From Pass to Distinction: How Much Writing is Enough?
This blog is written as a task assigned by the head of the Department of English (MKBU), Prof. and Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. Here is the link to the professor's Youtube video guide:
How much am I supposed to write to score good marks? | English Studies | DescriptiveEssayTypeAnswers
Instructions from sir:
Question A (for 10 marks): Based on the video, discuss what factors affect how much one should write in exam or assignment responses (for example: word count, depth of content, structure, relevance, and clarity). Drat an answer to this question - :......" . Your answer should be well organized, with an introduction, main body (covering multiple factors), and conclusion within the word limits suggested in this video.
Question B (for 5 marks): Similarly, answer this question - "......." in 5 marks as per the instructions in the source video.
Here I have chosen one question from Hard Times by Charles Dickens:
QUE:‘Hard Times’ is one of the best critiques of Education system of the Victorian times. Do you agree? Illustrate your answer from your reading of the novel.
(In 10 Marks)
Ans.
Introduction
Charles Dickens’s 'Hard Times' (1854) is one of the most forceful literary attacks on the Victorian education system. At a time when utilitarian philosophy shaped schools and institutions, Dickens exposed the dangers of an education that emphasized “facts” over imagination, discipline over empathy, and efficiency over individuality. I agree that 'Hard Times' stands as one of the finest critiques of this system, for it reveals both the psychological and social damage produced by such a narrow vision of learning.
Main Body
1. Gradgrind and the Philosophy of Facts
Thomas Gradgrind embodies the utilitarian ideal of Victorian schooling. His famous declaration, “Facts… nothing but Facts,” reveals an obsession with measurable knowledge. His children, Louisa and Tom, are products of this rigid philosophy. Louisa grows up emotionally stifled, unable to find fulfillment in marriage or life, while Tom becomes selfish and corrupt. Dickens uses their fates to highlight how a fact-driven education neglects moral and emotional development.
2. The Coketown School
The school under Mr. M’Choakumchild represents the mechanical nature of Victorian teaching. Pupils are drilled with definitions and statistics, their individuality erased. When Bitzer defines a horse with cold exactness, his answer is praised; Sissy Jupe’s imaginative, humane perspective is dismissed. Dickens satirizes this factory-like learning, where children are treated as empty vessels to be filled, not as whole beings to be nurtured.
3. Social and Moral Consequences
The effects of this system extend beyond individuals. Louisa’s misery, Tom’s downfall, and Bitzer’s ingratitude demonstrate the failures of a purely utilitarian education. Moreover, Dickens links schooling with industrial society, suggesting that both reduce humans to machines, valuing utility above compassion. Education becomes a tool for maintaining social hierarchies rather than promoting human growth.
4. The Alternative Vision
Through Sissy Jupe and the circus community, Dickens offers an alternative. Though Sissy struggles with factual learning, her compassion, imagination, and moral strength prove far superior to the rigid “facts” of Gradgrind’s world. Her influence eventually softens Gradgrind himself, pointing toward a more balanced education that values both intellect and heart.
Conclusion
In Hard Times, Dickens powerfully critiques the Victorian education system by exposing the sterility of fact-bound teaching and contrasting it with the vitality of imagination and empathy. The novel shows that true education must shape character and feeling as well as intellect. For this reason, it remains one of the most enduring critiques of Victorian schooling.
QUE: ‘Hard Times’ is one of the best critiques of Education system of the Victorian times. Do you agree? Illustrate your answer from your reading of the novel.
(In 5 Marks)
Ans.
Introduction
Charles Dickens’s 'Hard Times' is one of the sharpest critiques of Victorian education. Instead of encouraging imagination or moral growth, the system focused narrowly on facts, figures, and utility. Dickens illustrates how such an approach damages both individuals and society.
Main Body
Mr. Gradgrind embodies this philosophy with his constant demand for “Facts.” His children, Louisa and Tom, suffer the consequences: Louisa becomes emotionally stifled and disillusioned, while Tom turns selfish and dishonest. Through them, Dickens shows how a fact-driven education neglects human feeling and moral responsibility.
The school at Coketown, managed by Mr. M’Choakumchild, highlights the mechanical nature of Victorian teaching. Pupils are treated like vessels to be filled with information, their creativity and individuality suppressed. Dickens uses this setting to reflect the wider industrial society, where people are trained to function like machines rather than develop as full human beings.
In contrast, Sissy Jupe, though weak in factual learning, demonstrates empathy, imagination, and moral strength qualities Dickens suggests education should cultivate.
Conclusion
Thus, Hard Timeseffectively criticises Victorian schooling, urging an education that balances knowledge with compassion and imagination.
References:
How much am I supposed to write to score good marks? | English Studies | DescriptiveEssayTypeAnswers
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