In the drama "Les Miserables", the story of a man who has struggled to change is represented in a tragic tale, set in the early 1800s. The story represents life for people during the French Revolution, and provides an excellent telling of a ex-prisoner who goes through a life changing experience, and then goes on to truly make a difference. A man, called Jean Valjean, is wrongfully imprisoned for many, many years, and finally manages to gain his freedom. However, things in his life change immensely as he is shown mercy from a priest, and therefore, he is redeemed after realizing that he needs God in his life. The story includes many more aspects and trials, including a young mother who struggles to make ends meet for her young daughter …show more content…
Literary terms are valid here, and many metaphors are used in the musical version of this story. The following song lyrics provide an example of a metaphor: Look down, look down You'll always be a slave Look down, look down You're standing in your grave (Look Down) The metaphor here is specifically in the lyric "You're standing in your grave". In the beginning scene of the movie, we see Jean Valjean amongst many other prisoners, pulling a ginormous boat into a port. The distress and many years of declining is seen on all of the prisoners faces, and when they say that they are standing in their graves, the implication is that they are all going to die there. Their lives are virtually over, and they have nothing left for them. Another metaphor is in the next lyrics, and I felt that it was necessary to include all of the lyrics to potray the tragedy of this story. This is such a powerful song, and it certainly gives a listener/reader an idea as to how some of the characters in this story were feeling. There was a time when men were kind / When their voices were soft And their words inviting / There was a time when love was blind And the world was a song / And the song was