How much am I supposed to write to score good marks?

​"From Good to Great: The Art of Writing for Distinction"

This blog written as a lab activity task assigned by the Head of the Department of English (MKBU), Prof. and Dr. Dilip Barad Sir . Here is the link to the professor's video for background reading: Click Here

The source explores the persistent student query regarding the optimal length of descriptive answers in English literature examinations. It critically examines the common but unquantifiable assertion that quality outweighs quantity, highlighting the difficulty in measuring quality. The discussion then transitions to methods of quantifying answer length by considering word count, lines, and pages in relation to marks and time constraints. While acknowledging the limitations of existing research, including inconsistencies in handwriting speed and the impact of writing style, the source presents a methodology to provide students with actionable guidelines for answer length based on academic studies and university recommendations.

Here I have chosen one question from Hard Times by Charles Dickens:

"Dehumanization of Human Relations under Industrialization in Dickens"

Question A (for 10 marks): Charles Dickens explores the dehumanizing effect of industrialization on human relations. Do you agree?

Introduction:

Yes, Charles Dickens does explore the dehumanizing effects of industrialization on human relations, particularly in his novel Hard Times (1854). Set in the fictional industrial town of Coketown, the novel depicts how industrial progress, when governed solely by utilitarianism and profit, reduces individuals to mechanical beings and erodes compassion, imagination, and authentic human bonds. Through vivid settings, symbolic characters, and thematic contrasts, Dickens critiques the social and emotional consequences of industrialization on both the working class and the middle class.

Main Body

1. Coketown as a Metaphor

Dickens presents Coketown as a lifeless and monotonous industrial city: “interminable serpents of smoke” and “red brick turned black” dominate its description. The town is not only physically polluted but also spiritually drained, reflecting how industrialization dulls vitality and transforms human existence into mechanical repetition. This symbolic landscape conveys how industrial society itself can suffocate human warmth and creativity.

2. Gradgrind’s Utilitarianism

Thomas Gradgrind represents the industrial obsession with “facts.” He raises his children, Tom and Louisa, to reject imagination and emotion, focusing only on measurable outcomes. While this reflects the logic of industrial efficiency, it damages human relations: Louisa suffers in her personal life, and Tom turns morally corrupt. Dickens suggests that utilitarian industrial values undermine family ties and emotional well-being.

3. The Working Class and Dehumanization

The novel highlights the plight of workers, whom Dickens pointedly calls “Hands,” stripping them of individuality. Stephen Blackpool is an honest, kind worker, yet he is ignored by employers and trapped by unjust social systems. His struggles demonstrate how industrial capitalism dehumanizes workers, reducing them to tools of production rather than treating them as human beings with dignity.

4. Relationships and Emotional Decay

Industrial values also distort marriage and personal relationships. Louisa’s marriage to Josiah Bounderby, arranged more for status and security than love, collapses under emotional emptiness. This shows how industrial society prioritizes material and economic gain over authentic human connections.

5. Hope through Imagination and Compassion

Despite this bleak critique, Dickens offers a counterpoint through characters like Sissy Jupe, who embodies imagination, compassion, and emotional richness. Sissy’s influence eventually softens Louisa’s despair and challenges Gradgrind’s rigid worldview. In this way, Dickens suggests that human relations can recover if society revalues empathy and imagination alongside progress.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Dickens powerfully portrays industrialization as a force that dehumanizes human relations - eroding family bonds, distorting social values, and reducing workers to mere cogs in the machine. Yet, he also holds up compassion and imagination as antidotes to this mechanization of life. Thus, Dickens not only critiques the industrial order but also urges a more humane and balanced approach to progress.

Question B (for 5 marks): Charles Dickens explores the dehumanizing effect of industrialization on human relations. Do you agree?

Introduction

Charles Dickens, in Hard Times (1854), offers a powerful critique of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England. He highlights how the mechanization of society and the utilitarian philosophy diminish compassion, individuality, and human bonds. Through his characters, setting, and themes, Dickens vividly portrays the dehumanizing effect of industrialization on human relations.

Main Body

1. Coketown as a Symbol

Dickens describes Coketown as a monotonous, polluted city filled with “interminable serpents of smoke” and “red bricks” blackened by industry.

This bleak setting reflects how industrialization drains vitality from life, reducing human relations to mechanical routines.

2. Gradgrind’s Utilitarian Philosophy

Thomas Gradgrind embodies the utilitarian emphasis on facts and statistics, neglecting imagination and emotional needs.

His rigid worldview strains his relationship with his children, Louisa and Tom, showing how industrial values corrode family bonds.

3. The Condition of Workers

Stephen Blackpool represents the suffering working class.

His honest, kind nature contrasts with the harsh treatment he receives, illustrating how industrial society disregards workers’ humanity.

The lack of compassion in labor relations dehumanizes individuals into mere “hands” rather than whole persons.

4. Impact on Family and Marriage

Louisa’s loveless marriage to Bounderby exemplifies how industrial values of profit, status, and convenience overshadow emotional connections.

Personal happiness and genuine affection are sacrificed for material gain, further proving Dickens’s critique.

5. Role of Imagination and Compassion

Through Sissy Jupe, Dickens suggests that imagination, kindness, and empathy are essential to restoring human dignity.

Sissy’s influence helps Louisa rediscover her emotional depth, opposing the mechanical rigidity of industrial life.

Conclusion

Dickens powerfully demonstrates that industrialization, when driven by utilitarianism and profit, dehumanizes human relationships whether between families, employers and workers, or within society at large. Yet, he also offers hope through imagination, compassion, and emotional intelligence, suggesting that true human connections can resist mechanization. Thus, Dickens not only critiques industrial society but also points toward a more humane vision of life.

Refrence:

• Barad, Dilip.Sir Video ,  2021 How much am I supposed to write to score good marks?