"trying to piece together the memory from so many broken shards..."

The narrator of A Chronicle of A Death Foretold returns to the scene of Santiago Nasar's murder many years later to piece together clues. The villagers rely on their memories of the day's tragic events and of the many himself. What happens to memories as we age? Are memories ever reliable? How might memories distort reality, much like a mirror would do? Use examples from real life as well as from the novel.

"We must cultivate our gardens"

The last words of Candide are him stating: "We must cultivate our gardens". What is Candide's meaning behind his statement? What does the garden symbolize? How might you apply Candide's philosophy to your own life?

All is fair...or is it?

In Candide, Votaire makes fun of everybody and everything. Nothing is sacred. Today, we also feel free to make fun of everyone and everything. However, can satire go too far? Satire was originally used to bring about social change. Now, it is more about entertainment. Satire is supposed to make people uncomfortable sometimes, but does our modern satire (or even Candide's) cross the line? Do we not mind laughing at others but don't like people laughing at us? Or is all fair in this day and age? Please comment.