...How does Dickens show his dislike for the education system in Hard Times? In Hard Times, Charles dickens is the Omniscient Narrator. This means he hears and see’s everything. He portrays the education system as an unfair, factual lifestyle where only fact is considered right. Dickens story is set in the industrial revolution (1854). The Lancastrian System. Dickens feels that teachers in the education system are draining the life out of children and making them 100% Factual like robots, he describres the children as ‘Automotrons’ to show how robotic and lifeless they are. Dickens shows the children as vulnerable. “Murder the innocents” this means he murder is cowardly. The use of strong connotations He uses biblical references to show sarcasm, the thing needful is ‘FACT’. Dickens uses names such as ‘Gradgrind’ and ‘M’Choakumchild’ to represent hatred towards the education system. The name Gradgrind connotates oppresion, anger, production noise (grind). M’Choakumchild also connotates anger, Strangulation, death. Mr Gradgrind is high up in the local council, he comes into the classroom uninvited and teaches the lesson, Dickens uses this to reprisent how bad the education system was. Everypoint he makes is to critisise the system. The pupils in the class are very unfairly treated, brainwashed to talk factual without opinion. Bitzer - a shy, quiet, light haired, possesed, pale and factual boy. The quote “ if he were cut, he would bleed white” supports this. Bitzer is treated...
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...19th Century Life Criticized Hard Times is a novel written by Charles Dickens in the mid 1800’s. Hard Times criticizes the philosophy of Utilitarianism (Hard Times, 2013). “Dickens believed that Utilitarianism reduced social relations to cold self-interest.”(Hard Times, 2013) This reduced social relation can be seen throughout the novel. Dickens criticizes several aspects of 19th-century life. Dickens criticizes the treatment of children, the life of factory workers, the relationship between employer and employee, and the city they live in. Dickens shows how little respect there is for the children of the time. The children in the school are numbered. They are called by their number and not by their names. Mr. Gradgrind points out Sissy Jupe and calls her “Girl number twenty.” (Dickens, 1854, pg. 10) Gradgrind showed no respect for her name or who she said she was. He insisted that “Sissy” was not a name and that she should only refer to herself as “Cecilia” (Dickens, 1854). Sissy attempted to answer Gradgrind’s questions and he interrupted her every time. Gradgrind’s idea of teaching is to only feed children facts. Children are not allowed to imagine or fancy things. “You are never to fancy,” said a gentleman and Gradgrind confirmed his statement (Dickens, 1854, pg. 14). The only thing the children are to be taught and to repeat is fact. The children are not allowed to have a mind of their own. Dickens raises many contemporary issues in his treatment...
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...Hard Times |Theme Analysis | | | | | | | |[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] | | | |Head versus Heart | |Hard Times shows the inadequacy of an approach to life that emphasizes only the human intellect at | |the expense of the imagination and the heart. The character who most embodies the false approach is | |Thomas Gradgrind. Gradgrind worships facts and figures and prides himself on being very practical. He| |thinks that the only things valuable in life are those that can be objectively measured. He believes | |that human behavior can be shaped for the better by the rational application of practical knowledge. | |Gradgrind refuses to accept the validity of "fancy" or imagination; only practical things matter, and| |he puts his faith in abstract theories rather than direct observation of how real people behave, and | |what their real needs...
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...The industrial revolution was a time of great technological changes. It revolutionised everything, from the way people lived to where they worked, but what society often overlooked was how ordinary people went through their day to day lives. In the book ‘Hard Times’, Charles Dickens has produced some exceptional characters to represent the complexity of each social class. From the arrogance of aristocracy to the struggle of the common workers, and the way in which they cope with the many hardships they will endure. Charles Dickens was able to personify the different social classes. The real reason why Charles Dickens wrote Hard Times was because he was low on funds, this was due to his sales being low on his periodical magazine “Household words”. He hoped by writing this novel in instalments would bale him out by increasing his profits. However, Dickends wished to satirize radical utilitarians who dickens thought to be ‘those who see figures and averages, and nothing else’. He also wished to campaign for reform of working conditions. In as early as 1839, dickens visted factories in Manchester and was appalled by the conditions workers had to work in. Furthermore, Charles Dickens gives us a close up look into what appears to be the ivory tower of the bourgeoisie of his day, yet these middle-class characters are viewed from a singular perspective, the perspective of those at the bottom of the social and economic system. Though Dickens characters tend to be well developed and...
