Literature Circle Chapters 1-4

Questions “Hard Times” Chapters 1-4

-        Who is Mr. Gradgrind? Which is his method to teach his class?

Mr. Gradgrind is a dark-eyed, rigid man that is the headmaster of a school in Coketown, an industrial town. His method of teaching or his believe of life, is that everything in life is centered on facts. There is no imagination; always 2 x2 will be 4, and he used that concept to argue that the meaning of the world, life, etc., is controlled by FACTS, FACTS AND FACTS.

-        What examples are given by Mr. Gradgrind and the teacher when they talk about facts and imagination? Why chapter 2 is called “Murdering the innocent”?

They gave two examples: They asked to the class if the will paper a room with representation of horses and if they will put a carpet with representation of flowers on their house. The answer that they wanted to hear is NO, because what they want are facts and they will never see a horse riding on the wall or flower on the floor. They criticize every child, for example, Sissy, who tries to use imagination. The chapter 2 is called “Murdering the innocent” because they are destroying the imagination of the children of the school; they are transforming them to a group of person who solved every problem using FACTS.

-        What did Thomas Gradgrind’s sons did so he became furious?

He was walking and he saw that in the back of a booth were a lot of children looking. He watched that his sons, Louisa and Thomas, were also there and this make him feel really furious because he considered that those places are for children with a lower capacity, that don’t consider facts on their lives. He took them out of there immediately because he feel ashamed

-        Where can we look a postmodernism aspect on the first 4 chapters?

It is demonstrated in the speeches of Mr. Gradgrind because post modernism tries to found an objective truth and Mr. Gradgrind believes in a world based on facts and only facts. For example, on the first chapter:

“'Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn't fancy,' cried the gentleman, quite elated by coming so happily to his point. 'That's it! You are never to fancy.'

'You are not, Cecilia Jupe,' Thomas Gradgrind solemnly repeated, 'to do anything of that kind.'

'Fact, fact, fact!' said the gentleman. And 'Fact, fact, fact!' repeated Thomas Gradgrind.”

Here is demonstrated that the method of the school of Mr. Gradgrind is based on facts, and that’s in a direct connection with postmodernism.