Transcript Mr. Gradgrind - English teaching resources

Charles Dickens, Hard Times –
Mr. Gradgrind
By Mathew Ram
Why choose Mr. Gradgrind?
• His character was ingeniously described by the
author
• I had an idea in my head on how he should
look like, sound like and his mannerisms
• As a student in school I could relate to the
setting of Mr. Gradgrind’s classroom
• I was pleased with my characterisation of Mr.
Gradgrind because I felt my final drawing was
quite striking
Square
forefinger.....shaped
like a cricket bat.....
ready to swing at
cheeky children?
Square
forefinger.....like the
little ‘square boxes’
that will leave his
school – all the
same, all filled with
the same facts, all
without spark and
imagination.
Square forefinger.....
tapped on tables so
much that the tip
has become flat?
Square
forefinger.....severe
in shape, not
round, curved or
welcoming.
With a rule.....
‘ready to measure
any parcel of
human nature’.
These things are
the tools of his
trade......like a
badge and a
truncheon would
be for a policeman.
With a pair of
scales..... ‘ready to
weigh the character
of any person’.
With a
multiplication
table.....this is his
security blanket,
ready to prove
there is no answer
but the right
answer.
A man loaded with
facts......no
discussion, debate
or argument.....just
facts.
‘Grind Grind’......the
name Mr. Gradgrind
suggests that he
may grind his teeth
or grind down on
any spark shown by
a child.
Cannon......associated
with battles – a
wondrous weapon to
be feared but the
children cannot run
away.
Blown out of
childhood......the
fun ends here –
time to be made
into an alert adult.
Conclusion
What Mr Gradgrind is:
– Unapproachable
– Calculated
– Machine Like
What Mr Gradgrind is not:
– Friendly
– Encouraging
– Imaginative
I believe Mr. Gradgrind is the way he is because
he has forgotten what it is to be a child, growing
up and learning new skills. He himself was blown
out of childhood long ago.