Hard times A class project
Ana Belén Muñoz Rodríguez 3ºB IES Cristo del Rosario- Zafra (Badajoz) 13/02/2013
Information about de book • Title: Hard times • Author: Charles Dickens • Publishing house: Oxford university press •
Characters:
Mr Thomas Gradgring: He was a Member of Parlament. He had a model
school where students learnt practical things. He didn´t like nonsense and was a stern unsmiling man. He married Mrs Gradgring and they had 3 children. They lived in Coketown and his house was “Stone Ladge”. Mrs Gradgring: She was Mr Gradgring´s wife. She was a weak woman
and Sissy Jupe took care of her. She died. Bitzer: He was a student of Mr Gradgring´s school. He worked for Mr
Bounderby. He was also the office spy. He accused Tom because he wanted his job. Jane Gradgring: She was Mr Gradgring´s daughter, the youngest. Tom Gradgring: He was Mr Gradgring´s son. He was a very interested
young man. He worked at Bounderby´s Bank and live at Bounderby´s house. He was Mr Harthouse friend. He was the thief who robbed the Bounderby´s Bank, because he had debts. At the end, she hurried out Mr Bounderby´s house and come back to her father´s house.
Louisa Gradgring (Loo): She was Mr Gradgring´s daughter. She was an unhappy young woman because she married Mr Bounderby, an old man. She was in love with Mr Harthouse. At the end, she hurried out Mr Bounderby´s house and come back to her father´s house. 1
Mr Josiah Bounderby: He was a big, loud man, a rich banker and
factory owner. He always told that his mother abandoned him. He married Loo, but at the end, he lived a bachelor´s life. He was Mrs Pleger´s son. Also, he was Mr Gradgring´s family friend. Mrs Sparsit: She was Mr Bounderby´s housekeeper. Bounderby had a
lot of confidence on her. She was very nosy woman. After the wedding (Loo and Josiah) she went to live at Bounderby´s bank with Bitzer, but after the robbery she came back to Bounderby´s house. She overheard Loo and James together. Mr James Harthouse: he was a young man of 35 and went to visit
Coketown. He was Mr Gradgring´s gentleman friend. He was in love with Loo. When they hurried out to Bounderby´s house, they met in a hotel in Coketown but Loo never appeared, becauses she was ill. Sissy Jupe told him that he must leave the city and so it was. Mrs Pegler: She was Mr Bounderby´s mother. She was poor. Also she
was widow. She mustn´t tell anything about his son. She was Stephen ´s friend. Sissy Jupe (Cecilia): She was the daughter of a clown. During her
childhood she lived at Mr Slearly´s circus. She was a student of Mr Gradgring ´s school and he adopted her to improve her life. Sissy and Rachael found Stephen. She helped Tom escaped. Mr Jupe: He was Sissy´s father. He worked at Mr Slearly´s circus as a
clown and lived with Slearly´s company. He loved her daughter and he died. He had a dog (Merrylegs). Mr Slearly: He was the owner of the circus. He helped Tom to escape. Stephen Blackpool: He was an unhappy man because his wife drank a
lot. He worked at Bounderby´s factors, but he didn’t accept the Union and he had to leave Coketown. Rachael was his lover. Mr Bounderby accused him to the robbery bank. At the end, he died because he fell 2
into a coal pit. Rachael: She was Stephen´s lover. She defended him of the
accusations. Slackbridge: He was the man who made Mr Bounderby´s workers and
factories union.
• Summary: •
Chapter 1: The Gradgring family.
The story began when Mr. Gradgring, who was a member of Parlament, visited his model school where students learnt practical things´ and talked to the children. He thought that children should only learn facts; he hated children should have their own ideas. There, he met two students: Sissy Jupe (Cecilia), whose father (Mr. Jupe) worked as a clown in the Mr.Sleary´s circus and Bitzer, a brilliant student. After he was talking to the children, he ordered the schoolteacher to begin his lesson and then he left for home. He lived in Coketown and his ho e was “Stone ladge”. While he was walking towards his home, he thought that he wanted all his own children to be model students, but it wasn´t so. Also, he found a small group of children, Tom and Louse were there. He got very angry with them, because he didn´t like nonsense and he was a stern unsmiling man. Before he arrived home, his friend Mr.Bounderby was there talking to Mrs.Gradgring. Mr.Bounderby told her the hard times he had when he was younger; just then his friend with 2 children arrived home. Mr.Gradgring talked to his friend and told him all he had seen and he only wanted his children study something. Also told him that he knew one child circus (Sissy Jupe) and they thought se should go to live with them. Finally, before Mr.Bounderby left stone lodge he asked Louse kiss, she lets him to do it but she hated it and rubbed her face.
