Mr M’choakamachild also has the same teaching methods and techniques as Mr Gradgrind has. “Mr M’choakumachild…watched and observed Mr Gradgrinds methods.” I think Dickens is trying to show how education at that time was stuck in a rut, and churned out all teachers to be as Gradgrind is. He also wants to show how education needed vast amounts of changes.
Another character that Dickens presents his ideas and opinions on education through is the government officer. He is presented much like the other teachers in his strictness and character. There is an occasion when Dickens uses an extended metaphor comparing him with a boxer to emphasise this point. “…ready to fight all England, he would damage his subject with a left and follow up with a right.” Dickens uses these comparisons with a boxer as an example to the reader of the kind of strictness and no-nonsense teaching of “nothing but facts” at that time, and gets his ideas and opinions across through this medium.
Dickens uses the character’s Sissy Jupe and Bitzer to illustrate what effects 1840s education could have on children, and uses them as motifs or symbols to represent these wider issues. He does this by presenting them in stark contrast to each through their response to the teacher, the description of each character and their manner. Their responses to the teacher are very different, Sissy’s responses are often brief, polite in tone, using colloquial non-standard forms, “It’s father as calls me Sissy, sir”. Because Gradgrind controls the interaction, initiating the topic by asking the questions and commenting, “your father breaks horses, don’t he?”, negatively towards Sissy, “you mustn’t tell us about that here”, establishing her submissive role in contrast to Bitzer’s. Bitzer’s response is lengthy and detailed. His clipped style, using minor sentences, as if reciting notes from a dictionary, also mirrors that of Gradgrind, gaining him positive comments towards his contribution; “Quadruped. Gamnivorous. Forty teeth…” and “Now girl number twenty; said Mr Gradgrind, “ you know what a horse is”. This shows Bitzer is almost a disciple of Gradgrind’s, making the reader fell sympathy towards Sissy, because she responded personally and non-technically to the questions and yet still didn’t receive praise from the im-personal, technical Gradgrind.
There are also vast differences between the two in their descriptions. The only description the reader gets of Gradgrind is of his “Square forefinger” and a “frown”, reducing the reader’s image of him as strict and aggressive. Sissy’s blushing is repeated three times “… blushing deeper…” making it stick in the reader’s mind to suggest shyness, but more positive images of warmth and blood are developed, through the detailed description of her “irradiated” by sunlight. This is in stark contrast to Bitzer, as he is described as; “Cold, pale, with short cropped hair, blinking short and having quivering eyelashes like insects”. This makes the reader establish repulsive character in their minds, and with the final comments of “unwholesomely deficient” and “he would bleed white” makes the reader look at him as un-natural and a result of that type of education, this is in contrast to the image of Sissy’s warm shy character that the reader acquires.
The two character’s manner is also described to the reader and again they are in contrast to each other. Bitzer recites an entirely factual, encyclopaedic, abnormal, mechanical delivery of facts; “sheds coat in the spring; in marshy countries, sheds hoofs too.” This shows he is fearful of Mr Gradgrind and will do anything to please him, aswell as again showing what education has done to him through his im-personal, un-natural manner. Sissy again is the opposite, she makes mistakes and there is trembling in her voice; “He doctors sick horses, dare I say?”, “In a trembling voice…” this shows she is human, fallible and can actually make mistakes and that education hasn’t had such an affect on her, yet, again drawing sympathy from the reader.
Dickens uses a wide range of language to present his ideas. He does this through using metaphor, speech, rhetoric and narrative.
Dickens uses metaphor to present and then describe the Government Officer’s appearance and character. “Always to be heard of at the bar of his little public-office, ready to fight all England.” This is a boxing metaphor, giving the reader the image of violence, “…damage his subject with a left, and follow up with a right…”, this is to show how he is almost violent in his efforts of trying to repress people’s opinions and finally defeat them through this process. The effect this has on the reader is to make them think all Government officers are like this, and that repressing people’s opinions is on education is wrong, thus getting Dickens’ point and idea across.
Dickens also uses speech to get across his ideas and to make them have an effect on the reader. One point at which he does this is when the teachers are asking yes or no to the children and waiting for a response. “…one half of the children cried in chorus, ‘yes sir!’ upon which the other half, seeing in the man’s face that yes was wrong, cried out in chorus ‘no sir!’- As is the custom in these examinations.” This shows that even though the children don’t know the answer, they want to impress the teacher, who holds all of the influence, yet at the same time don’t want to be wrong. Dickens is trying to show that this is another flaw in education, as the question requires an educated response, which has no relevance and only shows the power and the influence that the teachers hold. Dickens doesn’t want this and wants the children to be free to express themselves in their education, as he thinks it should be that way. This also rubs off on the reader because of the laughable manner in which it is presented “you are never to fancy.” and the final sarcastic comment from Dickens himself.
Dickens also uses narrative to present his ideas and make them have an effect on the reader. In the narrative he uses sarcasm to mirror his opinions about the Government and education. “…a Government officer, in his way (and in most other people’s too).” This shows he thinks that teachers shouldn’t have as much power, that their teaching methods are flawed and that education is almost laughable, however, not in a funny way. This makes the reader aware of the terrible and appalling condition of education and provokes a response from them. On another occasion he also uses sarcasm and an ironic tone. He does this by calling Gradgrind “sir”. By mocking him with sarcasm and his ironic tone he shows a lack of respect because of the way education is being taught.
Dickens also uses rhetoric to present his ideas and make them have an effect on the reader. He uses rhetoric to persuade the reader into his way of thinking. The adults use a lot of rhetoric to add emphasis to their speech; “Fact, fact, fact,” and, “This is the new discovery. This is fact this taste.” As a result of the repetition, the adults want the children to learn and repeat what they say. Dickens again thinks that this is an awful, unimaginative way of teaching and has deleterious affect on their physical appearance, again making this type of education flawed.
Education in the 1840s was bland, cold, clinical, unimaginative and uninspirational from the actual schoolrooms to, to the teachers and teaching methods. It allowed for no input from the children and they were only taught facts, which destroyed imagination and, according to the book, even had an effect on the children’s appearance (Bitzer). Education now allows for a wide range of subjects as well as compulsory subjects. Teachers now promote imagination and give inspiration to children. They allow input from the children to make sure that a subject is fully understood, and children are taught to the best of the teacher’s ability. Schools have also improved and are now a little more colourful and attractive. I think that Dickens thought that education was being taught the wrong way, that teachers held too much power and authority, education allowed no input from children, because there were so many of them and teachers didn’t allow it and that schools were bland and not a very nice place to be.
The ideas and opinions that he expresses through the novel are; that treating people kindly is more important than facts. That while the government, bosses and managers were getting rich, women and children had terrible working environments, and that this was unfair and so very wrong in all sorts of ways. He wrote this book as a political comment and I think wholeheartedly agree with all of the issues he addresses.
