Examine how Dickens presents his concerns in the opening chapters of Hard Times.

Dickens names the chapters 'The one needful thing' and 'murdering the innocents’; this reflects the satire and cheap humour about the first two chapters of Hard Times. 'The one thing needful ' the first chapter points towards Mr Gradgrind’s factual teaching methods, which mainly is explained as facts. In addition 'Murdering the innocents ' reflects the next chapter which disputes the children’s knowledge being destroyed. 'Tender young imaginations that were to be stormed away '. Dickens uses a powerful adjective to express the destruction of their education. This tells us Dickens’s thoughts and feelings are negative about the educational system at the time.

Further on in the novel he introduces another character, a pupil, Sissy Jupe.  Mr Gradgrind introduces Sissy by calling her 'Girl number twenty '. Dickens shows that the pupils are treated like they are prisoners. 'Sissy Jupe, sir explained number twenty, blushing, standing up and curtseying'. Mr Gradgrind expects to be treated like royalty and considering that Sissy blushes shows that the children are in an unfriendly environment and under pressure from Mr Gradgrind. 'Sissy is not a name,’ said Mr Gradgrind, 'Don’t call yourself Sissy, call yourself Ceilla'.  Mr Gradgrind renames her, because the name Sissy Jupe replicates the Patron Saint of creative art, and he doesn’t like that as he only wants to teach facts. Dickens continues the sarcasm through Mr Gradgrind. 'He doctors sick horses', 'Very well then, he is a veterinary surgeon, a farrier, and horsebreaker'. Mr Gradgrind takes Sissy’s opinion and sarcastically changes it into real jobs. 'Girl number twenty unable to define a horse!’ Mr Gradgrind pressures Sissy into describing a horse, knowing that she is not capable to describe a factual definition of a horse. 'Girl number twenty possessed of no facts'. This unsurprisingly is the only thing that he teaches facts.

 Dickens goes on further to expresses his negative feelings about the education system by introducing another pupil into classroom, Bitzer. At the same time both Sissy and Bitzer are descriptively compared as well as the room. .  The effect of this to overpower the reader, make the reader create a stern image of the two opposite pupils and the depressive room.  This gives you an idea of the classroom and educational environment at the time of Dickens. He describes the room as 'white washed'. As if it and the pupils are white-washed of any opinions or emotions. This indicates that the room is ordinary, lacklustre and unexciting. He also uses colours to show his opinions. 'the inclined plane in two compact bodies' He illustrates the room as compact this shows that the room is diminutive, and this makes the children feel even more like prisoners. He tells us that the room is spilt into two sections.  'Divided up the centre by a narrow interval;' Sissy is placed on the side next to the only window that bares light. Whereas Bitzer sits on the opposite side blending in to the classroom. ' Sissy, being at the corner of a row on the sunny side , came in for the beginning of a sunbeam, of which Bitzer, being at the corner of a row on the other side, a few rows in advance, caught in the end.' Dickens uses complex sentences throughout this paragraph to make the reader feel out of breathe. He shows the difference between Sissy and Bitzer.  Sissy having been placed next to the light of the window, being lively and full of opinions and emotions, whereas Bitzer placed on the other side, being dull and factual.  'His skin was so unwholesomely deficient in the natural tinge'. Dickens describes Bitzer as the same as he describes the room. 'If he were cut, he would bleed white'. Again Dickens uses the same colour to describe both the room and Bitzer, white. Dickens shows that the room and Bitzer are restricted of colour. Dickens then gives Bitzer’s definition of a horse, it contains no opinions just facts. This suggests that Bitzer has been taught a factual definition of a horse, and just repeated it. 'She curtseyed again, and would of blushed deeper', 'Bitzer, after rapidly blinking' Dickens implies that the children are constantly under pressure. 'they looked like the antennae of busy insects' He uses a simile to show that they are nervous.

Dickens humorously and sarcastically names the main forceful characters, 'Mr Gradgrind' and 'Mr M’Choakumchild' He reflects the names on how the pupils were taught in the educational environment at the time of the novel. The name Mr Gradgrind comes from the teacher grinding the children down with facts. Further on another forceful character Mr M’Choakumchild is introduced to the novel. Again his name is based on the teaching methods, choking the children with facts. 'If he had only learnt a little less how unfinitley better he might of taught much more'