Candide By Voltaire And The Song `` Pursuit Of Happiness...

Throughout history people have been looking for something that made life special, spectacular, or one of a kind. Today, this search is known to the world as the â€Å"pursuit of happiness†. The phrase use was heightened during the enlightenment period and lingered for long after. This impact of its use did not only impact the way life was looked at but also impacted the arts during that time and for the future. Two pieces that show this evidence is the novel Candide by Voltaire and the song â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness† by Kid Cudi. Both of these works, even though they were published more than two centuries apart, carry the theme of the pursuit of happiness. These pieces are evidence of the unchanging pursuit that mankind goes through. The beginning of the pursuit is where both of the stories start off. Where the characters get a taste of what they believe to be â€Å"pure happiness†. In Kid Cudi’s song, the narrator finds what they believe to be happiness in drugs and alcohol. â€Å"Crush a bit, little bit, roll it up take a hit†¦ I don’t care hand on the wheel, drivin’ drunk I’m doin’ my thing.† (AZ Lyrics) However, in Voltaire’s Candide, the character Cunegonde starts an infection of the search in the other character through the observation of Pangloss, her teacher, giving her mother’s chambermaid a â€Å"lesson in natural experimental philosophy† (3 Voltaire) in the park. She was â€Å"filled with the desire to be learned; dreaming that she might well be a sufficient reason for young Candide, and he