Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Post #1: Les Mis
The concept of communication ethics is a very interesting one to apply to Les Miseables. In the section we watched there are a few very clear examples of comm ethics but I think the most obviousand most compelling example is that of Javert and Jean Valjean. Javert treats Jean like crap when he is a prisoner because, well he's a prisoner and a criminal. The entire song they sing at the beginning is about looking away from the guards. You can see a clear example of the class differences within comm ethics when the prisoners aren't even supposed to look the guards in the eye. You can also clearly see it by the way Javert treats Jean and how he refuses to call him anything other than by his prisoner number. Then later on when Javert meets Jean Valjean as the mayor of the city he treats him with the utmost respect and tact. It is clear that Javert treats different with differing levels of respect based on their class or status.
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Hi Brian,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you wrote in your post. I also discussed the difference in how Javert treated the prisoner Jean and the mayor Jean and how it had to do with his relationship of power in relation to the other character. It may not be ethically right, but it was what society has taught him to treat criminals and/or people of a lesser status. Even the other officers and people out and about had treated him poorly.