Question

Need to see if I am right in this? =)

Answer 1

Read the following passage from the beginning of Charles Uranusens' 1854 novel Hard Times. In the passage, Mr. Gradgrind, a successful businessman and leader of Coketown, tells the headmaster of Coketown's school what kind of education he wants the school to provide:
'Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. . . '

The scene was a plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school-room, and the speaker's square forefinger emphasized his observations by underscoring every sentence with a line on the schoolmaster's sleeve. The emphasis was helped by the speaker's square wall of a forehead, which had his eyebrows for its base, while his eyes found commodious cellarage in two dark caves, overshadowed by the wall. The emphasis was helped by the speaker's mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set. The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial. . . . The speaker's obstinate carriage, square coat, square legs, square shoulders, — nay, his very neckcloth, trained to take him by the throat with an unaccommodating grasp, like a stubborn fact, as it was, — all helped the emphasis.


Make a prediction. Based on the passage, what themes, or central ideas, do you think will be developed in the novel? Describe at least two. Then explain why you think these themes will be developed. Be sure to use specific details from the passage to support your ideas.

Answer 2

I am thinking two potential themes for this would be ego because of the way this man is acting and destruction. I feel that because of the way this man is acting, thinking he knows everything, something will end up going wrong.

Answer 3

@Shadow

Answer 4

@Shadow

Answer 5

Would this theme be correct, like am I on the right track

Answer 6

Well the only way we would know if you're correct is if we read the novel. And they are just asking you to "Make a prediction." It doesn't need to be correct, you just need a substantial basis for whatever claim you make.

My first thought in regards to possible themes/central ideas would be the general importance/relevance of facts in life. Your approach though is quite intriguing, and I think there is plenty of imagery and figurative language in the second paragraph to support that claim.

Answer 7

I think you could easily take the first theme that I mention, and discuss it. Then you can lead into how following such an ideal 'stubbornly' can lead to one ignoring others facts of life/things around him. As you say, "thinking he knows everything" which then leads to ignorance.

Answer 8

Just some ideas:

The emphasis was helped by the speaker's mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set.
-Not flexible, malleable
-Could be said to lack emotion as being "hard set"

The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial
-Following a similar theme of being hardset
-Facts can sometimes be viewed as dry, without flavor, boring in a way. He espouses facts and thus his speech is without color and inspiration. A dictator of sorts. Perhaps he rules by facts alone.

"The speaker's obstinate carriage, square coat, square legs, square shoulders"
-Again, very dictorial/hardset description. Facts are...streamlined in a way. In that, they are static and unchanging. A square is possibly the most orderly shape out there. Again, drawing the allusion to where facts rule his character, speech, and appearance.

Answer 9

Two potential themes for this passage would be ego because of the way this man is acting and destruction. "...The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial..." depicts the character in this quote as being maybe "full of himself" and potentially thinking he is flawless.

Answer 10

This is my start

Answer 11

It's a good start

Answer 12

Where are you going to go with it?

Answer 13

I want to lead up into how this one theme of ego can lead into destruction

Answer 14

That's a strong prediction :)

Answer 15

destruction would be a theme as well too right?

Answer 16

ego -> destruction

That's one theme

Answer 17

oh it wouldn't be ego as one theme and destruction as another

Answer 18

Two potential themes for this passage would be ego because of the way this man is acting and destruction. "...The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial..." depicts the character in this quote as being maybe "full of himself" and potentially thinking he is flawless. The way this narrative is written, it is explicitly shown that because of the "high" personality this individual holds, something will happen to him and effect him negatively.

Answer 19

would another be like curiosity?

Answer 20

Two potential themes for this passage would be ego because of the way this man is acting and destruction. "...The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial..." depicts the character in this quote as being maybe "full of himself" and potentially thinking he is flawless. The way this narrative is written, it is explicitly shown that because of the "high" personality this individual holds, something will happen to him and affect him negatively. The emphasis was helped by the speaker's mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set. This tone is not at all flexible or even malleable. Another theme for this narrative would be hard set. Since there is not a whole lot of emotions and everything does seem to be dull in this, it is hard set. This is proven by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial. Because of the way the details of this man are given,this passage can be viewed ,without flavor, boring in a way. The writer espouses facts and thus his speech is without color and inspiration. A dictator of sorts. Perhaps he rules by facts alone.

Answer 21

OKay @Shadow here is a rough draft, I am of course going to reword it and make it my own, dont want to copy what you said.

Answer 22

Make to to put quotes in here: This is proven by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial.

Answer 23

sure*

Answer 24

Other than that it looks like a good start

Answer 25

Two potential themes for this passage would be ego because of the way this man is acting as well as hard set "The scene was a plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school-room..." The emphasis was helped by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial..." depicts the character in this quote as being maybe "full of himself" and potentially thinking he is flawless. The way this narrative is written, it is explicitly shown that because of the "high" personality this individual holds, something will happen to him and affect him negatively. The emphasis was helped by the speaker's mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set. This tone is not at all flexible or even malleable. Another theme for this narrative would be hard set. Since there is not a whole lot of emotions and everything does seem to be dull in this, it is hard set. This is proven by the speaker's voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial. Because of the way the details of this man are given,this passage can be viewed ,without flavor, boring in a way. The writer espouses facts and thus his speech is without color and inspiration. A dictator of sorts. Perhaps he rules by facts alone.

Answer 26

so the first theme is ego , the second is hardset right

Answer 27

a lil confused on that

Answer 28

The theme/central idea I thought of was something along the lines of the 'general relevance and importance of facts in life.'

Given this whole section: "'Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children."

Clearly he finds facts to be relevant and important, which is why he chooses to teach "these boys and girls nothing but Facts." The second theme/central idea that we discussed is how he takes that central idea of how facts are relevant and important, and he sets it as a ruling ideal in his life. This is what turns him into that dictator character. Whilst the first central idea is true, and has it's applications, it shouldn't be what rules you (which is what I predict the story will play out). Your prediction of some bad event befalling him is a good thought as well.

Answer 29

OKay thank you, i will use like his ego resulting into something bad, and the importance of life as another ,thank you so much

Answer 30

No problem