Hard Times Group

Question:

adome1
adome1
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What calling (occupation) does Gradgrind not wish mentioned in his classroom in the book "Hard Times," by Charles Dickens?

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Posted by adome1 on Friday October 23, 2009 at 9:59 AM and tagged with gradgrind, hard times.

Answers:


  1. pohnpei397 Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    In "Hard Times," Thomas Gradgrind is the schoolmaster in Cokeworth.  He is obsessed with the idea of making sure that his pupils learn facts and nothing but facts.

    He is also very much into the idea that frivolous stuff is bad and that only practical things are good.  Because of that, he will not allow Sissy Jupe to talk about what her father does.  He trains horses for a circus and circuses are pretty much the epitome of frivolity.

    Because he doesn't want her to talk about circuses, he gets her to say her dad is actually a veterinarian.

    Sources:
    http://www.doceo.co.uk/background/gradgrind.htm
    http://www.enotes.com/hard-times/summar

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    Posted by pohnpei397 on Friday October 23, 2009 at 11:05 AM