This marks the end of the first half of your senior year and this is your
  midterm blog. It will count as 20% of your quarter grade. Congratulations to
  you!

 This quarter we spent a great deal of time reading and analyzing Les
  Miserables. This was the first time I have used this novel and would like
  honest criticism to determine whether or not to use it in the future. 

In a well-written, 500+ word response, write an argument defending whether or
  not Les Miserables should be taught in my future classes. (80%)

 Be sure to address:

• your position (should the novel be used again?)
  
• what you liked about the Les Miserables unit and why
  
• what you did not like and why
  
• the life-lessons (themes)
  
• the text (quotes)
  
• the YouTube clips from the musical (songs)
  
• the independent reading assignments
  
• the class discussions
  
• the blogs
  
• summarize your position

Then, read through your peers' posts and choose one that has taken the
  opposite position from you. Argue why a comment made in that post is
inaccurate,  incomplete, or incorrect to help support your position. (20%)

I think that Les Miserables should be thought again next year. I
liked that there was always a lesson behind the text and that there were many
stories inside one big novel. I also liked that the novel started out with
different stories but then they all connected at the end. The life lessons that
came from this book made it worth the time to read. I did like that the story
was tragic, and interesting. If the story would have been a happy story about
life and everything worked out then it would have been boring. On the contrary,
the book was a little hard to understand at some points, but those who stuck it
out understood it after a while. The book was long, and took a while to read in
class and at home. That’s probably because I cannot concentrate at home at
all..

 The one life-lesson that I learned is that life is tragic, but
it makes it interesting.  If
cosette would of never been treated like a misfortunate child, her fate would
have been different. If Jean Valjean would have never been a convict, his story
in this novel would have been different. Many life lessons could be taken from
Les Miserables, but the one that I treasure the most is that forgiveness is an
amazing, life changing gift.

The text was hard to understand at some points because of the
time period and the history that was going on. I think if the book was written a
couple years ago with new lingo then maybe it would have been more
understandable. Or maybe the fact that it was written with French accents and in
places that I’ve never heard of. For me, the concept of miserable-ness was hard
to grasp, since I have never honestly been miserable to this extent. 
       
I honestly felt that the YouTube clips from the musical were hard to
understand. I feel like they missed a lot of the details, but maybe it’s just
because I am not a musical person. When we watched the videos on YouTube I did
feel the beauty of the singing, but I did not understand what they were saying
until we went over it afterwards. The other YouTube of the movie version of Les
Miserables did help a lot with understanding the book, it was faithful to the
text and it was clear.


Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I always told myself that I would do
the independent reading assignments. However, when I got home I would find other
things to do and then by the time I wanted to read it was already time for bed.
I wish I did take the time to read at home, it’s just difficult. The reading in
the classroom setting was way easier to do
though.

 The classroom discussions were probably what made me understand
the book. The book is hard to grasp, but when you have other peers thoughts it
is easier to put two and two together. Whenever you read in class it was easier
to get the feel of the characters and what their real voices sound like. I
honestly dislike in the past when we read in class and the teacher would go
around the room because most people stink at reading, and it is hard to keep up
with the story if the change of voice is so
often.

 The blogs also helped me understand the book because besides
getting information about our character, we could see the storyline of other
characters.

ATTENTION: Marlo, This book was a little long for my liking, as I am a slow
  reader like you are. However, the content that I did read was great.

*This is a double blog and must have at least 10 sentences. 
 
Use your dilectical journals to idenitfy five (5) quotes that show your
  character's journey in the novel Les Miserables. The quotes should
span  from the character's entrance to his or her exit and cannot all be from
the  beginning of the novel. Then explain how the quotes reveal what the
character  has taught you.

 Do not forget to use parenthetical citiations for each quote.

“The pretty little creature gave one a desire to bite her cherry cheeks. We can
  say nothing of her eyes except they must have been very large, and were, and
  were fringed with superb lashes. She was asleep. She was sleeping in the
  absolute confiding slumber peculiar for her age. A mother’s arms are made of
  tenderness, and sweet sleep blesses the child who lies therein” (Hugo 36).
 
  Cosette was introduced by her mother, Fantine. She carried Cosette to find
  someone to care for her. Fantine knew that she couldn’t take care of Cosette
  while she was working. Fantine gave her precious daughter to the Thenardiers.
 
“Cosette could not stir that she did not draw upon herself a hailstorm of
  undeserved and severe chastisements” (Hugo 42).
 
Once the Thernardiers got their hands on Cosette they started treating her like a servant. Cosette never knew why she was treated this way. She never really complained either. She did as she  was told.

“Cosette followed him without difficulty. She felt fatigue no
more.  From time to time, she raised her eyes toward this man with a sort of 
tranquility and inexpressible confidence. She had never been taught to burn 
toward Providence and to pray. However, she felt in her bosom something that 
resembled hope and joy, and which rose toward heaven” (Hugo 140).

This was a turning point for Cosette. Jean Valjean made a promise to Fantine that he would take care of Cosette for her when she died. This was the first step to taking Cosette back. Cosette needed a new caretaker because the Thenardiers took advantage of her. “She had not only grown; she had become idealized. As three April days are enough for certain trees to put on a covering of flowers, so six months had been enough for her to put on a mantle of beauty” (Hugo 237). 

Cosette  at this point was away from the Thenardiers from quite some time. Jean Valjean  treated her like she should be treated, as a perfect young lady.
Cosette turned  from an ugly sick looking girl to a beautiful young woman.
 “She began to adore  Marius as something charming, luminous, and impossible” (Hugo 254).
Cosette’s  story ended with falling in love with Marius. They always admired eachother from  afar. Marius took the time and courage to finally talk to her. They fell in  love. Marius and Cosette moved in together and the book ended with them both  saying bye to her father, Jean Valjean as he died. 

ATTENTION: Justin Walker, I agree with the quotes you picked. Jean Valjean
  was a good man and he died a loved man at the end. Cosette and Marius loved him very much