voltaires candide

Barbara<br>I and my students loved the book. I teach in a school in Latvia and so English is not their first language. They are in the 11th grade and enjoyed it so much that thay decided to draw a kind of a map the of store as we went along. They drew on the map a picture of what the scene might have looked like at each of the places the characters passed through in the book. They even saw a relationship with today's everyday life and the governments of today. I have my students read a bit about the authors too and that helps them to sometimes understand the writings better. A good example is Metamorphosis by Kafka. Understanding some things about Kafka's life helped a great deal with the story.

I discovered this book quite by accident. I'm an old woman, but young at heart, and mostly self educated. Voltaires story is everyones story. We have mountains to climb and valleys to trudge through. To me candide was inspiring, comical beyond belief. and so true. Candide had every element of a good story. Romance, loyalty, tradgedy, surprise and hope for better tomorrows. I wish every child in this country had this book to read in school as an assignment. Candide is as revelent today as it was in Voltaires time.