A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and human behavior. How is this possible? A child is yet to mature and lacks adequate education and experience. However, it is precisely for this reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his naivety can provide an excellent means of objective criticism and very often satire. A child's inquisitive nature and hunger for knowledge would lead to an impartial questioning of social structures, without the brainwashing of these same institutions, and his vulnerability would expose all present social dangers. This childish scientist would see the truth as it is. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThis same premise can be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator can be used as a child scientist, who reveals social truths to the audience through his naivety. As Maurois noted, writing in Voltaire's Candide, "It was a novel of apprenticeship, that is, the formation of an adolescent's ideas by abrupt contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where Gulliver, the main character, provides a naive point of reference. The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivety to convey satirical attacks. on the company. In both works, litotes [euphemisms] are made of extremely absurd situations, which further highlights the ridiculous nature of a situation. The characters in each novel are made vulnerable by their overly trusting nature. This is taken advantage of and these characters are left exploited by the corrupt people in the society. Even the world's authority figures are attacked. This can be seen in the characters' reaction to authority. Finally, both works are travel stories, exposing the main characters to many perspectives. This allows authors to satirize many aspects of society. These two satirical works make litanies of absurd situations, thus shedding light on the absurdity in question. This is an especially effective technique because a character or narrator is involved in a ridiculous situation. The reader, from an aesthetic distance, is then able to recognize the stupidity of the incident. After careful consideration, a satirical conclusion can be drawn. For example, Voltaire's narrator describes a brutal battle scene in a light-hearted manner: Nothing could have been more splendid, brilliant, intelligent, or orderly than the two armies. . . . then the rifle shots drove away from our best of worlds about nine or ten thousand scoundrels who had infested its surface. The bayonet was also reason enough for the death of several thousand men. (22-23)The diction of this passage is ironic. By referring to a battle as "splendid" (22) and "brilliant" (22), the narrator demonstrates how common the idea of ​​war has become and how little human life is valued. Furthermore, the phrase “Our best of all worlds” (22-23) identifies optimism as the focus of this satirical attack (Maurois 100). In this way, the narrator nonchalantly discusses serious issues. Maurois cited both Voltaire and Swift as users of this method when he states: "and from the Principal [Swift] he [Voltaire] had learned to tell an absurd story in the most natural way" (104). In this way, senseless scenarios stand out in the context of "serious" discourse and, if framed satirically, considerationthe narrator's lightheartedness of terrible events suggests a desensitization of society. Quintana, in his essay "Situation as a Satirical Method", describes Swifts satire as a "situational satire". In this method a situation is created and observed objectively to produce satirical attacks (344-346). This method is the same as the one described before. The audience, once distanced from the dramatic situation, realizes the absurdity of it and the satirical point being raised. When talking to the king of Brobdingnag, Gulliver describes many absurd features of human life in Europe, which seem noble to Gulliver. He deals mainly with gunpowder with lithote (Book I, chapters 6-7). The noble way in which Gulliver presents his culture ironically accentuates the ignoble qualities of Europe. Another example can be drawn from Gulliver's stay in Lilliput. By participating in the "political" ceremonies of Lilliput, Gulliver takes seriously the ridiculous system for gaining political favor and power. Politicians perform "rope dances" to gain political rank. (Book I, chapter 3). Here Gulliver's naivety is used as a political attack on the superficiality of politics. In both works, characters or narrators make euphemisms or deal with absurd topics with absolute sincerity, thus creating a situation from which satirical observations can be drawn. Another way that naivety is used in these two stories is to satirize the tendency of corrupt people to take advantage of overly trusting people. Both Gulliver and Candide fit the description of the overly trusting and naive character. Van Doren recounts this situation as demonstrated in Gulliver's Travels: Grateful for the kindness shown to him, Gulliver aided the Lilliputs in this war by capturing the Blefuscudian fleet and bringing it as a gift to his royal host. But the Lilliputians were no more grateful than the English had been to the Oxford ministry for ending the war with France. . . . The harshest of the petty ministers became