Hard Times Utilitarianism Essay Example For Students

Hard Times: Utilitarianism Essay Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive. Sheds coat in spring A perfect example of a product of utilitarian education, Bitzer defines a horse off the top of his head in a split second. Utilitarianism is the assumption that human beings act in a way that highlights their own self interest. It is based on factuality and leaves little room for imagination. Dickens provides three vivid examples of this utilitarian logic in Hard Times. The first; Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, one of the main characters in the book, was the principal of a school in Coketown. He was a firm believer in utilitarianism and instilled this philosophy into the students at the school from a very young age, as well as his own children. Mr. Josiah Bounderby was also a practitioner of utilitarianism, but was more interested in the profit that stemmed from it. At the other end of the perspective, a group of circus members, who are the total opposite of utilitarians, are added by Dickens to provide a sharp contrast from the ideas of Mr. Bounderby and Mr. Gradgrind. Thomas Gradgrind Sr. , a father of five children, has lived his life by the book and never strayed from his philosophy that ife is nothing more than facts and statistics. He has successfully incorporated this belief into the school system of Coketown, and has tried his best to do so with his own children. The educators see children as easy targets just waiting to be filled with information. They did not consider, however, the childrens need for fiction, poetry, and other fine arts that are used to expand childrens minds, all of which are essential today in order to produce well-rounded human beings through the educational process. One has to wonder how different the story would be if Gradgrind did not run the school. The first time Sally was sent into town for salt. She had to wait till the guard left his post and then she set out for the town. On her way back she drifted from her original task and lost track of time. When she returned to the farm the guard was back at his post. Immediately he noticed she was missing, and when he spotted her returning he yelled for her to turn her back to him. As she turned she heard the guard cock his rifle, like an angle from the sky Gogacz swiftly pushed the rifle skyward and explained that the girl had been sent to town for salt. Gogacz and Sally were lucky both of them were not shot right there. Gogacz saved Sally yet but another time, but Sally writes that is another story.