A GALVANIZING APPARATUS Mr. Gradgrind is variously called a cannon and a galvanizing apparatus. Luigi Galvani, an eighteenth century physiologist, noticed that a dissected frog's leg twitched violently when it was touched by a scalpel that had lain near an electrical machine. So, galvanizing may mean to charge up with current. To galvanize is to toughen up an iron vessel by plating it with another alloy, so it won't corrode from the weather. So, Mr. Gradgrind may also be "toughening up" the students for the rigors of work in factories. The galvanized metal is duller than before, though durable. If people are being electrified by a powerful speaker, they are said to be galvanized. What is Mr. Gradgrind trying to "galvanize" these children into doing? Answers to: Gloria WRITE FOR YOUR SUBJECT: DICKENS #2