The New York Times made an article on  a Venezuela protest that involved lots of fatal violence and posted it on July 31st of 2024. Here is what they reported: “The protests that broke out in Caracas and in other parts of Venezuela on Monday appeared to have turned deadly. Foro Penal, a human rights organization, said in a preliminary count that at least 11 people had died amid the protests throughout the country. Families who were gathered at the medical examiner's office in Caracas reported at least four more people who were shot at protests and who were not part of Foro Penal's count.” from “Post-Election Protests Turn Deadly in Venezuela.” written by Frances Robles and Isayen Herrera. According to the New York Times the protests that broke out resulted in violence and the fatalities of others and not even in one part of Venezuela, it was spread to other parts too and the assailants are thought to be with the authoritarian government of Venezuela.

 In Les Miserables it covers the events of the June rebellion of 1832 in France and shows the relevant topic of the death and violence from these protests. On page 314 of Les Miserables it reads; “These men, wan, tettered, and exhausted, who had not eaten for twenty-four hours, who had not slept, who had but a few more shots to fire, who felt their pockets empty of cartridges, nearly all wounded, their heads or arms bound with a smutty and blackended cloth, with holes in their coat whence the blood was flowing,.. Bossuet was killed; Feuilly was killed; Courfeyrac was killed; Joly was killed;”. During the rebellion it illustrates the picture of death and violence, how death is foreign to noone and how plunging into protests, involving yourself in Civil disobedience also throws you into the eye of the storm and puts you at the hands of the government and those who disagree with your fight.

In conclusion, Les Miserables is relevant and can be applied to events today because it covers the topics of protest/civil disobedience and the death that comes from it. In places other than Venezuela there are also protests and rebellions that also happened after Les Miserables and before Venezuela. Protests are a thing that will exist as long as there is a battle toward a fair world to be achieved and a person to fight it.

In Les Miserables, Hugo explains that Jean Valjean was repeatedly denied from inns and taverns, showing their harsh treatment towards the formerly incarcerated. At the beginning of the book, he argues with an innkeeper who asks him to leave, “Stop, no more of that. Shall I tell you your name? Your name is Jean Valjean; now shall I tell you who you are? When I saw you enter, I suspected something.”(7) Even though  Valjean was willing to pay, he was forced out of the inn due to his past. The treatment of Jean Valjean after he is released from prison is an example of discrimination against former prisoners, which is still an issue today.

163 years later, rehabilitated prisoners are still facing the same problems, especially when it comes to finding jobs. In "For Inmates with Drive, a Chance to Move Ahead,” an article recently published in The Boston Globe, Katie Johnston describes a program that helps inmates get licenses to work trucking jobs. She writes how “Finding work is a major challenge for formerly incarcerated people, an estimated 60 percent of whom don't have jobs, studies show.” Massachusetts inmates are struggling to find working positions, even though the trucking industry has many openings. When convicts are released, they face many challenges when trying to make ends meet because of discrimination.

Les Miserables is just as important now as it was in the 19th century, because it addresses issues that we as a society are still facing in the present. Programs like Emerge Career’s CDL Training are needed to combat the harsh discrimination facing former prisoners. Overall, classic books like Les Miserables should still be read today because these problems are just as or even more relevant today as they were many years ago.

Works Cited

Johnston, Katie. "For Inmates with Drive, a Chance to Move Ahead: Emerge Career's CDL Training Takes Incarcerated Students from Permits to Licenses to Trucking Jobs Making $75,000 — all for Free." Boston Globe, Jan 09 2025, ProQuest. Web. 13 Jan. 2025 .

ELA 8 Section 51

Why “Les Mis” Matters Today

Despite the fact that Victor Hugo’s groundbreaking novel, Les Miserables, is over 150 years old, it still is relevant to the issues today in the U.S. and specifically Boston. One issue Les Miserables addresses is the problem of homelessness. The main character of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean, struggles with homelessness after being released from prison. The struggle of homelessness also affects people in Boston.

One example of the issue of homelessness, appears in the beginning of Les Miserables when Jean Valjean tries to find a place to sleep in Digne after traveling for a very long time. Jean Valjean is deterred multiple times and settles for sleeping on a bench. In Hugo’s Les Miserables he says, “Exhausted with fatigue, and hoping for nothing better, he lay down on a stone bench in front of this printing-office.” (12) Jean Valjean faced homelessness in Les Miserables, a problem that many people in the world face in the current day.

Homelessness is also a significant problem in Boston just like in Les Miserables. In the article More cities crack down on homeless camps: Critics say the measures unfairly punish homeless residents who have nowhere else to go from the Boston Globe it states, “The city councils in Brockton and Lowell each adopted prohibitions on unauthorized camping on public property Tuesday night, joining Boston, Fall River and Salem.” Even in Boston Homelessness is a big issue. Many people have to find sleep on benches in the public just like Jean Valjean does. This illustrates how the issues in Les Miserables still relate to the issues of today. 

Homelessness is one issue that people face in Les Miserables and in the current day but, in conclusion, Homelessness is one of the many issues that are still relevant today. Les Miserables is a wonderful novel that is full of lessons and wisdom that can still be applied to the modern day. Les Miserables is a timeless book and still matters today.

In the book Les Misérables, Victor Hugo writes about the many issues in the world at that time. One of the issues that he covers is the issue of recidivism, or the act of an ex-convict reoffending after they have served time and been released. This shows up in les Mis in the form of the ex-convict Jean Valjean stealing multiple times, even after he has served nineteen years in the galleys at Toulon. Here, Jean Valjean’s act is an example of recidivism. In this way, Les Misérables still matters today because the issue of recidivism, like how Jean Valjean reoffends by stealing from Petit Gervais, is still relevant and happens in the world right now.

At the beginning of Hugo’s Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is released from prison in 1815, nineteen years after his sentence began for trying to steal a loaf of bread for his family. After traveling for a long day, he cannot find a place to stay for the night. Finally, the Bishop lets him stay, but Jean Valjean steals from him. After leaving, he steals once more from a boy named Petit Gervais. In this moment, Jean Valjean steals from his instinct and didn’t even realize that he had done it. Petit Gervais demands that he gets his money back from Jean Valjean saying, “ ‘Petit Gervais! me! me! give me my forty sous, if you please! Take away your foot, monsieur, if you please!’ ” (Hugo 35). Jean Valjean doesn’t return the money and later realizes what he has done: “At that instant he perceived the forty-sous piece which his foot had half buried in the ground, and which glistened among the pebbles. It was like an electric shock. ‘What is that?’ said he, between his teeth.” (Hugo 36). Here, Jean Valjean has once again stolen, in an act of recidivism. This act is something that is also not uncommon to happen in our world now, showing how the events of Hugo’s Les Misérables still are relevant today.

