Title: Les Misrables

Genre: Historical Fiction

Characters:

*Jan Valjean/ Monsieur Madeleine - was the adopted father of Cosette. He was convicted for  19 years for stealing bread for a hungry child.

*Cosette - child of Fantine, was adopted by Jan Valjean. He was inlove with Marius.

*Fantine - the mother of Cosette, a factory worker who then later became a prostitute after the foreman of the factory send her away.

*Javert - a high guard in the prison where Jean Valjean was convicted. He still chases Jan because for him laws should be followed.

*Marius - he was the lover of Cosette. Eventhough he's a member of a prominent family, he chose to be an activist. He's the sole survivor of the barricade.

*Monsieur & Madame Thenardier - the couple whom Cosette lived with. They traet Cosette as their slave and they are stealing things from their guests.

*Eponine - daughter of the Thenardiers. She's was inlove with Marius, her friend. She died because she was fatally wounded for saving Marius.

Setting: In France during the 19th Century French Revolution

Plot: It is a story of an escaped convict named Jan Valjean whose life was transformed and turned toward goodness by an act of Christian charity. Eight years have past, Valjean has broken his parole and changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, and he became the Mayor of a town and also a factory owner. 

Fantine is one of his workers in the factory, she has a secret child. When the other worker discover it, they demand that she should be terminated in her job. She was then thrown away by the foreman. Desperate to pay medicines for her daughter, she sells her hair and her tooth, she even entered prostitution. She was then rescued by Monsieur Madeleine. Before she died, Monsieur Madeleine promised to her that he will find and and look after her daughter, Cosette.

Cosette lived with the Thenardiers who ran an inn, they treat him as a slave. Valjean finds Cosette fetching water in the dark. He pays the Thenardiers to let him take Cosette away and be with him in Paris. 

Marius is a young man who leaves with his wealthy grandfather. He chose to live as a poor young law student and he associates with the group of radical students. When he saw Cosette, he fell in love with her, it is love at first sight. Eponine sadly bring him to Cosette and prevents an attempt by her father's gang to rob Valjean's house. Valjean thought that it was Javert lurking outside his house. He then told Cosette to prepare  to flee the country. On the eve of the revolution, the students and Javert see the situation from their different view points; Cosette and Marius part in despair of ever meeting again; Eponine mourns the loss of Marius; and Valjean looks forward to the security of exile. The Thenardiers, meanwhile, dream of rich pickings underground from the chaos to come.

The students prepare to build the barricade. The barricade is built, and the revolutionaries defy an army warning that they must give up or die. As the revolt continues, all died except Marius because he was saved by Jan Valjean. Marius and Cosette married, but Jean wasn't there because he chose to be away from Cosette without telling her his true identity. At the wedding, the Thenardiers was there and they told Marius where Valjean was. The couple then look for him, and when they found him he was already weak and dying. Cosette learns for the first time of her own history before the old man dies.  Happy to be reunited with his adopted daughter, Valjean dies in peace.

Theme: The movie is about people struggling over the need for justice, and the need for mercy and grace.

Symbolism: Silver candlesticks - symbol of compassion and they shed a light that brings love and hope.

1. What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?

The title itself tells about the story of the people that are the miserable ones living miserable lives.

2. Among the characters, to whom can you relate to?
I can relate myself to Fantine. Because of her undying love for her daughter Cosette, she's willing to do everything just for her.

3. Which part of the presentation struck you most? Why?
The time when Fantine was into prostitution. I felt her suffering in the depths of my soul and wept along with her.  In Fantine we see the suffering of every woman.

4. What is the movie's message?
Eventhough we may encounter lots of trials and sufferings, we should never give up for God is always with us. We just have to strengthen our faith in Him inorder for us to surpass all of those trials.


5. Did I like this in general? Why? 
Yes, I like it. I even cried while watching it. We can learn lots of things from it.

6. Did I agree with the main theme/purpose? Why or Why not?
Yes, it is the harsh reality of life. All of us will encounter different trials in life just like in the movie.

7. What specifically did I like/dislike? Why?
I like how the cast portray their roles, they pretty convincing.

8. Are there any aspects of theme which are left ambiguous at the end? Why?
None. every details was clearly shown.

9. How does this film relate to the things that are happening in your life?
In my everyday life, I have encountered different problems, problems that I thought can't be solved. But I still continue to pray and hope that everything will be fine, that's why I'm still in this world, i still exist.

LIFE OF PI MOVIE ANALYSIS

Title: Life of Pi

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Characters:

·         Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel

·         Gita Patel, Pi’s mother

·         Santosh Patel, Pi’s father

·         Richard Parker(Bengal Tiger)

·         Orange Juice(Orangutan)

·         Mr.Okamoto and Mr.Chiba

·         The Author

Setting: Pacific Ocean

Plot:   

Pi, Piscine Molitor Patel, grows up in South Indian city of Pondicherry, where his father runs the zoo. A precocious and intelligent boy, by the age of fifteen Pi—Hindu from an early age—has also adopted Christianity and Islam, and considers himself a pious devotee to all three religions.

