5 Bullets Assignment
Assignment: In preparation for our Interactive oral, you will
work in groups of 2 or 3 on one specific question. Your task is to
produce 5 significant bullet points which answer the breadth and width
of the question to the best of your ability.
You will then present your 5 bullets to the class in a 10 minute talk.
Prompts for Candide:
1) THE AUTHOR: Who was Voltaire? What significant
events over his lifetime contributed to him being considered one of the great thinkers
of the 18th Century?
2) THE ERA: The 18th Century is often called The Enlightenment, or The Age of
Reason. What are the major characteristics that define this age, and who were some of
its major thinkers?
3) THE TARGET: Describe the basic ideas behind Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz’
philosophy of Optimism, including relevant philosophical terms such as “The
Problem of Evil”, “Cause and Effect” (or “the uncaused cause” in relation to God),
Divine Providence, and Sufficient Reason.
4) THE STYLE: In what ways is Candide a SATIRICAL novel? Find one example each
of how Voltaire satirizes Optimism, Organized Religion, Politics and Authority and
anything else you can find.
Next step: Write your Reflective Statement (300-400 words) which answers
this specific question:
How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations
of the work developed through the interactive oral?