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...In “The One Thing Needful” chapter of Hard Times, Dickens presents the type of educational system existing in Coke-town. He demonstrates this through the curriculum of the school which is to “Stick to Facts” (Hard Times 47) for the reason that “Facts alone are wanted in life” (Hard Times 47) and anything with no factual element is of a disadvantage to them and must be rooted out. Zubair describes Mr. Gradgrind’s school as a very rigid and rigorous system where flexibility is not welcomed because flexibility allows imagination and Mr. Gradgrind is against it (2392). This inflexible character is seen through one of the speaker’s voice as “dry and dictatorial” (Hard Times 47). The above adjectives perfectly describe the educational system in Coke-town...
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...TOPIC:-What is Moral Fable? How can you say that Hard Times is a Moral Fable? BY: CHETAN ANKUR Moral fable combines the left (logical) & right (creative) side of the brain, so it both entertains creatively and validates certain types of behaviour, morally. The creative part is the fairy tale which often involves animals rather than humans. It speaks to our hearts as it entertains us; the ending is the logical, moral conclusion that satisfies our logical brains and seems "right". The problem with all moral fables is that there are often 2 sides to the same story ... things are rarely so black and white in reality ... so there could be more than one ending ... e.g. there are times when speed is necessary over steadiness - of course, there also has to be good judgement. Although it is not appropriate to describe a work of art, which Hard Times undoubtedly is, as a moral fable or a morality play, yet the fact remains that there is a strong moral intention behind this novel. Hard Times is a satirical attack on some of the evils and vices of Victorian society. Satire has always corrective purpose and is therefore basically moral in its approach to the subjects it deals with. Apart from that, there are passages of direct moralising in this novel. Hard Times is a novel which from the moment of its publication aroused very different sentiments in the reading public. Dickens's reasons for writing Hard Times were mostly monetary. Sales of his weekly...
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...TOPIC:-What is Moral Fable? How can you say that Hard Times is a Moral Fable? BY: CHETAN ANKUR Moral fable combines the left (logical) & right (creative) side of the brain, so it both entertains creatively and validates certain types of behaviour, morally. The creative part is the fairy tale which often involves animals rather than humans. It speaks to our hearts as it entertains us; the ending is the logical, moral conclusion that satisfies our logical brains and seems "right". The problem with all moral fables is that there are often 2 sides to the same story ... things are rarely so black and white in reality ... so there could be more than one ending ... e.g. there are times when speed is necessary over steadiness - of course, there also has to be good judgement. Although it is not appropriate to describe a work of art, which Hard Times undoubtedly is, as a moral fable or a morality play, yet the fact remains that there is a strong moral intention behind this novel. Hard Times is a satirical attack on some of the evils and vices of Victorian society. Satire has always corrective purpose and is therefore basically moral in its approach to the subjects it deals with. Apart from that, there are passages of direct moralising in this novel. Hard Times is a novel which from the moment of its publication aroused very different sentiments in the reading public. Dickens's reasons for writing Hard Times were mostly monetary. Sales of his weekly...
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...How does Dickens present the education system in hard Times? Words: | Submitted: Thu Mar 24 2005 ... Not even a sense of fancy and imagination. They were educated to get the basics of life because they were going to be pushed into the outside world at a very young age of 12 and above or even below. At the end of the day, the education was worthless because most of the children died in the workhouse. Dickens used Hard Times to criticise the society for failing so many of its children. Dickens argues against a mode of factory style, grad-grinding production that exterminates the fun out of life. He believes that education should not be a thing of going through volumes of head-breaking questions and being put through an immense variety of paces. Hard Times not only suggests that fancy is as important as fact, but it continually calls into question the difference between fact and fancy. Dickens suggests that what constitutes so-called fact is a matter... How does Dickens present his views on education in ‘hard times’? Words: | Submitted: Mon Jun 06 2005. He is shown as lifeless and colorless, 'the boy was so light-eyed and light-haired that the self-same rays appeared to draw out of him what little color he ever possessed.' This gives the effect that he has been drained of life and everything else but facts. When asked, Blitzer describes a Horse as a 'Quadruped' and 'graminivorous' and gives endless facts about the animal. Although this description is very...
