Monday, January 28, 2013
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Our humanities test made me think about some of the authors intentions for their writings, Dickens in particular. His novel Hard Times comments on utilitarianism and how it can hurt society, but it really didn’t seem like he hated it that much. Was he completely against utilitarianism and reason, or did he just want it to be used in moderation? He definitely seems like he is against reason defining society because we would all turn into a Bitzer-like person, but is he completely against it? He also shows how industrialism and utilitarianism can hurt society, but he doesn’t take a definite opinion for either side. What do you guys think?
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This could be totally wrong, but I was under the impression that Dickens was trying to convey the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution and Utilitarian theory in Hard Times. We only read excerpts, but Coketown seemed like a miserable and overly mechanic place. The school is some sort of militaristic and overly severe academy that rejects creativity and free thought. The children are not called by their names, but by numbers, representing the sort of dehumanization associated with utilitarian theory. Even though Dickens doesn't outright say "Hey guys I hate utilitarian theory and industrailization", I feel like it's implied.
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