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Voltaire

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

French Enlightenment writer who championed reason, tolerance, and satire against dogma

Detailed Definition
François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) attacked injustice with wit in works like "Candide." He influenced revolutions. Poets cite him as a voice of skeptical hope, the mocker who defends humanity, and the philosopher who uses irony to dismantle oppression.
Example
Example in poetry:
Voltaire appears in poetry as the embodiment of Enlightenment wit, skepticism, and advocacy for justice; Poets quote his famous cry “Écrasez l’infâme!” to denounce superstition and oppression; His exile and prolific writings inspire verses on intellectual courage and the power of the pen; Modern poets reference Voltaire to defend free speech and rational discourse; His relationship with Émilie du Châtelet is used to explore collaborative genius and gender in science; Voltaire’s sarcasm and irony serve as models for satirical and polemical poetry.
Additional Notes
Voltaire (1694–1778), Enlightenment philosopher, satirist of “Candide,” and advocate of reason and tolerance; in poetry, Voltaire symbolizes wit, anti-clericalism, and the critique of optimism—his battles against l’infâme (superstition) shaped modern secular verse; useful for analyzing poems on injustice, irony, or the poet as public intellectual in the age of reason.
Also Known As
François-Marie Arouet
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