Charles Dickens, Hard Times – Mr. Gradgrind

1. Charles Dickens, Hard Times – Mr. Gradgrind By Mathew Ram

2. 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

4. Square forefinger.....shaped like a cricket bat..... ready to swing at cheeky children? Square forefinger..... tapped on tables so much that the tip has become flat? 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.....severe in shape, not round, curved or welcoming.

5. With a rule..... ‘ready to measure any parcel of human nature’. 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. These things are the tools of his trade......like a badge and a truncheon would be for a policeman.

6. A man loaded with facts......no discussion, debate or argument.....just facts. Cannon......associated with battles – a wondrous weapon to be feared but the children cannot run away. ‘Grind Grind’......the name Mr. Gradgrind suggests that he may grind his teeth or grind down on any spark shown by a child. Blown out of childhood......the fun ends here – time to be made into an alert adult.

7. Conclusion What Mr Gradgrind is: What Mr Gradgrind is not: Friendly Encouraging Imaginative • Unapproachable • Calculated • Machine Like 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.

8. Thankfully for us, MOST teachers have evolved! Thank you for Listening