Hard Times2

A detailed Summary of Hard Times2

"Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely

twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive.

Sheds coat in spring......" A perfect example of a product of

utilitarian education, Bitzer defines a horse off the top of his

head in a split second. Utilitarianism is the assumption that

human beings act in a way that highlights their own self

interest. It is based on factuality and leaves little room for

imagination. Dickens provides three vivid examples of this

utilitarian logic in Hard Times. The first; Mr. Thomas

Gradgrind, one of the main characters in the book, was the

principal of a school in Coketown. He was a firm believer in

utilitarianism and instilled this philosophy into the students at

the school from a very young age, as well as his own

children. Mr. Josiah Bounderby was also a practitioner of

utilitarianism, but was more interested in the profit that

stemmed from it. At the other end of the perspective, a

group of circus members, who are the total opposite of

utilitarians, are added by Dickens to provide a sharp

contrast from the ideas of Mr. Bounderby and Mr.

Thomas Gradgrind Sr., a father of five children, has lived his

He is one of the wealthiest people in Coketown; owning a

posses. Mr. Bounderby maintained throughout the story his

Dickens paints a vivid picture of this inequality between

off on the people around her, although it is too late for most

imagination, and humor. Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a circus

Approximate Word count = 1513
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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