, Dickens exaggerates the description of the narrator speaking. I believe this because in the opening of the paragraph it says, “teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts are alone are wanted in life… you can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts.” This automatically shows the reader that “facts” are important to the narrator because the word “facts” has a capital letter many times this emphasis the word. This also shows that the narrator is speaking to another person, which could be a teacher because the word “teach” is normally a job for teachers or parents.
the unnamed narrator sounds unappealing on purpose. At the end of the first paragraph its says, “Stick to facts, sir!” This is effective because Dickens wants the readers to dislike the narrator because the education taught is all about facts. Dickens makes the narrator sound like a strict horrible man. The exclamation mark at the end of the sentence emphasis the love of facts. This shows the readers that facts are a loved theme for the narrator.
The second paragraph explains what the narrator looks like. The word “square” is repeated many times it is describing the narrator from paragraph one. Dickens makes the narrator sound boring and perfect in a negative way it is very inflexible. I believe this because it says,”the speakers voice which was inflexible, dry and dictatorial. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s hair, which was bristled on the skirts of his bald head.” This also shows that Dickens turns the character into a caricature can exaggerated version of a stereotype. This shows that the narrator is as boring as the facts. Dickens shows the reader that education then was terrible for the fact that it was boring and all about facts. Dickens gets the readers to hate the unnamed narrator this means that Dickens has a problem and dislikes the narrator because he “makes fun” of the way he looks and talks. The opening of the novel gives a negative impression and description of the speaker.
The education room in which Dickens describes seems to be bare and plain. I know this because it says;” the scene was plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school-room.” This is effective because we learn the education room is bare and not a nice place to be in because it seems boring. This shows Dickens thoughts of the schoolroom and how the education system was in those times. Dickens presents the schoolroom like this to show how a school day was, it is all about facts and facts are depressing and gloomy.
Dickens presents the theme of education as a cruel way of teaching in the first chapter of “Hard Times.” We learn that Dickens does not agree with the teaching system and the unnamed narrator that we later find out is Mr Gradgrind. Dickens presents his hate of the education system in the first chapter of the novel by using repetition of words and alliteration and “making fun” of the education system.
The second chapter introduces the unnamed narrator, which is Mr Gradgrind. The name “Gradgrind” has many meanings. The “grind” part of his name reflects the crushing into the children full of facts. The word “grind” is very informal and figurative. This is effective because dickens uses the name to show the reader what type of person Mr Gradgrind is. The word “grind” also means a unit of measuring angles. This is effective because it relates to Mr Gradgrind measuring all the facts to the brim. This is also alliterating because using a hard “gr” sound, reflects his hard, cold personality.
Mr Gradgrind keeps a ruler and a pair of scales and the multiplication table always in his pocket so that he can weigh and measure any parcel of human nature and tell you exactly what it comes to. This imagery is effective because it is a metaphor making human nature sound like a parcel being posted. This emphasis the place on the fact that this is silly because it is impossible. This shows Dickens poking fun at people like Mr Gradgrind.
