Satirical Writing

As I have been reading Candide I could not help but compare the different approaches authors like George Orwell and Voltaire have when writing satirical pieces. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm he creates a world where animals revolt and rule themselves in the farm system humans once controlled. Although the ruling class then become pigs in no moment may the reader make fun of it, in fact one gets extremely irritated by how easily were the rest of the animals manipulated by the pigs as they took power. A very solid and powerful aristocracy is then formed by the pig’s leaders who have dogs for their protection. In Voltaire’s case he continuously uses hyperboles and absurdity to demonstrate his satirical ways of writing. In sentences such as “the fifty sons of Emperor Muley Ismael each had his faction, which…created fifty civil wars” in this sentence alone Voltaire ridicules every African leader and exemplifies the European believe that Africans breed like animals and then fight like savages (52). Africa has always been known for its internal conflicts and the way everyone fights for everything in this case Voltaire’s remark is simply ludicrous and offensive for the African culture. Furthermore, Voltaire then proceeds to attack their culture and how even when in war “they will not miss one of the five daily prayers prescribed by Mahomet”, hence criticizing how they would kill, but still worship their gods (53). Nevertheless, Voltaire also targets how people try to ascend socially by all means, such as when the old servant argues she was once very rich and powerful as she was the daughter of “Pope Urban X and Princess of Palestrina” (49). The sole thought of a Pope having a child destroys his entire reputation and directly violates the doctrine he swore to follow. Such a child would be received with anything except “tokens of respect and excited expectations”, that child would be the key form of embarrassment of the entire western way of life and the utter and most remarkable failure of the Catholic Church (49).

In Voltaire’s satire such statements make the reader laugh through their exaggerative nature and the true absurdity found inside them. However, in Orwell’s work he attacks the Russian hypocrisy of promising equality and then instilling it more solidly than before in a more somber manner. The actions taken by the pigs resemble those taken by Russian revolutionary leaders during the purges, actions that generate anger and frustration in the readers mind rather than laughter. Just like the sacrifice of the horse that earnestly believed in the revolution’s ideals and was then sold to the butcher because he had worked too hard and was now unable to continue.

Each a way of satirical writing with a target to be criticized, in each case the author evokes strong emotions from the reader and deep evaluation of the idea being assessed.