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Chapter 2: Sissy Jupe.
Mr.Gradgring and Mr.Bounderby were walking through the streets of Coketown when suddenly they saw Sissy Jupe. They wanted to go to Sissy´s house and she took them there. They met Slearly´s company. Sissy´s father was hurt when he was doing his number in the circus and died. Sissu was crying and Mr.Gradgring made her a proposal: ge will give her an education and take care of her but with a condition, if she decides come with him, she never would speak to any of the people of the circus. And she accepted and so began her new life. She wasn´t Very happy at first, because Mr.Gradgring disappointed that she was so slow to learn. At Stone Lodge, Sissy took care of weak Mrs Gradgring. Sissy and Louse were good friends and Sissy talked to Louse about her earlier life although Mr.Gradgring didn´t like to talk about.
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Chapter 3: Stephen Blackpool.
Stephen Blackpool worked in one of the Coketown factories as a weaver. One evening, on his way to work, he met his lover Rachael and they walked together for a while because she didn´t want people to see them, people might talk. He worked at Bounderby´s factory. One day, Stephen talked to Mr.Bounderby. Also Mrs.Sparsit (Mr.Bounderby´s housekeeper) was there. Stephen was married for 19 years with a woman who drank a lot, stopped working and sold all the forniture, so Stephen wasn´t happy. Mr.Bounderby knew it. Stephen wanted to end his marriage but Mr.Bounderby couldn´t do anything. Stephen must stay with his wife. When Stephen left Mr.Bounderby ´s house, he found an old and poor woman. She was Mr.Bounderby´s mother. Stephen only thought in Rachael and wanted to be happy with her, but it was imposible. He was married and Rachael was his wife´s friend. One night, when Stephen come back home, all was different this wife was ill and Rachael was talking care of her.
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Chapter 4: Sister, daughter and wife.
The years passed and Thomas Gradgring saw that his daughter Louisa was now a young woman. And his son Tom was now a tall young man who worked at Bounderby´s Bank and lived at Bounderby´s house. He was very interested. One morning, Louise went to his father´s room. He wanted to speak with her. His father told her that she had received a proposal of marriage. Louisa soid nothing, but many years ago Mr.Bounderby offered you his hand in marriage. Althought Louse mished to do what she could, she finally accepted it the proposal and 8 weeks later, Mr.Bounderby and Miss Gradgring were married. Her parents were proud of her, because she was a practical lady. •
Chapter 5: A visitor to Coketown.
After the wedding, Mrs.Sparsit lived at Bounderby´s Bank. Bitzer, the model student, worked for Mr.Bounderby now and he lived with Mrs.Sparsit at the Bank. H was also he office spy. It was a hot summer afternoon and a well dressed visitor arrived at Mr.Bounderby´s house. He was Mr.Harthouse. Mr.Gradgring sent him there. Mr.Bounderby invited him to dinner with tem, so Mr.Harthouse met Louise and Tom. After dinner Mr.Harthouse come back to the hotel and invited Tom up to his room. There Tom told him that Loo had accepted her first and only marriage proposal, not because she had any lve for old Bounderby´, but she wanted to helo her brother. Mr.Harthouse fall in love Louisa. •
Chapter 6: Walking alone.
