BLOG 8: Brushstrokes

BLOG 8: BRUSHSTROKES

Gradgrind’s irrationality spawned from the way he structured his school curriculum around the Utilitarian ideas of the 19^th century. Utilitarianism, the idea that people should structure their lives to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, is a problem because the individuals who are not part of the greatest number of people are forgotten [BRUSHSTROKE SET OFF BY COMMAS]. Utilitarianism is fundamentally arguing that there is no point to try and satisfy everyone because it is impossible, so instead they should try to satisfy as many as they can. As both Gradgrind and Victor later exemplify, people instead need to believe that everyone can be made happy, and then strive to do so in as many ways as possible rather than initially setting their standards low. However, to the people of Coketown, Utilitarianism ideas would be the perfect way to structure a society. Coketown’s school system is completely factually based. Gradgrind does not believe that anything based off abstract concepts – emotions, feelings, morals – are worth knowing [BRUSHSTROKE SET OFF BY DASHES]. He is very logical, so a society based off numbers makes perfect sense to him. However, because Gradgrind structured his life around Utilitarianism ideas, his children made irrational decisions based off that upbringing (robbing a bank and marrying an unstable man). [BRUSHSTROKE SET OFF BY PARENTHESES].

            A society based off Utilitarianism essentially strips all the value from the individual and leads people, such as Tom and Louisa Gradgrind, to act selfishly because they are trained to believe that they do not need to worry about individuals around them, only the greatest number of people. Because Gradgrind taught these values in his school and in his home, his children grew up with the same beliefs. Tom Gradgrind, obedient and compliant, grew up to be narcissistic and egotistical.[ADJECTIVES OUT OF ORDER]. He showed this when he asked Louisa, his sister, to marry Bounderby as a favor to him even though he knew she did not love Bounderby at all.[PARTICIPIAL PHRASE]. Louisa, on the other hand, is actually rather selfless because she agreed to marry Bounderby for her brother. However, this is because she was naturally born selfless, and as a result of her father’s upbringing, she led a confused life where she was always fighting her emotions and selfless nature because it was what she had always been taught. After blindly following her brother’s wishes into a loveless marriage, Louisa lived a dark life: childless and alone. [BRUSHSTROKE SET OFF BY COLON].