Candide

Throughout the story, Candide witnesses and experiences suffering, sickness, and injustice, all the while stubbornly clinging to the doctrine that we live in the best of all possible worlds. Yet the only place where Candide encounters true happiness is Eldorado. What makes Eldorado such a utopia? How is Eldorado different from all the other places and people that Candide encounters during his travels? Do you think that Candide is right to leave Eldorado?

Teaching Suggestion: Students would no doubt benefit from thinking about Voltaire’s Eldorado within the context of European “utopian” literature. Begin by defining the concept of a utopia as a speculative society, state, or community that possesses idealized qualities. You can also trace the history of utopian literature, highlighting important examples from ancient Greece (e.g., Plato’s Republic and Laws) as well as from closer to Voltaire’s time (e.g., Thomas More’s Utopia, Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, and Henry Neville’s The Isle of Pines).

Differentiation Suggestion: To encourage student agency and for students with artistic abilities, consider allowing students to create a visual representation of Eldorado (or some other utopia), highlighting the qualities that make this such an ideal place to live; these students may provide their descriptions aloud when they present their artwork to the class.