Old and grey at forty, Stephen Blackpool had troubles not only at home, but at work, too. There had come to Coketown a man by the name of Slackbridge who had brought the Coketown workers together. He wanted to do an Union but Stephen was the only one disagreed, so not a single person spoke to him ever after. One evening, as Stephen was leaving the factory, Bitzer told him
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that Mr.Bounderby wanted to speak to him, so Stephen went to Mr.Bounderby´s house. There were Mr.Bounderby, his wife , Tom and a grand gentleman from London(Mr.Harthouse). Mr.Bounderby wanted to know why he didn´t form part of the Union. Mr Bounderby told Stephen to leave his factory, so Stephen was confused and left the house, later, to his surprise, he saw the same cheerful (happy) old woman he had met on his last visit to the same house; now she was talking to Rachael. She was Mrs Pegler, she visited Coketown again because she read about Mr Bounderby´s marriage in a newspaper and she had been waiting all day to see his wife. Rachael knew that Stephen left Mr Bounderby´s factory and the 3 walked on together and went up to Stephen´s room. Mrs Pegler was widow and once had a son but she abandoned him. She whispered a few words into Stephen´s ear: Bounderby. Then, she disappeared into the room. A moment later, Louisa and her brother entered the room. She wanted to help Stephen. Loo gave him some money and Tom asked Stephen to do something: during 3 or 4 nights after leaving work Stephen must stay outside the Bank for an hour because someone (Bitzer) must give something but this never happened. At the end, Stephen left Coketown with Mrs Pleger and he behind him a true and loving heart (Rachael). •
Chapter 7: A robbery at the bank.
Mr.Bounderby had a lot of money and properties. Mr.Harthouse often visited him. Mrs.Bounderby (Loo) was always alove and her favourite place was the woods near the house. One day Mr.Harthouse met Louisa in the woods of her country house and they talked about Tom´s problems with money. He had large debts, so Louisa sold some of her husband presents to pay off Tom´s debts. Suddenly Tom appeared and the 3 of them returned to the house. After that, Tom walked with James Harthouse and he confessed to him his problem, James offered his help. The next evening Bounderby told James that there was a robbery at the bank. Mr.Bounderby suspected Stephen took the money because someone saw his outside the Bank and then left
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Coketown, but Stephen wasn´t that night Louisa went to her brother´s room because she suspected Tom but Tom said nothing. •
Chapter 8: Mrs Sparsit´s staircase.
After the robbery, Mrs Sparsit came back to Mr Bounderby´s house. She took the greatest care of all Mr Bounderby´s needs. Louisa found, herself, day by day, growing closer to James Harthouse. One day, Louisa immediately returned to Stone Lodge because his mother was very ill. There were Sissy and the youngest Gradgring (Jane), now a girl of 12, Louisa´s mother died and life went on at the Bounderbys´ house. One cloudy September evening, when Mr Bounderby was away in London on bussines and Tom was in Coketown, Mrs Sparsit found that Mr Bounderby´s country house was empty. Louisa was with James in the garden and then he united his horse and rode away towards Coketown. Louisa ran back to the house and hurried out, she stepped on to the Coketown train. Mr Sparsit overheard everything. Later, Louisa arrived at his father´s house and told his father she was unhappy and she was in love with other young man. Louisa was ill and Sissy took care of her at Stone Lodge. •
Chapter 9: Lost.
A night and a day passed, but still James Harthouse waited in his hotel for Louisa. He didn´t know she was ill. One night, a lady went into his hotel room. She was Sissy that asked for James promised her he lelf tonight and never return, he´ll never see Louisa again. James understood nothing but he agreed and left. He was on a train to London. Mr Bounderby and Mrs Sparsit went to Stone Lodge, Bounderby wanted to talk to Thomas about his wife (Tomas´s daughter). Thomas knew everything, so he told Bounderby that she was there. Gradgring recognized that he had been wrong about her education. Finally, Bounderby assumed Louisa wasn´t good enough for him and he accepted that Louisa stayed in Stone Lodge now, so he left. The next day, Bounderby´s clothes were packed and sent to Stone Lodge. Mr Bounderby then sold his country home and returned to his town house. Now 7
Mr Bounderby was living a bachelor´s life again. He worked harder than ever at his business life and only thought to find the people who had robbed the Bank, so one day he put up notices everywhere giving Stephen Blackpool´s name as the person wanted for the robbery at his bank. One morning, Stone Lodge received 3 visitors: Mr Bounderby, Tom and Rachael to talked to Louisa about the time that they met (Rachael and Louisa). Rachael told them that Stephen´s wrote to her a letter from a place where he was working under a different name. Rachael defended Stephen. He only wanted to work in peace after the workers and factory owners were against, also Rachael said that she had written to him telling what people were saying there, that he was a bank robber and he´ll back to clear his name, finally Bounderby and Tom left, Stone Lodge. Sissy talk to Rachael because she wanted to know either, so they were seen in another day and Rachael left. Afterthat, Mr Gradgring said to Louisa that Stephen was an honest man and he couldn´t be the thief, so who was?
