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The analysis of les miserables
The analysis of les miserables
The analysis of les miserables
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Giving is an activity that people do every day. Receiving something in return tends to be the motivation for people to be generous. Very few people in this world will actually donate their time, effort, or money without acquiring a service or gift in return. The author of Les Misérables, Victor Hugo, knew of one of these magnanimous and charitable people. Inspired by all the altruistic deeds he has seen and heard about, Hugo created the Bishop of Dignes. The Bishop of Dignes time and time again demonstrates what it means to be a selfless Christian through his actions. Whenever there is an opportunity, this bishop chooses to be benevolent. The hospital is overcrowded at the time of the bishop’s ordination. There are twenty-six patients but only enough room for …show more content…
Despite the fact that life in the palace would have been wondrous and splendid, it did not hurt the bishop very much to move into a smaller house, for Christian charity is all about being caring, especially to people in need. A few years later, the bishop performs another humane act. Jean Valjean, a wandering ex-convict, is in Dignes and is seeking a place to spend the night. The inn refuses to offer service, and all the residents of the town lock their doors in fear. In the end, after hours of desperate search for shelter, Valjean finds himself at the door of the gracious bishop begging to be let in. A few seconds later, the bishop responds, “‘Monsieur, sit down and warm yourself; we are going to take supper presently, and your bed will be made ready while you sup’” (16). The bishop had every reason to not trust the potentially threatening stranger and shut his door as well. He, however, did not do so because he saw someone that needed help, regardless of the person’s background. In the end, it is evident that the bishop should not have invited Valjean in as a guest. Silver is very valuable, and having a
Two grand and similar spirits that cannot exist as one, bound by the constraints of misinterpreted honor and the chains of the past.
The novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is an everlasting story that shows the importance of individuality. This novel is about a young boy named Jonas who was elected as the Receiver of Memories, a person who is given the memories from the world that existed before their current society, Sameness. In this society there is no individualism. People can not choose who to marry, or what they want to do for a living. Over time Jonas becomes more and more wise, and realizes that the supposedly perfect community actually has some very dark and negative aspects. The author, Lois Lowry is a 76-year-old writer who focuses her writing on helping struggling teenagers become individuals. Lowry had a very tragic childhood. After both of her parents were separated and killed in the middle of a war, she was devastated and the only way she was able to block and forget all of the horrifying things that were happening, were books (Lowry). “My books have varied in content… Yet it seems… that all of them deal with the same general theme: the importance of human connections,” Lowry explained in her autobiography. In the novel The Giver, Lois Lowry uses the literary elements symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery to express the theme: importance of an individual.
Although Father Latour may possess few worldly desires, one may argue he wants what others can benefit from as well as pleasing himself. Along his journeys, Latour encounters various people, most associates of the Catholic Church like himself. It seems as each time Latour detects a sense of deceit in a person, he progresses in his own mission of morality. When one is trying so hard to embrace and follow the rules and restrictions of religion, as well as enjoy the worldly luxuries, a divided character is created within oneself. It is not until true and total devotion is committed to ones religion that material things become irrelevant and one can be at peace.
Throughout the main "Prologue" as well as "The Friar's Prologue", the characteristics and appearance of the friar, Hubert, is presented in such a way that portrays his character as sly and sinful. With such lines that say, "easy man to give penance when knowing he should gain a good pittance", I am compelled to view Hubert as a sly thief, considering he pockets silver gifted to him by confessors who hope for a better penance. This silver helps Hubert live a comfortable life when he should be living in poverty sufficing on the charitable donations of others through begging. Also, instead of the dirty, tattered clothes which friars typically wear, Hubert dresses like that of a lord, described as "Of double worsted was his semi-cope, that rounded like a bell".
Moliere’s Tartuffe introduces a moral through a middle-class man named Orgon, who chooses to put forth faith and trust in a low-class religious stranger, though is deceived and poorly treated. Orgon’s first impression of Tartuffe consists of a holy and honest Christian who does not lie under any circumstance. Considering Tartuffe as a spiritual man, Orgon brings him home as a guest, providing him with food, clothing, and an offering for his daughter’s hand. Although Orgon’s thinks very highly of Tartuffe, his family attempts to warn him of Tartuffe’s deceptive and fraud-like nature. However, Orgon’s mother, Madame Pernelle, supports her son’s view of the guest, as they could not point out deceits due to their overpowering admiration. At the
Monsieur Jourdain helps Moliere get out of the prison. He is the best example of a person showing great enthusiasm that lead to misfortune events. Although married, Monsieur Jourdain wanted to get the attention of the widower Celimene. By this great affection, Jourdain becomes irrational and started believing his friend, Dorante, helping him to win Celimene’s affection. Monsieur Jourdain often lend Dorante plentiful of money. He even let Dorante deliver expensive gifts to Celimene, which she received not k...