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...Wednesday 24th march 2010 Essay Of ‘Hard times’ By Charles dickens In the novel Hard Times Dickens writes about a utilitarian education system. Dickens dislikes this form of education through his use of language and his characters. The title ’Hard Times’ shows us that dickens view of the utilitarian education system. “The one thing needful” and “Murdering the innocent” His dislike for this system is also shown through the novels characters names. ‘Mr Gradgrind’ and ‘Mr M’Choakumchild’. These names portray the system as it is choking the child and gradually grinding the children from their imagination. The chapter names ‘the one thing needful’’ we learn that that all Gradgrind cares about are facts so dickens title suggests that all facts are the only thing needed. While the title ‘murdering the innocent’ tells us that dickens feels the education system is killing the children minds and their childhoods and in turn being replaced by facts. I think dickens invented these names because emphasize his dislike for the utilitarian education system. The name 'Mr. Gradgrind' make the reader think of two words, gradually and grinding. It makes the reader think that 'Mr. Gradgrind' gradually grinds the childhoods out of the children. Further more the name 'Mr. M’Choakumchild' makes the reader automatically thinks the name is for choking the child. Dickens is again emphasizing his dislike for the education system, saying it is choking the child. The name also portrays him as a man...
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...compared with the rich people in the 19th century. In that time the rich were very negative towards the poor. So Dickens makes scrooge the symbolism of the rich and their lack of sympathy towards the poor. Scrooge is undisputedly a cold and dark character. He is describes as “hard and sharp as a flint.” The writer Dickens uses a simile to give a better image of scrooge’s character. By using the simile to compare Scrooge to a stone, “flint” we understand that he is hard-hearted yet also sharp and quick-witted. The reader would link the image of a flint as a stone which is dangerously sharp, giving him a menacing image. The quote continues “from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire.” Here, he is presented as a cold, mean and a stingy person suggesting he is never warm or generous. The quote continues “secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster”. Dickens uses another simile to compare him to “oyster” supporting his hard image and also presenting him as secretive and isolated. The reader may also sympathise...
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...Hard Times: the Education System How does Dickens present the education system in hard Times? Words: | Submitted: Thu Mar 24 2005 ... Not even a sense of fancy and imagination. They were educated to get the basics of life because they were going to be pushed into the outside world at a very young age of 12 and above or even below. At the end of the day, the education was worthless because most of the children died in the workhouse. Dickens used Hard Times to criticise the society for failing so many of its children. Dickens argues against a mode of factory style, grad-grinding production that exterminates the fun out of life. He believes that education should not be a thing of going through volumes of head-breaking questions and being put through an immense variety of paces. Hard Times not only suggests that fancy is as important as fact, but it continually calls into question the difference between fact and fancy. Dickens suggests that what constitutes so-called fact is a matter... How does Dickens present his views on education in ‘hard times’? Words: | Submitted: Mon Jun 06 2005. He is shown as lifeless and colorless, 'the boy was so light-eyed and light-haired that the self-same rays appeared to draw out of him what little color he ever possessed.' This gives the effect that he has been drained of life and everything else but facts. When asked, Blitzer describes a Horse as a 'Quadruped' and 'graminivorous' and gives endless facts about the animal...
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... mechanically operated version of a regular loom, an invention that combined threads to make cloth], which had been patented in 1785, rapidly became more widespread. This had a deleterious [injurious to health] effect on the hand loom weavers, who could not compete with the power loom and could no longer find sufficient work. By the time Dickens wrote Hard Times, power looms were the norm and hand weaving was almost extinct. Because of this development, weavers were gradually driven from their home-based weaving to the factories in the towns, which grew rapidly in population. The new factory workers put in ten-hour days. Conditions were often dangerous, and industrial accidents were common. This subject gave rise to a heated article written by Henry Morley and published in Dickens's own magazine, Household Words, in April 1854. Morley claimed that over the previous three years, there had been a hundred deaths and nearly twelve thousand accidents in factories in England. These figures were disputed by other contemporary commentators, but there is no doubt that many serious accidents did occur, often caused by unguarded machinery. In Hard Times, there is a reference to people being "chopped up" by machinery (Book 2, chapter 1). Factory workers sought to protect their own interests by joining trade unions, which were growing in power in the 1850s. But the unions often faced fierce opposition from employers. A notorious example of industrial conflict took place in Preston, a textile-manufacturing...