One recent example of recidivism now happened on January 3rd of this year when a 29 year old man named Waldo Mejia fatally stabbed fourteen year old Caleb Rijos in New York City. According to the Police Commissioner in a news conference Mejia was a “ ‘career criminal’ with a ‘documented history of mental health interaction with the N.Y.P.D.’ He had already been arrested four times, she said, including in 2019, after he lit a home on fire, and in November, after he stabbed a ring camera with a kitchen knife. Ms. Tisch described the killing as the tragic result of a criminal justice system that had failed to put victims first and adequately address recidivism and mental illness.” This example of recidivism is similar to Jean Valjean’s actions in les Misérables because they both are criminals who reoffend and commit another crime. Les Mis still matters today because recidivism is still an issue that occurs.

Overall, Victor Hugo’s les Misérables still matters today because the issue of recidivism that is in the novel still is important today. This issue now can be seen in the form of criminals, like Mejia, reoffending the law, like how Jean Valjean steals again, this time from Petit Gervais. Les Misérables still is important now because the issue of recidivism is still extremely relevant in our current society.

McFadden, Alyce, and Maia Coleman. "Man Charged in Stabbing Death of 14-Year-Old

     Boy Found in Bronx." The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/

     01/10/nyregion/teen-stabbed-bronx.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 15

     Jan. 2025.

Madi McCulley

Despite being first published in mid-nineteenth century France, Les Miserables is a book renowned worldwide for its continuous relevance. There are many social issues depicted in this Victor Hugo novel that still hold relevance to modern issues. One of these many social issues being protesting or civil disobedience. In Les Miserables, Former convict Jean Valjean attempts to create a normal life for himself and his adopted daughter, but he is threatened by Inspector Javert’s pursuit of him and the beginnings of a french rebellion. During this rebellion, a barricade is created by young revolutionaries in order to protest the French monarchy. The struggles with violence that these protesters face are still common in modern day protests. 

Enjolras, a young revolutionary, and his friends set up a barricade in the streets to protect themselves from the police as they protest the French monarchy. The conditions were brutal, but the protestors were persistent. On page 314, fighting ensues as “there was assault after assault. The horror continued.” Eventually, almost everyone at the barricade is killed due to gun violence from the police. “Bossuet was killed; Feuilly was killed; Courfeyrac was killed; Joly was killed; Combeferre, pierced by three bayonet-thrusts in the breast,” all due to violence from the French police force. This is a very intense display of the violence that can often occur at protests.

Similarly, thousands of people came together in Washington DC to protest the inauguration of President Trump. Many protesters came from all across the country, a tiring and difficult process. Just like the revolutionaries from Les Miserables, the protestors were deeply concerned about possible violence. Protestor Jen Sellers expressed her concerns, stating “I know last time Trump was in office, he was using violence against protesters,” for an interview in New York Times article, ‘Angry and Frustrated’: Thousands Protest Trump Days Before His Inauguration. In previous protests against Trump, the police were called on to quell the riots, but this often resulted in violence against the protesters. Many other protestors also brought this up, showing that violence in protests is still a very large problem today.

Based on the evidence from both Les Miserables and the New York Times article, it is easy to see that there are still issues with violence at protests. The young revolutionaries must defend themselves from police violence. Today, protesters must also worry about violence from police. Following the patterns shown over the years, this problem may never fully disappear, and this is why Les Miserables is such a relevant book. The topics it chooses to focus on are issues that are so deeply rooted in our society that they might live on forever in varying ways. 

Newspaper

Article

Macur, Juliet. "'Angry and Frustrated': Thousands Protest Trump Days before His

Inauguration." The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025. The New York Times,https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/us/trump-protests-inauguration.html?searchResultPosition=1  searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Victor Hugo’s Les miserables is important today because it talks about issues like homelessness that still exists in today’s day in age. I can prove this by stating a quote from Les Miserables. “Exhausted with fatigue, and hoping for nothing better, he lay down on a stone bench in front of this printing office.” p.12

This quote is showing how Jean Valjean was homeless after the galleys and nobody was willing to take him in because of his past. They were greedy and not willing to give to people in need, much like some of our society today.

There is a quote from the news       article The growth in homelessness is an american moral failure by Meher Ahmad, which talks about how homelessness has been growing because of taxes and other government issues. It also talks about how homelessness can affect people’s mood and how they see themselves. Homelessness can lead to a bad path, and hard to get back on track.

         Homelessness is spreading across America and across the world. It is also spreading fast. Joblessness is also spreading across the world. America has a high unemployment and homelessness rate, and it is only increasing.

Ahmad, Meher. "The growth in homelessness is an American moral failure." New

     York Times, 2 Jan. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/opinion/

     homelessness-surge-crisis.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Mrs. Mcdonald - Long

ELA 51

January 15, 2025

Why ‘Les Miserables’ Matters Today

Despite being written over 150 years ago, Les Miserables remains relevant to our current society.  One of Les Miserables's biggest issues is bad prison conditions, which is still a big issue in our modern-day society. It is still an important novel today because it describes the harshness of prison conditions while maintaining a valuable story.

The main character of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean, was incarcerated multiple times throughout the book. The longest period he spent imprisoned was when he was sentenced to nineteen years of incarceration, as he was convicted of resisting arrest and stealing. His suffering was so bad, that when he was finally able to find a place to stay, he said, “. . . You will keep me? you won't drive me away? …I shall have a supper! A bed like other people with mattress and sheets–a bed! It is nineteen years that I have not slept on a bed.”(Hugo, 18). This quotation shows how horrible the conditions were in the prison he lived in for nineteen years.

Another example of injustice in the novel Les Miserables was when Chapmathieu was arrested for allegedly being Jean Valjean. Harsh treatment had caused him to be depressed, and he could only say that his name was Chapmathieu, not the man he was thought to be. Because of this, we readers can infer that the conditions that Chapmathieu had to face were inhumane. He was forced into the same conditions as Jean Valjean and had to sleep on a bed without a mattress or sheets. These conditions are horrible, as it is severe punishment of an innocent man.

Today, many similar conditions, if not worse, are experienced by prisoners. While the goal of the justice system may be to protect the public, rehabilitate the doer, and prevent crime from happening, it mainly focuses on punishing the committer. At a prison in Georgia, the situations prisoners must deal with are horrifying and extreme. New York Times author Glenn Thrush, reports that, “People are assaulted, stabbed raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed.”(Thrush, 6). Although the prison is under investigation, the lack of control over what happens in them is unforgivable. Just like in Les Miserables, inmates have to push through inhumane situations. When they leave, they can never forget the extremities and the trauma that they had to deal with.

In conclusion, Les Miserables, a worldwide best-selling classic novel, still matters today because it mentions topics that still affect us currently. It goes into depth to acknowledge the problems with humanity, and it brings together a push to defeat inhumane conditions.

Works Cited

Thrush, Glenn. “Conditions at Georgia Prisons Violate Constitution, Justice Dept. Says.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/us/politics/georgia-prison-conditions-unsafe.html?searchResultPosition=2. 

