Question

Determine Dickens’s purpose in describing Mr. M’Choakumchild in this line: “He and some one hundred and forty other schoolmasters had been lately turned at the same time, in the same factory, on the same principles, like so many pianoforte legs.” a. informing readers that a large number of musicians recently became teachers b. informing readers that many teachers were getting a thorough education c. informing readers that teachers were all educated in exactly the same way d. informing readers that teachers used imaginative techniques to reach students

Answer 1

C. Informing readers that teachers were all educated in exactly the same way. Dickens likens the schoolmasters' training to that of a factory producing identical products. The pianoforte legs are created so that one is indistinguishable from another. You could swap one for another and no one would know the difference. Saying that teachers are educated to be identical to each other decreases or eliminates their humanity and individuality. It gives the impression that these teachers' lessons are dry, uninspired, and boring, since they are all copies of each other.