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...Carlton Mason Mr. William English 12 November 19, 2013 Charles John Huffman Dickens First, Charles Dickens is one of best British authors because his struggles he went through in life. Charles Dickens was on born on February 7th, 1812. Also Charles Dickens was the eight children born, mother of Elizabeth and father of John. (Byers 538) “In 1827, at age fifteen, he was forced leave school and work as an office boy.” By 183, he had become a reporter for two London newspapers and, in the following year, began to contribute a series of impressions and sketches other newspaper and magazines. (Byers 538) “These scenes of London life went far to establish his reputation and were published in 1836, as Sketches by Boz, his first book also on the strength of this success.” Charles married Catherine Hogarth together they had ten children. Therefore, after a year went by Charles finish his first novel called Dombey and Son and that was the turning point for his career as an author. He started to enjoy life as an author and able to support his children. In 1850, he started to begin new magazines called Household Words and the article touched upon English politics, social institutions, and family life. (Byers 539) So in Charles Dickens career so far he put out some major articles. The 1850s were a sad and dark time for Dickens. In 1851, within a two-week period, Dickens's father and one of his daughters died. “In 1858, a year after he fell in love with an actress, he separated...
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...How does dickens show his dislike for the education system in 'Hard Times'? In the novel Hard Times Dickens writes about a utilitarian education system. Dickens dislikes this form of education through his use of language and his characters. The title shows us that dickens view of the utilitarian education system. “The one thing needful” and “Murdering the innocent” His dislike for this system is also shown through the novels characters names. ‘Mr Gradgrind’ and ‘Mr M’Choakumchild’. These names portray the system as it is choking the child and gradually grinding the children from their imagination. The chapter names ‘the one thing needful’’ we learn that that all Gradgrind cares about are facts so dickens title suggests that all facts are the only thing needed. While the title ‘murdering the innocent’ tells us that dickens feels the education system is killing the children minds and their childhoods and in turn being replaced by facts. I think dickens invented these names because emphasize his dislike for the utilitarian education system. The name 'Mr. Gradgrind' make the reader think of two words, gradually and grinding. It makes the reader think that 'Mr. Gradgrind' gradually grinds the childhoods out of the children. Further more the name 'Mr. M’Choakumchild' makes the reader automatically interpret the name for choking the child. Dickens is again emphasizing his dislike for the education system, saying it is choking the child. The name also portrays him as a man...
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...becoming a new, openhearted and charitable man. The novel was first published in 1843, a time when many of the wealthy people neglected the old Christmas spirit of charity. In addition, the Industrial Revolution had further done away with the simple pleasures of the season. Dickens’ intentions in writing ‘A Christmas Carol’ were not only linked to his own childhood and sympathy for the poor, but he was also making an appeal to the rich people of society to mend their selfish ways. Dickens is able to show the change in Scrooge’s character by establishing what Scrooge is like at the very beginning of the story with the first two words he says: ‘“Bah! Humbug!’’ ’It is clear from the dismissive tone and the two exclamation marks that Scrooge has no patience with the idea of Christmas as a special time. At the start of the novel, Dickens is using Scrooge, someone who associates happiness with nothing but money, as a classic example of a wealthy person in the 19th Century. He does this with Scrooge inquiring of his nephew ‘“What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”’ Scrooge’s manor in saying this reveals certain elements of his character such as his shallowness and uncaring nature. In Scrooge saying this it demonstrates to the reader that Scrooge does not think one could be joyous if they were not well off, and proves that he does not understand the concept of Christmas spirit. Dickens continually makes Scrooge’s character clear through the shocking juxtaposition of...
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