As politics shift in India, Pi's family decides to move to Canada, but on the passage over the ship sinks. Pi finds refuge on a lifeboat, but he's not alone. Amazingly he is stuck sharing the limited space with an orangutan named Orange Juice, a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, and a Royal Bengal Tiger named "Richard Parker." The hyena kills and devours both the zebra and Orange Juice, before Richard Parker kills the hyena. Pi is left alone on a lifeboat with an adult male tiger. Pi works on taming the tiger and marking his own territory while trying to make a life raft.

Not long after, the boat pulls up to a strange island of trees that grow directly out of vegetation, without any soil. Pi and Richard Parker stay here for a time, sleeping in their boat and exploring the island during the day. Pi discovers a huge colony of meerkats who sleep in the trees and freshwater ponds. One day, Pi finds human teeth in a tree’s fruit and comes to the conclusion that the island eats people. He and Richard Parker head back out to sea, finally washing ashore on a Mexican beach. Richard Parker runs off, and villagers take Pi to a hospital.

Theme:  The Path of Survival. Pi Patel is proof that if you believe in something, and have the will to pursue that belief, while adapting to current changes, you will survive.

Symbolism: Algae Island. It offers temporary salvation to Pi, but he must leave the island. His illusion of the island is shattered. There is a kind of heaven and hell associated with day and night. By day the meerkats eat without having to kill and show no fear, even of Richard Parker. At night, the island becomes carnivorous and the ecosystem feeds on itself. Orange is the color of survival. The whistles, life jacket, lifebuoy, tarpaulin, and Richard Parker are orange. Tiger, the physical manifestation of Pi’s dark side.  He’s the carnivore, the ruthless killer, the animal with no morals or ethics.  He’s the typical dark side, the side you fear, the side you try to keep hidden inside.  The side that you know you can never resist the side that can destroy you at any moment. 

1. What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?

·         Pi himself might not be immortal, but his story is. It reminds us both of the continuity of life and the openness of Pi's story. Meaning, the story doesn't limit itself to Pi. Ideas, people and religions, anything with the spark of life, all follow, to some degree, the pattern of messiness and depravity and hope.

2. Among the characters, to whom can you relate to?

·       Pi, because he never loses hope despite of all the hardships that he encountered. . Pi didn’t give up hope and he kept moving.

3. Which part of the presentation struck you the most? Why?

·       Pi poses a question which in many ways explains exactly why the story with animals was told. Pi says, “So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?”.  As in religion, simply having faith is enough to preserve morality. But, this question may be interpreted differently. When Pi asks this question, it suggests that he realizes that the story of the animals must be an illusion created by him. However, he also realizes that such an illusion is not bad. In fact, it enabled him to survive an ordeal that could very easily have killed him. This acknowledgement suggests that somewhere deep inside he knows the story with people is true, but that it does not matter.

4. What is the movie’s message?

·         Life Of Pi is a story of perseverance and a story of not giving up, even in the harshest of conditions. Pi didn’t give up hope and he kept moving. Whether it’s the black sea or the dark clouds or the ominous waves or the hungry predator as company, Pi never gave up hope of survival.

5. Did I like this in general? Why?

·         Yes, I like the movie. At first, I find it boring but as the movie goes along, I kinda like it. There might be many things in Life which we learn through others. At every mode of Life there would be some lesson waiting for us to be taught. Each and every lesson which others teach us are important but the lessons of Life which are taught through self-experiences remain for a lifetime. These personal experiences and lessons evolve any person and relate him to the ultimate being who is known as GOD.

6. Did I agree with the main theme/purpose? Why or why not?

·         Yes, I agree with the theme of the movie. It is shown that Pi Patel survives extreme hardships by adapting to his surroundings, finding the self-will to continue striving, and by never losing sight of what he believes in, his identity, which is his faith in God. Pi Patel is proof that if you believe in something, and have the will to pursue that belief, while adapting to current changes, you will survive.

7. What specifically did I like/dislike? Why?

·         I like the internal meanings of each move of the characters remain in the astounding visuals of the film and yet the philosophy of the film is not lost. LIFE of PI is a must watch on screen.

8. Are there any aspects of theme which are left ambiguous at the end? Why?

·         None, because both of them survived.

9. How does this film relate to the things that are happening in your life?

·       It is an eye-opening experience. “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” This not only inspired me, but also reminded me, we can take life the way it comes at us but we also have the power to steer our lives in the direction that we want. We just have to remember this even when times get rough… and to make the best of any situation. Such a strong message yet so simple. “Even if it seems that God abandoned us, He is watching.”

'If' by Rudyard Kipling

(1865-1936)

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

-It's all about sense of life’s challenges and how someone can overcome those who refuse to take accountability for their own actions.This poem expresses the importance of an individual taking and accepting the responsibility for their own lives—including their mistakes—and not blaming others.The poem has two important lessons. The first is that we are all equal. Don’t put yourself above anyone else, but know that you are just as good as everyone else, so don’t let anyone else put themselves above you. The second is that you should believe in yourself, even when everyone doubts you. Don’t believe in lies people say about you—or about anyone else. Tell the truth, believe the truth, and behave truthfully, no matter what those around you do. 

c'est la vie!: http://www.learner.org/interactives/assessment/tes...

c'est la vie!: http://www.learner.org/interactives/assessment/tes...: http://www.learner.org/interactives/assessment/testskills_print.html

http://www.learner.org/interactives/assessment/testskills_print.html