Hugo, Victor, and James Robinson. Les Miserables. Translated by Charles Wilbour, Ballantine Books

Why Les Miserables Matters Today Essay

Victor Hugo's Les Miserables matters today because it highlights different themes of poverty shown within Les Miserables. From reality to the novel, poverty has always been a struggle. Marius is a prime example of poverty, he had grown up in poverty and had lived in miserey. Jean Valjean is another great example of poverty, due to him stealing a load of bread for his family.

In Les Miserables, Marius is introduced to us as someone who had grown up in poverty. The text had stated, “For five years Marius had lived in poverty, in privation, in distress even, but he perceived that he had never known real misery.” (Hugo 205.) This quote explains how Marius had grown up in poverty and how it has affected him. The text also stated, “Jean Valjean was born of a poor peasant family of Brie. In his childhood he had not been taught to read: when he was grown up, he chose the occupation of a pruner at Faverolles.” (Hugo 22). This shows Jean’s childhood and how his family had grown up in poverty. Both of these quotes are relevant to his topic because poverty can heavily affect people and their families.

In my news article about poverty, it stated that, “The international poverty line, which the U.N. uses to measure global poverty, is very low. It tells us how many people live on less than $2.15 per day. This low poverty line reveals that a large number of people continue to live on extremely little, as the map below shows.” (Roser). This piece of evidence is very important because it gives us specifics on just how bad poverty really is. This can heavily impact people, as seen in Les Miserables. People have to live off of $2.15 a day, and it is most definitely not enough to feed even one person.

In the end, we can conclude that Les Miserables matters today because it ties in the concept of poverty and its effects. Poverty still continues to hurt people to this day, and it should most definitely be stopped.

Roser, Max. “We Need a New Global Measure for Poverty.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Sept. 2024, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/24/opinion/global-poverty-rates.html?searchResultPosition=4. 

Even after Jean Valjean was released from the galleys, he was never able to move on from his past mistakes. He had received a yellow passport, which prevented him from getting a place to stay. On page 16 of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean tells the bishop about his struggles: “When I reached this place this evening I went to an inn, and they sent me away on account of my yellow passport, which I had shown at the mayor’s office, as was necessary. I went to another inn; they said: ‘Get out!’ It was the same with one as with another; nobody would have me” (Hugo 16). When Jean Valjean reached D—-, he was rejected many times before he finally found a place to stay. The problems of Jean Valjean show just how hard it is to live life post-conviction. These problems don’t only exist for Jean Valjean.

Shawn Gallant of Worcester seems to have similar struggles to that of Jean Valjean. Both of the men lost a large amount of their life when they were convicted of their crimes, and this continued even after prison. In a Boston Globe article describing some of Shawn’s problems, it says that, “Shawn Gallant lost everything when he was sentenced to 18 months in the Worcester County Jail & House of Correction last year for violating probation. His truck. His apartment. Time with his young son. He worries that the plumber’s license he had been working toward may now be difficult to obtain with a felony on his record” (Boston Globe). Gallant’s post-release life now seems pretty messed up due to his criminal record. Shawn Gallant’s problems show how the social issues addressed by Les Miserables still exist in modern day.

Both of the men had abysmal post-release conditions, and there are far more modern situations just like this one that are going unnoticed. Jean Valjean’s life can be viewed as a prime example of discrimination against the formerly incarcerated. Shawn Gallant was also discriminated against in this same way. Reading Les Miserables has helped me realize that there are lots of social issues that have withstood the test of time. This novel serves the purpose of addressing those issues, which is crucial if we want to make positive changes to our society.

In an article from the Time Magazine, they talk about poverty and how 12.4% of Americans live in poverty. Jean Valjean is like the average American in poverty just trying to feed his 7 kids. He is probably in the poor side of poverty, because a family is considered poor if they have less than $34,518. Jean Valjean can’t even buy bread, so he is definitely very poor. He had 7 children, so it was costly to feed himself and his 7 children.

Another piece of evidence that supports  the claim is that “For five years Marius had lived in poverty, in privation, in distress even (205).” Marius has been living in poverty for a long time. His poverty has caused him to have feelings of distress. The poverty also depletes him of his resources like food, water, and a good shelter. His poverty has been going on for 5 years. Marius is very poor and can’t live a normal life.

In an article from the Time magazine, it says that median household income is $74,580. Marius has way less money then this because it is considered you are in poverty when you have less than $34,518. If Marius is in poverty, he will definitely not have enough to buy a house or keep up with the rent of the house. Marius can also get barely any food, so his income must be less than $500. This shows that he  is not even close to buying shelter.

In conclusion, Les Miserables shows lots of modern social issues, with the main one being poverty. Poverty is shown all over the Les Mis book and is affecting many characters in the book. Many of the poor characters in Les Miserables have to take drastic measures to feed themselves and their family.

In Les miserables Jean Valjean and other characters in the story struggle with poverty in the late 18th century and the early and middle 19th century. However there are some benefactors who helped people in need such as Monsieur Le Blanc. Part of this generosity is displayed on page 210 “Monsieur Leblanc approached with his kind and compassionate look and said to the father: ‘Monsieur, you will find in this package some new clothes, some stockings, and some new cover lids.”’ Monsieur Leblanc takes advantage of his luxurious position and decides to help out people in need out of his own pocket. People such as Leblanc exist in today's world and they continuously help out the people in need.

In today's world benefactors and people who come from wealthy backgrounds often decide to give to charities or directly to people themselves. This is shown in an article from the Boston Globe, “Women's Lunch Place was also able to provide Colon with the funds to pay her first and last months' rent and the security deposit, thanks to a recent $1 million donation made by local, retired businesswoman Anne Bromer.” Anne Bromer used her resources and wealth to donate to a non profit charity. This donation helps multiple people in need get housing, and pay their rent for the next twelve months. It is amazing how one hundred fifty years later issues such as poverty are still being attempted to be fixed by people with wealth and generosity. 

Les Miseram is a book that was written in nineteenth century France, but it still has a big impact today. Topics that are highlighted in this book such as poverty, suppression, charity, and labor are all very prevalent today. We see this in people like Anne Bromer, and Monsieur Leblanc. They both have the same mission, to help the people in need as much as possible. Which is why Les Miserables is relevant so much later because these issues are still relevant in both societies.

Griswold, Niki. "Women's Lunch Place Nonprofit Given First $1m Donation From 1

     Benefactor." Boston Globe, 25 Dec. 2024, www.proquest.com/bostonglobe/

 docview/3148986833/658CCF3B3AA84149PQ/18?accountid=36595&sourcetype=Newspapers.

     Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

On page 35, we are shown where a boy gets his money taken by Jean Valjean. This boy is Petit Graevis. He is asking for his money back and each time he asks, he becomes angrier and angrier. In the book it states, “My piece monsieur.” then again, “My piece!” “Give me back my piece!” Over time, The boy gets impatient and realizes that he won't get his precious silver piece back. 

