THE EMANCIPATORY APPROACH TO EDUCATION AS REFLECTED IN LES MISÉRABLES MOVIE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The study explores the emancipatory approach to education as reflected in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables. Employing qualitative research with a critical analysis, the study examines the linguistics features under Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and the components of emancipatory education. Results revealed that the film’s dialogues embody all three metafunctions of language – ideational, interpersonal, and textual. Under the ideational metafunction, material, mental, relational, existential, and verbal processes were identified, showcasing how the character’s actions, thoughts, relationships, and existential realities highlight their struggle for justice, freedom, and redemption. The interpersonal metafunction, through mood systems such as declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamative moods were also identified. Meanwhile, the textual metafunction uncovers how themes and rhemes structure information coherently. The study also reveals how the films align with the five components of emancipatory education, making the students engage, educate, experience, empower, and enact on societal issues, fostering critical consciousness, empathy, and social transformation. KEYWORDS: Linguistics, emancipatory education, les misérables, metafunctions, Philippines