The staff, physicians and board members were not ready to fail. They didn’t want to abandon all those who depended on their services, but they also knew closing the hospital's doors would hurt
We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others” (97). In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, no one has seen a rainbow after a storm, no one knew what colors were; what choosing was; what it meant to be an individual. Everyone lived in complete Sameness, and never learned what it meant to be an individual. By eliminating as much self expression as possible in Sameness and society, Jonas's community has rejected the individuality of a society where people are free to move society forward. In The Giver individuality is represented by colors, memories, and pale eyes.
One of the main plot lines in this novel is based upon a bet between the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil; in short, Valmont wagers that if he is able to seduce the very religious woman, Tourvel, Merteuil will agree to be with him again when he visits Paris. Valmont being both a womanizer and promiscuous takes on this bet and begins his manipulation of Tourvel. At this initial stage, it is important to take into account the values of both
“Acknowledgment heads us in the direction of observation; hence, it requires us to do what our existence, itself, allows for: be open to the world” (Hyde, 2006, p. 48). When reading Les Misérables it is clear to see that many of the terrible stories that take place still exist today. Hugo exposes these stories in order to display the wrong a society can create in an attempt to make people aware and take the necessary actions to prevent unjust societies from existing. Hyde and many other scholars agree that the act of acknowledgment has the potential to change not only someone’s life, but the world. When people turn towards others, see them for who they are, and take necessary means to help them this leaves little room for a loneliness or corruption. The act of acknowledgment is so powerful that it can create peace, restore relationships, and even redirect depressing
The church and health care have been tightly interwoven since the beginning of Christianity, and a large percentage of hospitals in the United States today are Catholic owned. As modern medicine continues to evolve and progress with society, one wonders if the values and policies set by Catholic hospitals are still relevant in our world today. The Catholic Church remains clear on their view of certain current issues surrounded with debate like contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. While some debate over if Catholic hospitals should instill new policies that keep up with modern times, I feel like a large issue is being overlooked. The work Catholic hospitals have done, and continue to do, for vulnerable populations establish the church’s
Imagine remembering all the amazing and different memories of love, happiness, pain, etc. you’ve ever had, but then you forgot them all. Well in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas, and his Utopian community have no memories from the “outside world”. When Jonas is getting ready for the ceremony of "twelves" he is getting “apprehensive”. When the ceremony of "twelves" is all set to go, Jonas waiting for his turn for his job gets skipped by the Chief Elder, but, later on, she pulls him aside explaining that Jonas has been "selected" to serve as The Receiver. Through all his learning with The Giver, Jonas has realized that the community needs memories for a meaningful life.
Jean Valjean began the story as an ex-convict who was searching for food and shelter after working in the galleys for sixteen years. Unfortunately, he failed to receive compassion from any lodging, or home. While he was wandering through the streets after been rejected so many times, "he came to the prefecture then to the seminary. On passing by the cathedral square he shook his fist at the church" (22). Through this discrete action, it was clear how he had felt toward the church. The church, we learned was a representation of his resentment toward everyone and everything around him (due to his past experienced of suffering). After he found shelter within the Bishop’s lodging, he expressed his gratitude for excepting him, and began to tell stories of suffering in the past. Here, the reader would assume this encounter and expression would be the end of Jean Valjean’s criminal actions, as did the Bishop when he said, “you have left a place of suffering. But listen, there will be more joy in heaven over the tears of a repentant sinner…” (28). Valjean could have taken this as good advice, or a warning, but it didn’t stop him stealing the Bishop’s candlesticks later on. Predictably, Valjean is caught. He was brought to the...
“It is precisely of him that I wished to speak. Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home. I only ask that of you.” Upon examination of Les Miserables, it is clearly evident that the elements of Forgiveness, Self – Sacrifice, and Courage are only a few of the main themes Hugo wanted to develop.
The holidays, that begin promptly after Thanksgiving Day is over, are a time for gift-giving and displaying affection for others through material objects. For my family, Christmas gifts are a way to communicate thoughtfulness and overall love for one another. My identical twin sister, Samantha, shares this sentiment and spent an extended period of time looking for a present that would perfectly convey her sisterly love for me, and the fact that she actually purchased items that I would use and like exemplified her intentions. However, I did not go through this materialistic process this past holiday, and I inadvertently interrupted what Marcel Mauss describes as reciprocation. He claims that giving a gift is not simply giving over an object to another person, but actually giving up part of the ownership and handing over a component of the essence of the person. For me to not give a gift to my sister in return this past Christmas, it essentially broke down the reciprocity of the process and rejected my sister and her offer to share part of herself with me. Mauss and his thoughts explain exactly why my sister was angry with me throughout the holidays, a reason I had yet to grasp until understanding Mauss’s concepts. He also describes the purpose of the gift, which is not an entirely economic action.