Another way Monsieur Petit Gravis reveals his anger is how he grabs Jean Valjean by his collar and shakes him. “The boy took him by the collar of his blouse and shook him. And at the same time, he made an effort to move the big, ironsoled shoe which was placed upon his treasure.” But all his begging was no use for Jean Valjean was not planning on returning the coin. 

Les Mis matters today because it teaches us about respect and what's right and wrong. It has an interesting story between characters and there are lots of surprises.

Not only is this an entertaining story, but it is also a lesson for people to learn. For example, how to treat things well and not do wrong. “One of the persistent features of modern life is the increasing incidence of anger and aggression which culminate in hostility and violence. These negative emotions are on the rise at various levels (e.g., individual, family, group, and nation), and humanity is paying heavy costs in terms of loss of life, increase in ecological hazards, and rise in health challenges. Aggression is used to gain control over power, authority, and resources.” 

"Anger, Aggression, and Violence and Their Management." Anger, Aggression, and

     Violence and Their Management, Jitendra K. Singh, 17 May 2024,

     link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-46349-5_22. Accessed 16 Jan.

     2025.

In Les Misérables, Hugo presents poverty as a driving force behind the tragic lives of his characters. Jean Valjean, for example, is sentenced to five years of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister’s children. This act, driven by desperate need, is emblematic of how poverty forces individuals to make morally difficult decisions. As the book states, “Jean Valjean was born of a poor peasant family of Brie. In his childhood he had not been taught how to read” (22). His story reveals how poverty creates cycles of crime and punishment, making it difficult for the poor to escape their circumstances.

A recent New York Times article discusses the growing issue of homelessness in urban areas, which parallels the struggles depicted in Les Misérables. The article explains that many individuals are driven into homelessness due to a lack of affordable housing and healthcare, exacerbating existing inequalities. As one report notes, "Poverty levels have risen anew in recent years after a wave of pandemic relief aid — and an exceptionally strong labor market that lifted the wages of many at the bottom of the pay spectrum — collided with the most rapid inflation in a generation." This modern-day situation mirrors Valjean’s conflicts, as both show how poverty leads to many issues and continues the cycles of hardship.

Les Misérables and poverty issues highlight the urgent need for change. In the novel, Hugo critiques the structures that oppress the poor, while society today faces similar challenges in addressing homelessness and financial inequality. The persistence of poverty across centuries serves as a powerful reminder of the need for compassion in dealing with social injustice, showing how poverty is an issue that has remained relevant for centuries.

In early December of 2024, the New York Times published an article by their editorial board titled “Breaking the Cycle of Childhood Poverty in New York.” The article speaks on limited resources, statistics about education and poverty, and how the poverty rates of New York are frighteningly high — where one in every four children lives in poverty and tens of thousands are malnourished. The poverty rates present a large problem regarding education. Those in poverty are “less likely to complete high school or go to college, and once they become adults, they are more likely to experience financial instability and poor health” This indicates that instead of receiving formal education, most will immediately join the workforce, forgoing even their high school diplomas. This, as the title suggests, causes a vicious cycle of poverty. You’re poor so you work instead of learning to earn money but without a degree or high school education, you are unable to get well-paying jobs and end up working for minimum wage. That means your children grow up as poor as you, and the cycle continues. This is further expanded on when they go on to say that “About half of New York students from third through eighth grade are not proficient in reading. Research shows that poor readers who fall behind their peers are more likely to drop out of high school and earn less money later in life, trapping them in poverty.” There really is no good way to talk about this. In the article, it tells us that New York is making strides in allowing education to be more accessible to everyone by starting free after school programs to give kids a boost and help them catch up. However, that is not yet able to reach the thousands of kids that need the help and won’t be able to for quite a while. By 2027, the plan is to be able to accommodate 1,000 students, which, while marvelous, is not nearly enough to even start fixing the problem of tens of thousands of kids in need.

Les Miserables expands very heavily on poverty. Jean Valjean spends his nineteen years in jail because of poverty, Fantine gives up Cosette because of poverty, and the Thenardiers cheat people because of poverty (and greed). Jean Valjean, who ended up educating himself while at the galleys, “was born of a poor peasant family of Brie. In his childhood, he had not been taught to read… He had lost his parents when very young. His mother died of malpractice in a milk fever: his father, a pruner before him, was killed by a fall from a tree… His youth was spent in rough and ill-recompensed labor.” (Hugo, 18). Jean Valjean, because of his lack of wealth, was condemned to give up education, time, and love in order to survive. He quite literally got a better education while jailed than he did while free! Moreover, because of his inability to get an education, he was forced to do hard labor for work to support his sister, nieces, and nephews, which eventually caused him to be jailed when he stole food to feed them as they starved.

Both pieces of writing really emphasize the effects of poverty on education and people’s futures. Jean Valjean ended up going to jail as a result of his poverty and many kids now are dropping out of school and growing up to repeat the cycle of poverty. Both are clear commentaries on life today and back then. Les Miserables is a timeless piece of literature and is still, and will continue to be, very relevant to issues of today, especially poverty and education.

In the part Cosette we see that her mother is paying the Thenardiers to take care of her daughter. The Thenardiers keep raising the price and making excuses for why they need more money. The mother keeps paying the prices without knowing what is going on. The Thenardiers are using Cosette to do the work they don’t want to do, and giving her the scraps of stuff she needs to survive.

In my article from the Guardian it explains what child labor is and I related that to what Cosette went through. I also remembered something I can relate Cosette's experience to. Cinderella. Just wanted to say that. In the Guardian it says that children are being used to work for people and unpaid at the same time. So when I found the article I immediately could relate it to Cosette being used as a servant.

In conclusion I can understand that the problem that Cosette faced is still happening today. It is a problem that we need to fix and put a stop to. Children are being used to do jobs for no money at all. What we saw with Cosette was unpaid labor and abuse of power.

This article talks about homelessness. Initially, it focuses on a rough period of a girl’s life named Han. She cried in a pillow for hours upon hours and was in a state of fear. She would get abused, both physically and mentally to the point where she ran away to the nearest homeless shelter. She slept on a wooden bunk bed and shared a room with three other girls. After that, it talks about basic homelessness. Han was one of an estimated 700,000 American teens ages 13 to 17. Imagine if you included adults. The number would go up astronomically. That’s a lot of people sleeping on the street with no money or little money.

  Direct evidence that shows that Les Miserables still matter today is that a man said that, “ For nineteen years I have had a wooden mattress, tonight I have a stone one.” ( 12 ). You gotta do what you gotta do. Homeless people don’t have money for a real comfortable mattress so they use what they can make or salvage. They make shelters out of whatever they can find. Whatever to help them basically survive. What happens if there is a storm? He could die. Connecting that to the news article, there are a lot of people who are homeless. Who have nowhere to live and probably have to sleep on wooden boards or something like that in Les Miserables. They have no money so they gotta sleep outside. Life is just rough sometimes.

