that was more inspiring and rewarding. Easily, he became an inspiration to a lot of people particularly to the poor. Both attained their desire and ambition, knowledge and happiness. But Frederick continued to be an encouragement as he became an effective speaker. His life turns out to be an open book, his biography is read by many people, and he developed to be part of history, while Candide preferred to have a private life. Works cited “A Short Biography of Frederick Douglass.” Frederick Dougla.org. n.d. web. February 16, 2012 Chapter 2, par. 3 “Candide”. Literature.org. nd. Web. 16 February 2012 Chap, par. 3. “Frederick Douglass narrative” Literature network. N.d. Web. 1-03 March 2012 Chapter 3, par 3 “Candide”. Literature.org. nd. Web. 16 February 2012 Chapter 21”Candide”. Literature.org. nd. Web. 16 February 2012 Read More