Gulliver's enemy. (187)Here Gulliver too easily places his trust in the hands of strangers. This naive move leaves open the opportunity for the Lilliputians to betray him. Swift is able to satirically attack human behavior through this “situational irony” (Quintana 344-346). In this particular situation, Swift demonstrates how dangerous it can be to trust too much. Gulliver believes he has made friends with the Lilliputians. However, at the end of the visit he is almost executed (Book I). On a satirical level, Swift states that the corrupt human being is mortal when overly trusting. The dangers of having too much faith are also discussed in Candide. In chapter 19, Candide is taken advantage of by a conniving captain. Candide, who has just acquired great wealth from El Dorado, pays an excessive price for passage on a ship. Then he entrusts his goods to the captain, who flees with Candide's riches (chap. 19). Here Voltaire rejects an "optimistic" (Maurois 100) approach to philosophy. The audience realizes that Candide has been robbed of his possessions by relying on a "reliable" citizen of the "best of all possible worlds" (Maurois 100). Once again naivety is used to create satire, in this case an individual's overly trusting nature is unfairly exploited and results in a loss of property or even a near-death experience. Another aspect of society that is attacked in both of these novels is authority. figures. In each case, Gulliver's or Candide's reactions to authority are used as satirical devices. In the case of Candide, positive progress is recorded after a period of naive subordination. In the case ofGulliver, the hierarchical structures of society keep him in constant submission. Candide initially blindly accepts his teacher's highly optimistic philosophy. It takes Candide some time to begin to question this authority. Voltaire argues that authority figures should be questioned and their doctrine should not be taken literally. Voltaire's negative tone towards Candide's naive following of Pangloss's optimism is viewed from an aesthetic distance in the context of devastation after devastation that occurs. Pangloss' philosophy obviously doesn't hold up. This leads Candide to an evaluation of this authority. Pasco describes this intellectual growth that occurs after the question: when Candide says at the beginning of chapter 13 that if Pangloss had lived, Candide would have dared to oppose the master's continued insistence that everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds, we know that something it happened. This is the first of several clues that Candido has begun a development process that will make him much less naive. (94) Candide manages to become less naive and therefore less subordinate. The same unfortunately does not apply to Gulliver. He has been conditioned by a hierarchical society to internalize his submissive role. This internalization is evident when he first meets the Lilliputians, Gulliver states, "I answered in few words, but in the most submissive manner" (36). The audience must consider the drastic size difference between Gulliver and the Lilliputians. It is absurd that Gulliver bows before these microscopic islanders. Once this is considered, Swift's satirical attack on hierarchical structures becomes clear; some institutions promote a socially stratified culture, of which Gulliver is a product. Once again his submissive nature emerges in contact with the Houyhnhm. Lawler mentions Gulliver's position with the Houyhnhm when he notes "the final realization that even as a servant and disciple there can be no place for him [Gulliver] in the land of the Houyhnhm" (323). In this land Gulliver readily assumes his submissive role, as a result of his experience with hierarchical authority. In both novels several satirical points are made about authority, but both are made through the same medium, which is a naive character's reaction to authority. Finally, both works can be considered travel stories, which expose naive characters to various perspectives. This allows authors to satirize various aspects of human nature and universalizes satire. Clark further describes Gulliver's role: Indeed it was not long before [Gulliver] understood the inhabitants of the lands he came across. In this respect he was a typical traveller. (2)In the "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels" this sentiment is also expressed. The author states that "Swift adopts an ancient satirical device: the imaginary journey" (905). Gulliver travels to distant and unknown lands and is presented with new perspectives that satirize lands very familiar to the reader. The world seen through his naive eyes can be interpreted as Swift's satire. Van Doren comments on the effect of these different perspectives, using Brobdingnag as an example: But after the giant, he [Gulliver] could not so easily return to the old scale. . . its own people seemed contemptible for their smallness. (189)And again using Houyhnhm as an example: "The reasonable Houyhnhm said that he had noticed the rudiments of all these human ways of life among the Yahoos" (193). These alternative perspectives provide revelations to Gulliver about his society and human nature in general. When the naïve traveler is enlightened, the reader recognizes the meaning, 1930.