Homelessness is one of the many things that plague our world with the majority of homeless people being teens. Victor Hugo made it clear that homelessness is still a problem in today’s world.

Near the novel's beginning, Cosette’s mother entrusts her to the Thenardiers, a sort of foster family, who severely mistreat her. We learn that “ …they dressed her in the cast-off garments of the little Thenardiers, that is in rags. They fed her on the odds and ends,”(46) and, “It was a harrowing sight to see in the winter time the poor child, not yet six years old, shivering under the tatters of what was once a calico dress,”(47). These quotes show the maltreatment that Cosette had to face while she was under the care of the Thenardiers. This ties back to the theme of child neglect and abuse in the foster care system because it gives an example of abuse in the foster care system during 1900s France.

Similar to the 1900s, abuse and neglect are still widespread in the foster care system currently. In an article published by the Boston Globe, it was shown how prevalent neglect was in various settings involving children, “The advocate’s annual report for fiscal 2023 documented the highest volume ever of substantiated reports — 422 reports involving 621 children,”(Though Rare, Cases of Abuse and Neglect in Foster Care should Set Off Alarms). It showed how serious the situation was, “Almost every case involved neglect, with a minority of cases involving physical or sexual abuse. In congregate care, for example, problems included youth running away, having sexual contact with each other, or using illicit drugs while staff failed to supervise them,”(Though Rare, Cases of Abuse and Neglect in Foster Care should Set Off Alarms). These two quotes show how serious of a problem abuse and neglect in the foster care system is currently. This shows how Les Miserables is not just a book about the 1900s, but also how it is relevant to current issues, such as the foster care system.

Les Miserables might be an old book, but it continues to be relevant today. It does this by illustrating many issues that we still struggle with today. One of these issues that Les Miserables discusses is abuse and neglect within the foster care system. Les Miserables uses Thenardier’s maltreatment of Cosette as an example to showcase the struggles and hardships that children could go through under foster parents. The article from the Boston Globe illustrates how prominent the issue is today and just how common maltreatment is in the foster care system. These two examples tie together the past and the present, demonstrating how Les Miserables is still an important book in our current time.

Local news and the book “Les Miserables” both have information about identity fraud.

The identity fraud problem is being magnified by the book “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo through the character Jean Valjean who changes his name many times throughout the book. Of course because he was a convict and if people knew that, they wouldn’t trust him and he could get sent back to the galleys. “The police had discovered that Monsieur Madeleine was none other than an escaped convict, condemned in 1796 for robbery, and named Jean Valjean. This Jean Valjean was sent back to the galleys.” (Hugo, 113) Also because he had basically got changed by the nice bishop who told him to be a great man from then on, and Jean Valjean listened. So he changed his name to start another road in his life as well. Other people still do this today as well.

Although the identity fraud problem was not really a problem in the twentieth century book (except from JVJ being a convict) currently in the twenty-first century identity theft is still occurring and for example this article from CBS news states this information, “In total, the defendants fraudulently caused EDD to disburse in excess of $120,000 by using false names and creating fraudulent applications…Moody and Minks gave a tow truck company employee fake federal court orders that purported to order the release of Moody's impounded vehicles.” (CBS news, 2022) People are committing identity fraud to try to get away with crimes and disguise themselves through the government’s security. This is bad and isn’t like how Jean Valjean changed his name because he wanted a fresh start, but how he wanted to hide that he was a convict to everyone.

Identity fraud is not the same as changing your name for a fresh start but changing your name to commit a crime so no one will notice you is illegal. “Les Miserables” still shows relevance to the day of today through this crime and will continue through its many examples of current events. 

Citation:

News, CBS. "Local News 2 People Accused of Impersonating Law Enforcement Officials Indicted in Nationwide Drug Trafficking Ring." CBS News [Sacraemento], 17 June 2022. CBS News, www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/moody-minks-crimes/. Accessed 17 June 2022.

1862, A time of war, rebelion, and … books? Victor Hugo wrote this book based off of the revolution he witnessed in the year 1862 and expressed all the issues at the time. Little did he know that the issues he saw then, would continue to pursue us. One problem he included in this wonderfully complicated book is the issue with veterans. They serve their country, fight for their family, but then return unwanted, unknown, and a life (or body) that is ripped into pieces. 

On page 178 Marius talks about his father’s death as a forgotten and wounded veteran: “was a humble and heroic man who served the republic and France gloriously...who received twenty wounds, who died forgotten and abandoned”(Hugo 178). Marius describes the deeds of his father and how after he persevered for France he died with no one to acknowledge him as the hero he was. Marius does not just illustrate the fact that his father was not cared for despite his service, but also reveals the physical pain one faced in war.

This year an article was posted in the NewYork Times talking about how russian veterans have returned to their home amputated and traumatized “Aleksandr had only two weeks of training in Russia before being sent to the front lines in Ukraine in the summer of 2023. About a month later, he became an amputee”(Valerie Hopkins). Veterans from the battlefield have witnessed explosions that can turn one deaf, the death of comrades that would drive someone mad. All of that creates horrifying trauma “But many veterans do return with post-traumatic stress disorder”(Valerie Hopkins). Right now we see things happening to these veterans just like what Victor Hugo wrote all those years ago.

While Les Miserables was written in 1862, this book has universal messages that will last forever. One universal message is the problem of veterans. Veterans, despite their service to  their country, are forgotten uncared for when they finish their service. Veterans also suffer from injuries earned on the battlefield and anxiety due to trauma. Victor Hugo unveiled this problem through the story of Marius’ father and his death.

Hopkins, Valerie. "For Many Returning Russian Veterans, a Long Road of Recovery

     Awaits." The New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/world/

     europe/russia-ukraine-war-veterans.html?searchResultPosition=1

For many people out there, les Miserables written by Victor Hugo, might just be a novel that has been written a long time ago but it is still relavent today. Although it is written in 1862, it portrays many issues that still exist today. Later on in the novel, we meet Marius, who has been living in poverty for five years. He had yet to see real misery, but seen the misery of people even more desperate than him. While he searches for real misery, les Miserables continues to show how poverty really is.

Marius tries to find the real misery of poverty by meeting others who have similar issues. As Marius experiences poverty, it strengthens his character later on because of his experience from living in poverty. “For five years Marius had lived in poverty, in distress even, but he perceived that he had never known real misery.” (174) He has seen other men and woman’s misery, but has never seen childhood misery. As he thought that they were nothing and could find much worse. Marius learns a lot about poverty and how people live.

