What does Mr Gradgrind say about poetry?
Class Question: Why does Mr. Gradgrind dislike poetry? Poetry is the opposite of his philosophy on facts. The fact that poetry can be anything and doesn’t follow rules completely goes against his belief.
What is the point of Hard Times by Charles Dickens?
Dickens’s primary goal in Hard Times is to illustrate the dangers of allowing humans to become like machines, suggesting that without compassion and imagination, life would be unbearable.
How does Gradgrinds name reflect his role and personality in the novel?
The use of “Gradgrind” as a surname continues Dickens’ custom of portraying many in the merchant class as grasping and selfish, dedicated to “grinding down” workers without adequate compensation or any compassion. “Bounderby” of course brings to mind the classic epithet of “bounder,” which means an unscrupulous cad.
How is symbolism used in Hard Times?
Dickens not only uses characters as symbols, but the setting of Coketown as brick jungle as it is the symbol of ugly industrialization. The industries and factories scattering in the towns make the city dirty with black smoke symbolize unnatural death of the workers by the modern monster like machines.
What are some major problems described in Hard Times?
major conflict Louisa Gradgrind struggles to reconcile the fact-driven self-interest of her upbringing with the warmth of feeling that she witnesses both in Sissy Jupe and developing within herself.
Who was Gradgrind in Hard Times?
Thomas Gradgrind
Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious school board Superintendent in Dickens’s 1854 novel Hard Times who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. His name is now used generically to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers.
How is hard times regarded as the tragedy of Mr Gradgrind?
In Hard Times, Charles Dickens presents the sad, exaggerated Utilitarian philosophy of Thomas Gradgrind as a sort of tragedy. Gradgrind is initially shown as a strict, Utilitarian caricature who emphasizes facts and rote memorization over imagination and critical thinking.