Final Exam Project and Presentation
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In the author’s preface of Les Miserables, Hugo indicates that as long as the “law and custom to impose social condemnation… creates artificial hells on earth,” and as long as “three problems of the age” continue to exist in society, books like this will continue to be useful. These issues are oftentimes raised through Hugo’s description of characters, both dynamic and static. We learn, for example, the horrors of prostitution and general treatment of women through Fantine’s story; the justice system is perfectly exemplified in the persona of Javert; the problems with French politics that lead to the revolution are discussed through Marius’ family. These characters and their actions help provide insight into a previous society that is not too unlike present day society.
Your task in this final exam project is to examine what insight the author gives the reader through the actions and narration of the novel.
Your final exam project will include 2 separate tasks:
1. An annotation and analysis of several characters in Les Miserables.
2. A presentation to the class on your analysis
Annotation and Analysis
For this task you must analyze the following characters:
- Jean ValJean
- Cosette
- Bishop Bienvenu
- Fantine
- Javert
- Marius
- Thenardiers
- M. Gillenormand
For each character you must do the following:
- Create a thesis statement that makes an analysis of the character’s role in Les Miserables and what insight is given to the reader through the actions of the character.
- Write an assertion/topic sentence that further develops your analysis of the character.
- Find 2 supporting examples of textual evidence that help support your thesis statement and assertion.
- You must cite all of the textual evidence in proper MLA parenthetical citation.
- You must write a brief statement explaining each piece of textual evidence and how this evidence supports your thesis/analysis of the character.
Requirements:
- All elements of this project need to be typed.
- All quotes must be cited correctly in MLA format
- All thesis statements, assertions, and explanation statements must be written well and be free of spelling/grammatical errors.
- Each thesis statement and assertion/topic sentence must be an in-depth analysis that demonstrates your knowledge of the text and the themes and issues which develop.
Digital Media Presentation
For this task you must do the following:
- Create a digital media presentation that showcases the 2 best examples of your ability to make an analysis.
- For each analysis presented you must share your thesis statement, your assertion, and your 2 pieces of textual evidence.
- You must expound and explain on how your supporting textual evidence helps to support your thesis statement and assertion
Requirements:
- The presentation must be polished.
- The presentation must be presented in a digital media format.
- The presentation must be given within the allotted timeframe.
- The presentation must be visually pleasing and professional.
This is a culminating activity for the semester. This project is worth 20% of your final grade. The score from the analysis project and the presentation will be added together to make a total score. You must turn in your project during the exam period and you must present your presentation during the exam period as well.