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Chapter 10: Found and lost again.
The days passed, but Stephen didn´t appear. One day, Rachael saw Mrs Sparsit and Mrs Pegler arguing. Soon Mr Bounderby went out Mrs Pegler told him, she was his mother. Mr Gradgring who stayed at Bounderby´s house too didn´t understand anything because he thought Mrs Pegler abandoned her son but it wasn´t so. The real story was that Bounderby went to work for kind man who helped him to become the success he was today and he never forgot his mother. They were a poor family so he gave her more than enough money to live on and asked for her to live quietly and secretly and told anybody who was. Everyone was surprised because Bounderby entire story was built on boastful lies. One day, Sissy and Rachael were walking and they found the hat of alive but hurt very badly and died. Among the crowd, Tom disappeared. Sissy sent Tom to her father´s old circus and Mr Slearly hode him. Louisa and Sissy 8
found the circus, there Louisa saw her brother, he was a clown. Later, Mr Gradgring arrived and his son Tom told him that he was the thief of the bank and he tried to blame Stephen. Plans were made to send. Tom to Liverpool but Bitzer took him. Bitzer wanted to take Tom back to Mr Bounderby´s house because he wanted to get Tom´s job. Finally, Tom got to escape towards Liverpool. Mr Slearly helped him, so Mr Gradgring was very grateful.
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Personal opinion:
In my opinion the story is interesting even mix several stories, I not recommend this book because I prefer to read other types of stories.
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Vocabulary: VOCABULARY CHART Name: Date:
Class:
Title: WORD
Chapter: 1 y 2
MEANING
SENTENCE
facts
hechos
I just wanted the facts
rows
fila
They were placed in rows
walls
paredes
The house has white walls
unpleasant
dessagradable
had an unpleasant odor
edge
orillas
Was on the river edge
Aching
dolor
he has got a strong aching in her hand
useless
inĂştil
Every effort was useless
fearful
temorosa
had a fearful voice
wishes
deseos
She had a lot of wishes
perhaps
quizas
perhaps it doesn't rain
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Chapter: 3 y 4 WORD
MEANING
SENTENCE
blanket
manta
pulled the blanket
suitable
adecuado
He uses suitable language
stopper
tap贸n
I lost the stopper of the botle
sparks
chispas
Sparks flew toward his face
filled
lleno
The boat was filled
jolly
alegre
His character is very jolly
Chapter: 5 WORD
MEANING
SENTENCE
gambles
Jugar,apostar
he gambled all his money
poorest
pobre
Her family was very poor.
Drawing room recibidor
I waited in the drawing room
boastful
jactancioso
He boasted that he was the best player
treat
tratar
He treats me like a child
arriving
llegando
was arriving to home
plentiful
abundante
had plenty of water in the river
Chapter: 6 y 7
WORD
MEANING
SENTENCE
hoarse
ronco
his voice was hoarse
fist
puĂąo
Fist hit the wall
refused
negar
The government refused him a visa
blushing
rubor
He blushed with pride
trouble
problema
What´s the trouble?
lowered
baja
The lowest shelf
widow
viuda
was widowed very young
purse
bolso
lost her purse
robbery
robo
Robbered her purse
tears
lĂĄgrimas
tears fell from his eyes
fool
engaĂąar
he fools her mother to leave
safe
seguro
Will my car be safe her?
Chapter: 8, 9 y 10 WORD
MEANING
SENTENCE
Pit
Pozo
The girl fell into the pit
Blame
culpa
Was to blame for the death
forehead
frente
He had a lot of forehead
shortly
Dentro de poco Shortly going to school
amused
divertido
The party was amused
bark
ladrido
Her barking is unbearable
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