The New York Times and Victor Hugo’s novel both illustrate that these social issues still matter today. Poverty has been a huge issue worldwide and for many centuries. The Island Steamrolled by Cyclone which is located in Africa has been experiencing poverty ever since a destruction was caused. Dozens of piles of trash are scattered around the island. People spend their days searching through these piles trying to find a passageway to go through. Because of poverty, many are left without food and water. According to the article from New York Times, it states, “About 30 percent of residents do not have access to running water at home, a problem made worse by a drought last year.” Dozens of people also died because of this and are buried across the piles of trash. This doesn’t just happen here, but also across the world, that has people who are currently living in poverty. 

les Miserables shows how poverty is still a significant issue today. Victor Hugo shows how poverty changes people's lives and what they can do. While Marius lived in poverty for many years experiencing real misery, he tries to help others who are actually in need. les Miserables still matters today because it demonstrates past issues but also present issues

In “Les Miserables” child abuse/negelct is portrayed when Fantine leaves her daughter Cosette with the Thenardier’s. Shortly after Cosette is left with the Thenardier’s, it is made very clear that she is not wanted there and they begin to treat her much differently than their own two daughters. The neglect towards Cosette really becomes apparent as she gets older and starts being forced to do things. We can see this when the text states “From year to year the child grew, and her misery also. So long as Cosette was very small, she was the scapegoat of the two other children; as soon as she began to grow a little, that is to say before she was five years old, she became the servant of the house. It was a harrowing sight to see in the winter time the poor child, not yet six years old, shivering under the tatters of what was once a calico dress, sweeping the street before daylight with an enormous broom in her little red hands and tears in her large eyes.” (pg 47) From this, we see that from a very young age Cosette was neglected by the Thenardiers and had no choice but to do what she was told and work miserably. 

Many people are oblivious to the fact that child abuse and neglect is still an occuring issue in our world today. Children all over the globe are abused and oftentimes people get away with abusing them. Child abuse is also something that continues to happen because many children are too afraid to speak up as they fear things may worsen if they say something. A recent case of child abuse was reported in Miami, Florida on January 11 2025. The news report from CNN says “Azra Nikocevic and Sanel Canovic's five kids were forced to live with no electricity, no working stove or toilet, and no food. The report then goes on to say “Custody was taken away in New York. Once they went through the process to replenish the custody, they relocated down here to Miami Beach and continued the vicious cycle of neglect and abuse.” This goes to show that there are children being forced to live in brutal conditions without even the basic necessities needed to survive.This also proves that people are able to get away with child abuse by simply fighting to have custody of their children but then proceeding to abuse and neglect them the same way. Child abuse is a still a significant problem in our society today and negatively impacts many childrens lives in a number of ways.

Over the course of “Les Miserables”, there are many social issues that are discussed. A major issue that is brought up early in the book is child abuse/neglect. This is an issue that unfortunately still frequently happens today and harms the lives of many. Although that is not ideal and child abuse is a horrifying thing, this just further proves that “Les Miserables” is still important as it illustrates issues that we are still facing today. 158 years later, Hugo’s novel “Les Miserables” still matters as it targets issues that we still struggle with today.

Poverty is a huge problem in today's world, and many people face it every day. A recent article by EBSCO stated that “One-third of the children in developing countries live in accommodations with mud floors and in which more than five people share a room. In 2022, more than 1.5 billion people did not have access to toilet facilities and at least 1.7 billion people relied on drinking water sources contaminated with feces; every day, thousands of children die or become ill from health issues linked to unsafe sanitation and water resources (World Health Organization, 2023).” That's crazy! Almost 2 Billion or ¼ of the entire world's population is experiencing some form of poverty. And just because there's poverty today doesn't mean there wasn't poverty back then.

Victor Hugo and his book “Les Miserables” teach us that, even then people were facing hardships and some were wealthier than others. When we look in the book, Jean Valjean the main character proves to us that poverty is still a thing. This is because ,at the beginning of the book (pg.1), we see JVJ going through the trouble of stealing bread, yes bread! And it was because he had to feed his family who were starving and experiencing extreme poverty. This also shows us that people will go to desperate lengths just to feed themselves, that's why “Les Miserables” is still important because it reminds people that these problems are still occurring today.

In conclusion, Les Misérables remains relevant today because it speaks to the enduring struggles of poverty and inequality around the world. Victor Hugo’s timeless narrative captures the human cost of systemic injustice and the resilience of the human spirit, pushing readers to confront the societal issues that are happening right now in our own time. Through its vivid portrayal of the marginalized and oppressed, the novel teaches us to reflect on our shared responsibility to fight for justice, and compassion for all. As long as poverty and inequality exist, the lessons of Les Misérables will continue to inspire action and hope, reminding us that progress begins with empathy and a commitment to change.

Why is homelessness still massive in the country? Well the answer to that is all around you. It is also in the text Les Miserables. You can see homelessness throughout the text and you can see it around you in real life.

Homelessness is seen throughout the book of Les Miserables. In real life 771,800 people lived without housing in 2024, and most likely without a job. No one seems to care about these people and usually when seeing them, walk right by them. These people have families and lives and whether what they are using the money for, if you have it, you can give it. So acknowledge the strangers that are in need of help, you never know if you will be in this situation or someone you love.

In Les Miserables homelessness is seen from a man “Layed on a stone bench” pg 12. On page 12-13 Madame de R comes up to the man and gives him a talk about him sleeping on a stone bench. She ends the conversation with giving him 4 sous and telling him to knock on a door where he can probably get food and sleep for the night. These pages from the text show “Homelessness” because before Madam de R came up to the man, he was going to sleep on the stone bench for as he has been doing “nineteen years.” This person, Madam de R is a person you want to see in real life, but most people aren’t like this. They wouldn’t help you at all and probably just walk right by you.

In conclusion, this is why Homelessness in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables matters today. All of the examples and evidence I have given shows this also. Homelessness is one of the biggest problems in our society. The government doesn’t do enough to help these people outside in the cold air everyday. There are people on the side of the streets walking around in dirt all day and nobody is helping them, not even people who are involved with politics. So as a group of citizens, we need to help these people who are in need of humans help.

Thornton, Claire. "US homeless numbers 'mind-boggling'." USA Today, 30 Dec. 2024, p. 06A. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A821812906/STND?u=mlin_b_blatshl&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c2709909. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

On page 68, "The guilty one is not he who has sinned, but he who has created the shadow." This quote goes with my theme that inequality and oppression are the root causes of society's problems. Also, on page 69, "He stole a loaf of bread. How many great deeds have been done for the hunger of bread!" This shows how little care people have for others. He stole bread to feed his family and is being severely punished.

In conclusion, Les Miserables is still relevant in today's society even 15 years later because inequality and bias are still issues today. The book and article showed us how inequality and biases are used in less marbles, and in the article, we see it in today's world.

Justice Department Finds Brutality and Bias by Phoenix Police. (2024). Jack Haely. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/us/politics/justice-department-phoenix-police.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap&smid=url-share

On page 68, "The guilty one is not he who has sinned, but he who has created the shadow." This quote goes with my theme that inequality and oppression are the root causes of society's problems. Also, on page 69, "He stole a loaf of bread. How many great deeds have been done for the hunger of bread!" This shows how little care people have for others. He stole bread to feed his family and is being severely punished.

