Voltaire

==== Francois Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire was born in Paris in 1694. He attended Louis-Le-Grand College in 1704. He wanted to be devoted to literature but his father wished for him to study law. In 1713, Voltaire got into trouble and his father sent him to Holland.While in Holland before he devoted himself to writing he worked as a secratery to the French Ambassador. When he returned to Paris he briefly worked in a law office. Throughout his life he was a playwriter, a poet, and worked on many other literary pieces. Voltaire is remembered as a crusader against tyranny and bigotry. Tyranny is a single ruler with absolute power, and bigotry is ruling with intolerance. This shows that Voltaire was a man who believed that division between church and state was critical to the sucsess of a country and its people. This is the way that America is run today, proving that Voltaire was a man before his time. He was a philosopher who supported his religion, anticlerical. Anticlericals are opposed to the influence of the church or clergy in political affairs. Voltaire's most important achievement was to have helped to introduce the thoughts of Newton and Locke to France in the 1730's. Voltaire said the famous quote "I disagree with what you say, but defend to the death your right to say it". This helped with the 1st Amendment and Free speech. Also with the words of our founding fathers Voltaire helped to encourage Free Speech. He thought that every man should be ruled under the power of one person, if everyone is given a chance more can be accomplished. ==== ====  ====


==== __    **Achievements  **     __  ====

**1723: Published //Henriade.// **
====        **1727: //Essay Upon Epic Poetry//, and //Essay Upon Civil Wars in France// were published. **        ==== ====         **1732: Produced one of his best plays, //Zaire.//  **         ==== ====        **1733: Published //Letters on the English Nation. T//his got him into trouble once again becasue the criticism of the English was only covering up for the criticism the church and state of France. **        ==== ====         **1745: Appointed Royal Historiographer of France. **        ==== ====         **<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #90d1f9;">1746: Elected to the French Academy. **        ==== ====         **<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #90d1f9;">1748: Published //Zadig//, a philosophical tale. **        ==== ====         **<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #90d1f9;">1751: Went to Berlin to serve as philosopher-poet to Frederick the Great. **        ==== ====         **<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #90d1f9;">1752: Published The Age of Louis XIV and Micromegas  **         ====

Voltaire published Henriade in 1723. Henriade is an Epic Poem that
==== Voltaire had written for France. It was very popular. ====

[[image:http://www.crayola.com/educators/lesson_plans/media/small/1121.jpg]] [[image:http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/baczkowski/acrostic1.gif]]
====  **  __Acrostic Poem Grade Sheet:__ 1. The student turned his/her acrostic poem in on time. If not 10% off each day that it is late - ** **2. The student correctly create an acrostic poem with the assign word---20 points -- **   ====

**3. The student wrote in complete sentences and used historical information---20 points -- 4. The student made the poem colorful and unique- 15 points**
=  HERO  =

Voltaire was a true hero. He wanted to change the world with his beliefs. He was against the ruling of an Absolute Monarch and the intolerance that the rulers had. He was opposed to the influence of the church in political matters and thouhgt that politics should all go through the head of state. He wanted relgion sperate from government. He is also a Hero in another aspect. Voltaire was also a poet, playwrite, and worked in the feild of law. He wrote many plays and poems that helped to influence the writings of authors to come. All the supports of what Voltaire believed about the Church and the Political System would be on his side. In todays world entrepreneurs would be supportive of Voltaire because they are the people that are in the world to make their mark. They want to make advances and work all on their own. People always have obsticles. For Voltaire the main obsticles that he had to face were the people that did not believe the same thing that he believed in. He had to overcome them by knowing what he thought was right with his strong determination. Voltaire impacted the comtemparary world in the beliefs that people have and also in the world of literature. The way that people see or hear plays may have been different if Voltaire had never worked on his dream by devoting himself to writing. Also if people had never read his pieces of work they never would have learned what Voltaire believed was best for all. Through his wiritings he told what he wanted to change about the government that he did not agree with. **French Philosopher Of The Year Award** **Wanted** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Crime:**     <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">   **  //Letters on the English Nation//  ** Voltaire is charged with this crime because he is criticizing the the Church and the State of France. It is not clear to the bare eye that he is critczing France because he uses England as his target in the writing. After the investigation it was clear that Voltiare was making fun of France and the Church. He fled the seen because he knew he had gotten himslef into trouble. Voltaire spent the next 15 years in Lorraine at the chateau of Cirey with his mistress. This crime was proven, so even the people who did not want to think it was true, had to. **D** **ead or Alive **