Chapter 6: The Browning Version

Crocker-Harris is Taplow’s teacher. According to Taplow, he is a person who adheres to strict principles and is a hard worker, which is clear from the fact that he scheduled a class on the last day of school. He was fair to Taplow and gave him the grades he deserved. He is a person who does not care to be liked by others. Despite being a strict person, he is Taplow’s favourite because he is hardworking and gives his all to his students. Taplow told Frank about Crocker-Harris that he is not sadistic, but he is strict.

Yes, Frank appears to support Taplow’s comments about Crocker-Harris. When Taplow told Frank about Crocker-Harris, he said, “Crocker-Harris is a person who is shrivelled up inside like a nut, and he seems to hate people who like him.” Frank cleverly persuaded Taplow to talk more about Crocker-Harris by asking a series of questions. During the conversation with Taplow, he also repeated the name “Crocker-Harris” so that Taplow would say something more about Crocker-Harris.

Crocker-Harris is a teacher who strictly adheres to his rules, regulations, and principles. He is someone who believes in making unbiased decisions about his students, and he is emotionless in front of them so that he can treat everyone equally. He is not a sadist, but he is serious about his job. When he schedules class on the last day of school, he is strict about his responsibilities.

Working with words

A sadist is a person who gets pleasure out of giving pain to others. Given below are some dictionary definitions of certain kinds of persons. Find out the words that fit these descriptions.

Perfectionist

Pacifist

Nihilist

Optimist

Conventionalist

Materialist

Childhood