Free Essays on Voltaire

The Child of Nature Voltaire’s wit and intelligence made him one of France’s greatest writers and philosophers. His writings are full of Enlightenment values and principles. L’Ingenu, written in 1767, reflects his views about individual freedom and people making their own way in the world. Voltaire is open to a society that is open to individual talent and merit for deciding social standing, and not a society that determines it by birth. He has reflected these attitudes throughout the story of L’Ingenu. Voltaire wrote L’Ingenu during a time when rationality and reason were being introduced into society. Whitty conversation and intelligent thinking began to take place. With this type of conversation one could made a mark in society and develop themselves as an individual. The Enlightenment was a period when people began to â€Å"come of the dark.† Medieval times were fast ending and with the help of new philosophers the world was now taking on some modern and alternative views. Ignorance was something they were trying to get rid of and being educated was seen as an important task. Education was now something for everyone, not just the wealthy anymore. They were becoming aware of the world around them and few at a time began to think about it now as not being controlled by God but by natural forces. Perhaps one of the most controversial topics of the time was religion. As people became educated, their views about God began to change. Atheism and the belief that there wa s no God began and showed the radical new way of thinking. Voltaire attacks religion and views it as a negative thing throughout L’Ingenu. The old view of religion was that God was divine and ruled the world. Most thought that God made everything happen and for a reason. During the beginning of the 1700s a new view began partly because of education. People began to believe that god created the world and then left it alone for natural forces and laws to occur... Free Essays on Voltaire Free Essays on Voltaire Francois Marie Arouet or more widely known as Voltaire, was a French writer and Philosopher and considered one of the central figures of the Age of Enlightenment in the 1700’s; this was a period that emphasized the power of human reason, science, and respect for humanity. Voltaire believed that literature should serve as a vehicle of social change. His biting satires and philosophical writings demonstrated his aversion to Christianity, intolerance, and tyranny. Voltaire’s sharp sense of humor won him favor of the 18th century French society. This great French writer and philosopher was born in Paris, France on November 21, 1694. His father, a wealthy notary, discovered Voltaire’s brilliance at an early age. At the age of 10 Voltaire was sent to study at the College Louis-le-Grand, the Jesuits ran this college. While at the school, Voltaire developed a strong enthusiasm for literature, especially poetry. Over the objections of his father, who wanted him to be a lawyer, Voltaire decided to be a writer. Voltaire quickly chose literature as a career. He began moving in Aristocratic circles and soon became known in Paris salons as a brilliant but yet sarcastic wit. Voltaire’ first work, Edipe, was a tragedy based on the old Greek story of Oedipus. This story was such a success that everyone predicted a brilliant career for the young writer. After his first success, Voltaire wrote some witty poems accusing the French regent Phillippe II, duc d’Orleans of heinous crimes; this resulted to Voltaire’s imprisonment in the Bastille for an entire 11 months. During his 11-month detention is when Voltaire completed his work on an epic poem on Henry the IV, the Henriade. This is when he began calling himself Voltaire; these classic writings brought him instant wealth. He was often noted for his generosity but also displayed astute business sharpness throughout his life and became a millionaire. Later Voltaire had anothe... Free Essays on Voltaire The Child of Nature Voltaire’s wit and intelligence made him one of France’s greatest writers and philosophers. His writings are full of Enlightenment values and principles. L’Ingenu, written in 1767, reflects his views about individual freedom and people making their own way in the world. Voltaire is open to a society that is open to individual talent and merit for deciding social standing, and not a society that determines it by birth. He has reflected these attitudes throughout the story of L’Ingenu. Voltaire wrote L’Ingenu during a time when rationality and reason were being introduced into society. Whitty conversation and intelligent thinking began to take place. With this type of conversation one could made a mark in society and develop themselves as an individual. The Enlightenment was a period when people began to â€Å"come of the dark.† Medieval times were fast ending and with the help of new philosophers the world was now taking on some modern and alternative views. Ignorance was something they were trying to get rid of and being educated was seen as an important task. Education was now something for everyone, not just the wealthy anymore. They were becoming aware of the world around them and few at a time began to think about it now as not being controlled by God but by natural forces. Perhaps one of the most controversial topics of the time was religion. As people became educated, their views about God began to change. Atheism and the belief that there wa s no God began and showed the radical new way of thinking. Voltaire attacks religion and views it as a negative thing throughout L’Ingenu. The old view of religion was that God was divine and ruled the world. Most thought that God made everything happen and for a reason. During the beginning of the 1700s a new view began partly because of education. People began to believe that god created the world and then left it alone for natural forces and laws to occur...

Definition and Examples of a Glossary in a Book

Definition and Examples of a Glossary in a Book A glossary is an alphabetized list of specialized terms with their definitions.  In a report, proposal, or book, the glossary is generally located after the conclusion. Also known as a clavis (from the Latin word for key). A good glossary, says William Horton, can define terms, spell out abbreviations, and save us the embarrassment of mispronouncing the shibboleths of our chosen professions (e-Learning by Design, 2012). EtymologyFrom the Latin, foreign words Observations Because you will have numerous readers with multiple levels of expertise, you must be concerned about your use of high-tech language (abbreviations, acronyms, and terms). Although some of your readers will understand your terminology, others wont. However, if you define your terms each time you use them, two problems will occur: you will insult high-tech readers, and you will delay your audience as they read your text. To avoid these pitfalls, use a glossary.(Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson, Technical Writing: Process and Product. Pearson, 2006)Locating a Glossary in a Class Paper, Thesis, or DissertationYou may need a glossary if your thesis or dissertation (or, in some cases, your class paper) includes many foreign words or technical terms and phrases that may be unfamiliar to your readers. Some departments and universities allow or require the glossary to be placed in the back matter, after any appendixes and before the endnotes and bibliography or reference list. If you are free to choose, put it in the front matter if readers must know the definitions before they begin reading. Otherwise, put it in the back matter.(Kate L. Turabian,  A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed. The University of Chicago Press, 2007) Suggestions for Preparing a GlossaryUse a glossary if your report contains more than five or six technical terms that may not be understood by all audience members. If fewer than five terms need defining, place them in the report introduction as working definitions, or use footnote definitions. If you use a separate glossary, announce its location: (See the glossary at the end of this report).Follow these suggestions for preparing a glossary:Define all terms unfamiliar to an intelligent layperson. When in doubt, overdefining is safer than underdefining.Define all terms that have a special meaning in your report (In this report, a small business is defined as . . .).Define all terms by giving their class and distinguishing features, unless some terms need expanded definitions.List all terms in alphabetical order. Highlight each term and use a colon to separate it from its definition.On first use, place an asterisk in the text by each item defined in the glossary.List your glossary and its first page number in the table of contents.(John M. Lannon, Technical Communication. Pearson, 2006) Collaborative Glossaries in the ClassroomInstead of creating a glossary on your own, why not have the students create it as they encounter unfamiliar terms? A collaborative glossary can serve as a focal point for collaboration in a course. Each member of the class could be assigned to contribute a term, a definition, or comments on submitted definitions. Multiple definitions can be rated by you and by the students, with the highest-rated definitions accepted for the final class glossary.When students are responsible for creating the definitions, they are much more likely to remember the word and the correct definition.(Jason Cole and Helen Foster, Using Moodle: Teaching With the Popular Open Source Course Management System, 2nd ed. OReilly Media, 2008) Pronunciation: GLOS-se-ree