How does the first paragraph contribute to the central idea of the article?

In hard times by charles dickens, mr. gradgrind’s name can be interpreted in several ways. the selection supports all of the following interpretations except he grinds out graduates who are similar to each other as if he were running a factory he grinds the importance of facts into students’ heads he grinds down children by crushing their imaginations he grinds his teeth together, suggesting his intolerance for fantasy

What is the narrator's main conflict in this passage? a. he doesn't like someone mispronouncing his name. b. he has a history of beating up kids he doesn't like. c. he has a violent temper that he cannot control. d. he doesn't like "the kid" he mentions in the paragraph.

Millicent sat down at her desk in the big study hall. tomorrow she would come to school, proudly, laughingly, without lipstick, with her brown hair straight and shoulder length, and then everybody would know, even the boys would know, that she was one of the elect. teachers would smile , thinking perhaps: so now they've picked millicent arnold. i never would have guessed it. —"initiation," sylvia plath what inference can be made about millicent from the way she is characterized indirectly? millicent is a student with straight brown hair. millicent does not usually take care of her appearance. millicent has not always been popular.