In conclusion, Les Miserables is still relevant in today's society even 15 years later because inequality and bias are still issues today. The book and article showed us how inequality and biases are used in less marbles, and in the article, we see it in today's world.

Justice Department Finds Brutality and Bias by Phoenix Police. (2024). Jack Haely. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/us/politics/justice-department-phoenix-police.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap&smid=url-share

Time Magazine writer Nay talks about poverty and how 12.4% of Americans live in poverty. Jean Valjean is like the average American in poverty just trying to feed his 7 kids. He is probably in the poor side of poverty, because a family is considered poor if they have less than $34,518. Jean Valjean can’t even buy bread, so he is definitely very poor. He has 7 children, so it was costly to feed himself and his 7 children.

In Les Miserables, it says that “For five years Marius had lived in poverty, in privation, in distress even (205).” Marius is living in poverty for a long time. His poverty causes him to have feelings of distress. The poverty also depletes him of his resources like food, water, and a good shelter. His poverty has been going on for 5 years. Marius is very poor and can’t live a normal life.

Time Magazine writer Nay talks about the median household income being $74,580. Marius has less money then this because it is considered you are in poverty when you have less than $34,518. If Marius is in poverty, he will definitely not have enough to buy a house or keep up with the rent of the house. Marius can also get barely any food, so his income must be less than $500. This shows that he  is not even close to buying resources.

In conclusion, poverty is shown all over the book and is affecting many characters in the book. Many of the poor characters in Les Miserables have to take drastic measures to feed themselves and their family. Les Miserables shows many modern social issues, with the main one being poverty.

Citation:

Nay, Jeremy. "The Surprising Poverty Levels Across the U.S." Time, 4 Oct. 2023., Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Madi McCulley

Despite being first published in mid-nineteenth century France, Les Miserables is a book renowned worldwide for its continuous relevance. There are many social issues depicted in this Victor Hugo novel that still hold relevance to modern issues. One of these many social issues being protesting or civil disobedience. In Les Miserables, Former convict Jean Valjean attempts to create a normal life for himself and his adopted daughter, but he is threatened by Inspector Javert’s pursuit of him and the beginnings of a french rebellion. During this rebellion, a barricade was created by young revolutionaries in order to protest the French monarchy. Les Mis is still relevant today because the character's struggles with violence that these protesters face are still common in modern day protests. 

In Les Mis, protesting dangers are a very large issue depicted. Enjolras, a young revolutionary, and his friends set up a barricade in the streets to protect themselves from the police as they protest the French monarchy. The conditions were brutal, but the protestors were persistent. On page 314, fighting ensues as “there was assault after assault. The horror continued.” Eventually, almost everyone at the barricade is killed due to gun violence from the police. “Bossuet was killed; Feuilly was killed; Courfeyrac was killed; Joly was killed; Combeferre, pierced by three bayonet-thrusts in the breast,” all due to violence from the French police force. This is a very intense display of the violence that can often occur at protests.

This kind of violence can still be seen in the present day. Similarly, thousands of people came together in Washington DC to protest the inauguration of President Trump. Many protesters came from all across the country, a tiring and difficult process. Just like the revolutionaries from Les Miserables, the protestors were deeply concerned about possible violence. Protestor Jen Sellers expressed her concerns, stating “I know last time Trump was in office, he was using violence against protesters,” for an interview in New York Times article, ‘Angry and Frustrated’: Thousands Protest Trump Days Before His Inauguration. In previous protests against Trump, the police were called on to quell the riots, but this often resulted in violence against the protesters. Many other protestors also brought this up, showing that violence in protests is still a very large problem today.

Based on the evidence from both Les Miserables and the New York Times article, it is easy to see that there are still issues with violence at protests. The young revolutionaries must defend themselves from police violence. Today, protesters must also worry about violence from police. Following the patterns shown over the years, this problem may never fully disappear, and this is why Les Miserables is such a relevant book.  The topics it chooses to focus on are issues that are so deeply rooted in our society that they might live on forever in varying ways. In this way, Les Mis still matters because it chooses to discuss issues like protest violence that still exist today

Newspaper

Article

Macur, Juliet. "'Angry and Frustrated': Thousands Protest Trump Days before His

Inauguration." The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025. The New York Times,https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/us/trump-protests-inauguration.html?searchResultPosition=1  searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

ELA 8 Section 51

Why “Les Mis” Matters Today

Despite the fact that Victor Hugo’s groundbreaking novel, Les Miserables, is over 150 years old, it still is relevant to the issues today in the U.S. and specifically Boston. One issue Les Miserables addresses is the problem of homelessness. The main character of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean, struggles with homelessness after being released from prison. Hugo's Les Miserables still matters today because the problem of homelessness occurs in the novel but also in Boston, Massachusetts and all around the world in the current day.

One example of the issue of homelessness appears in the beginning of Les Miserables when Jean Valjean tries to find a place to sleep in Digne after traveling for a very long time. Jean Valjean is deterred multiple times and settles for sleeping on a bench. In Hugo’s Les Miserables he says, “Exhausted with fatigue, and hoping for nothing better, he lay down on a stone bench in front of this printing-office.” (12) Jean Valjean faced homelessness in Les Miserables, a problem that many people in the world face in the current day.

Homelessness is also a significant problem in Boston just like in Les Miserables. In the article "More cities crack down on homeless camps: Critics say the measures unfairly punish homeless residents who have nowhere else to go" ,John Hilliard from the Boston Globe reports, “The city councils in Brockton and Lowell each adopted prohibitions on unauthorized camping on public property Tuesday night, joining Boston, Fall River and Salem.” Even in Boston, homelessness is a significant issue. Many people have to find sleep on benches in the public just like Jean Valjean does. This illustrates how the issues in Les Miserables still relate to the issues of today. 

Homelessness is one issue that people face in Les Miserables and in the current day but, in conclusion, Homelessness is one of the many issues that are still relevant today. Les Miserables is a wonderful novel that is full of lessons and wisdom that can still be applied to the modern day. Les Miserables is a timeless book and still matters today. 

Hilliard, John. “More Cities Crack down on Homeless Camps: Critics Say the Measures Unfairly Punish Homeless Residents Who Have Nowhere Else to Go.” Boston Globe, 14 Nov. 2024, Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Victor Hugo’s Les miserables is important today because it talks about issues like homelessness that still exists in today’s day in age. I can prove this by stating a quote from Les Miserables. “Exhausted with fatigue, and hoping for nothing better, he lay down on a stone bench in front of this printing office.” p.12

This quote is showing how Jean Valjean was homeless after the galleys and nobody was willing to take him in because of his past. They were greedy and not willing to give to people in need, much like some of our society today.

There is a quote from the news       article The growth in homelessness is an american moral failure by Meher Ahmad, which talks about how homelessness has been growing because of taxes and other government issues. It also talks about how homelessness can affect people’s mood and how they see themselves. Homelessness can lead to a bad path, and hard to get back on track.

         Homelessness is spreading across America and across the world. It is also spreading fast. Joblessness is also spreading across the world. America has a high unemployment and homelessness rate, and it is only increasing.

Sec:51

January 16 2025

 Why “Les Mis” Matters Today

Victor Hugo's Les Miserables still matters today because it covers issues of civil disobedience and the death of people involved in protest and political conflicts that is still applicable to current events. Les Miserables is a French novel taking place in the 19th century about an ex-convict and the June rebellion of 1832. On July 28th of 2024 in Venezuela a protest broke out after the election and there were many deaths, similar to what happened in Les Miserables. The political conflicts, civil disobedience, and revolts that occurred in Les Miserables still matter today because of current events that happen in similar manners for similar reasons.

    The New York Times made an article on  a Venezuela protest that involved lots of fatal violence and posted it on July 31st of 2024. Here is what they reported: “The protests that broke out in Caracas and in other parts of Venezuela on Monday appeared to have turned deadly. Foro Penal, a human rights organization, said in a preliminary count that at least 11 people had died amid the protests throughout the country. Families who were gathered at the medical examiner's office in Caracas reported at least four more people who were shot at protests and who were not part of Foro Penal's count.” from “Post-Election Protests Turn Deadly in Venezuela.” written by Frances Robles and Isayen Herrera. According to the New York Times the protests that broke out resulted in violence and the fatalities of others and not even in one part of Venezuela, it was spread to other parts too and the assailants are thought to be with the authoritarian government of Venezuela.

    In Les Miserables it covers the events of the June rebellion of 1832 in France and shows the relevant topic of the death and violence from these protests. On page 314 of Les Miserables it reads; “These men, wan, tettered, and exhausted, who had not eaten for twenty-four hours, who had not slept, who had but a few more shots to fire, who felt their pockets empty of cartridges, nearly all wounded, their heads or arms bound with a smutty and blackended cloth, with holes in their coat whence the blood was flowing,.. Bossuet was killed; Feuilly was killed; Courfeyrac was killed; Joly was killed;”. During the rebellion it illustrates the picture of death and violence, how death is foreign to noone and how plunging into protests, involving yourself in Civil disobedience also throws you into the eye of the storm and puts you at the hands of the government and those who disagree with your fight.

     In conclusion, Les Miserables is relevant and can be applied to events today because it covers the topics of protest/civil disobedience and the death that comes from it. In places other than Venezuela there are also protests and rebellions that also happened after Les Miserables and before Venezuela. Protests are a thing that will exist as long as there is a battle toward a fair world to be achieved and a person to fight it.

Works Cited 

Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Fawcett Books, 1997.

Page 314

Robles, Frances, and Isayen Herrera. "Post-Election Protests Turn Deadly in Venezuela." The New York Times, 31 July 2024, p. A1. Gale OneFile: News, link-gale-com.bostonlatin.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A803217812/STND?u=mlin_b_blatshl&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=76181209. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Poverty is a huge problem in today's world, and many people face it every day. A recent article by EBSCO stated that “One-third of the children in developing countries live in accommodations with mud floors and in which more than five people share a room. In 2022, more than 1.5 billion people did not have access to toilet facilities and at least 1.7 billion people relied on drinking water sources contaminated with feces; every day, thousands of children die or become ill from health issues linked to unsafe sanitation and water resources (World Health Organization, 2023).” That's crazy! Almost 2 Billion or ¼ of the entire world's population is experiencing some form of poverty. And just because there's poverty today doesn't mean there wasn't poverty back then.

Victor Hugo and his book “Les Miserables” teach us that, even then people were facing hardships and some were wealthier than others. When we look in the book, Jean Valjean the main character proves to us that poverty is still a thing. This is because ,at the beginning of the book (pg.1), we see JVJ going through the trouble of stealing bread, yes bread! And it was because he had to feed his family who were starving and experiencing extreme poverty. This also shows us that people will go to desperate lengths just to feed themselves, that's why “Les Miserables” is still important because it reminds people that these problems are still occurring today.

In conclusion, Les Misérables remains relevant today because it speaks to the enduring struggles of poverty and inequality around the world. Victor Hugo’s timeless narrative captures the human cost of systemic injustice and the resilience of the human spirit, pushing readers to confront the societal issues that are happening right now in our own time. Through its vivid portrayal of the marginalized and oppressed, the novel teaches us to reflect on our shared responsibility to fight for justice, and compassion for all. As long as poverty and inequality exist, the lessons of Les Misérables will continue to inspire action and hope, reminding us that progress begins with empathy and a commitment to change.

Why might “les Mis” still matter today? Les Miserables is a story about a convict named Jean Veljean that after 19 years in prison, leaves the galleys and tries to live a normal life by taking many identities and at the same time, caring for Cosette. There are many topics Les Miserables covers, and Injustice is one of them. Like in the book, injustice is a part of our society today. 

In Les Miserables, in the beginning of the book we can see injustice take part. When Jean Veljean was trying to find a place to stay and get something to eat, he got rejected by the innkeeper to give him food. “He asked a second time: “ Then he took a step towards the traveller, who seemed drowned in troubled thought. “Monsieur,” said he, “I cannot receive you”. They didn't let him stay because someone else bought everything so they had nothing to give him.

Like in the book, our society also has injustice. Our Justice Department found out that Phoenix Police has been discriminating against Black, Hispanic and Native American people, they have also been very violent and using force mostly on homeless people. This problem against minorities has been going on for years and is hated by all. “Critics of the Phoenix police said the report validated years of what they called unheeded complaints about police shootings, arrests and traffic stops that disproportionately affected minority communities.” This shows how the Phoenix Police have been targeting and differentiation against ethnic groups. 

In conclusion, Both the book Les Miserables and the article Justice Department Finds Brutality and Bias by Phoenix Police we can see that there is injustice in both situations. Like how they were not accepting Jean Veljean in the inn and how the Phoenix police treated people with different races and cultures differently.

In the part Cosette it says that her mother is paying the Thenardiers to take care of her daughter. The Thenardiers keep raising the price and making excuses for why they need more money. The mother keeps paying the prices without knowing what is going on. The Thenardiers are using Cosette to do the work they don’t want to do, and giving her the scraps of stuff she needs to survive.

In the article from the Guardian it explains what child labor is and I related that to what Cosette went through. People can also relate Cosette's experience to Cinderella. Just wanted to say that. In the Guardian it says that children are being used to work for people and unpaid at the same time. So when the article popped up it related to Cosette being used as a servant.

In conclusion people can understand that the problem that Cosette faced is still happening today. It is a problem that we need to fix and put a stop to. Children are being used to do jobs for no money at all. What we saw with Cosette was unpaid labor and abuse of power.