When Upton Sinclair spoke about his book, The Jungle, written in 1906, he said "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." (p. v). Never a truer word was spoken. The Jungle highlighted three main themes. The first was the experience of the immigrants once they arrived in the United States, including the harsh conditions under which they lived. The second was the experience of the immigrants once they entered the labor force, specifically at meat packing plant in Chicago. This included the dangerous conditions under which the immigrants worked in addition to highlighting the unsanitary practices under which the meat was processed for human consumption. The third theme was to highlight socialism. …show more content…
Jurgis, Ona and the other family members never saw any of these deplorable conditions as harbingers of things to come. The first several chapters of the book are filled with unwavering optimism as no matter how many setbacks, Jurgis and his family all feel that once they get settled in with a home and jobs that everything will be okay. Because he is big and strong, Jurgis gets a job almost immediately on the killing floors at the meat packing plant. A job painting cans opens up for Marija when the lady who had the job for many years takes a sick day and is fired. Antanas, who is older and is having difficulty finding a job, finally gets a one in the factory in the pickling room, but only after he promises to give a third of his pay to the guy who found him the job. Jonas finds a job. The family pools their money and is able to buy a house that they were told is new only to discover later that it was not new and furthermore, there were additional conditions that made the house payment more than they originally though. As a result, Ona pays someone $10.00 to get her a job and Teta Elzbieta’s oldest son, Stanislovas, gets a job in a lard factory. After struggling and saving, Jurgis and Ona are finally getting married. As is the tradition, the family hosts a big dinner which everyone in the
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was written to expose the brutality faced by the workers in the meatpacking industry. Sinclair wanted to show people what was really going on in the factory because few people were informed about these companies work conditions. He wanted to show the public that meat was “ diseased, rotten, and contaminated” (Willie).” This revelation shocked the, public which later led to the creation of the federal laws on food and safety. Sinclair strongly shows the failure of capitalism in the meatpacking industry which he viewed as inhumane, destructive, unjust, brutal, and violent (Willie).”
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was about Jurgis Rudkus who was an immigrarnt from Lithuania that came to the United States to discover his dreams, hopes, and desires. He took his family to Chicago to begin a new life. He worked in meatpacking industries that were unsanitary and brutal amount of hours that resulted into starvation. He was mistreated and realized the American dream wasn't as easy as it seemed. The book deals with disease, hunger, corruption, crime, poverty and death. “Leave it to me; leave it to me. I will earn more money – I will work harder.” This was said by Jurgis frequently because him and Ona always struggled with money and having a job but Jurgis never wanted Ona to stress about those problems. Jurgis always took charge
In the 20th century, factory jobs were one of the most sought after by immigrants and members of the American lower class. These jobs were often in unsafe conditions, with long working hours, and very poor paying salaries. In 1906, Upton Sinclair released a narrative entitled The Jungle, a description of immigrant working conditions in the meat packing and production industry. It was intended to reach out to the average American and inform them of the conditions in which immigrants lived and
Several years before and after the turn the turn of the twentieth century, America experienced a large influx of European immigration. These new citizens had come in search of the American dream of success, bolstered by promise of good fortune. Instead they found themselves beaten into failure by American industry. Upton Sinclair wanted to expose the cruelty and heartlessness endured by these ordinary workers. He chose to represent the industrial world through the meatpacking industry, where the rewards of progress were enjoyed only by the privileged, who exploited the powerless masses of workers. The Jungle is a novel and a work of investigative journalism; its primary purpose was to inform the general public about the dehumanization
Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle in hopes of empathizing with the American public on behalf of countless immigrants working in slums and corrupt industries during the
Throughout the story, “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, uses of propaganda are displayed. Sinclair applies numerous hyperboles and unrealistic ideas/scenarios to his novel. This can be proven through the Calamities that befall on Jurgis and his immigrant family. Sinclair describes the conditions of the family as well as their workplaces. His true goal was to display the hardships of immigrants caused by politics, economics, and industry. Therefore, his exaggeration use is applied to gain the attention of the public through the use of propaganda. This was an attempt to abolish the corrupt system of politics and industry that caused for many immigrants and others to obtain great hardship and calamities. An initial reading of The Jungle by Upton
In the early 1900's life for America's new Chicago immigrant workers in the meat packing industry was explored by Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle. Originally published in 1904 as a serial piece in the socialist newspaper Appeal to Reason, Sinclair's novel was initially found too graphic and shocking by publishing firms and therefore was not published in its complete form until 1906. In this paper, I will focus on the challenges faced by a newly immigrated worker and on what I feel Sinclair's purpose was for this novel.
While the works of Upton Sinclair are not widely read today because of their primacy of social change rather than aesthetic pleasure, works like The Jungle are important to understand in relation to the society that produced them. Sinclair was considered a part of the muckraking era, an era when social critics observed all that was wrong and corrupt in business and politics and responded against it. The Jungle was written primarily as a harsh indictment of wage slavery, but its vivid depictions of the deplorable lack of sanitation involved in the meatpacking industry in Chicago resulted in public outrage to the point where Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection
. A. Upton Sinclair wrote, “The Jungle”, to expose the appalling working conditions in the meatpacking industry.
Written by Upton Sinclair, The Jungle explores the sheer, harsh conditions of the living and working environment in the Chicago stockyards. The title is significant because it represents the realities of the labor force and depicts a wild, brutal environment that benefited the wealthy, while leaving the inferior working class fighting to survive. In Particular, the The Jungle denotes the life of Jurgis and his family in Packingtown and their hardships they face in the Chicago stockyards. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle has a significant title because through corruption and capitalism, the weak and poor suffer, while the strong and wealthy flourish.
The novel, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair depicts the lives of poor immigrants in the United States during the early 1900’s. Sinclair is extremely effective in this novel at identifying and expressing the perils and social concerns of immigrants during this era. The turmoil that immigrants faced was contingent on societal values during the era. There was a Social Darwinist sentiment
In the early 1900's life for America's new Chicago immigrant workers in the meat packing industry was explored by Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle. Originally published in 1904 as a serial piece in the socialist newspaper Appeal to Reason, Sinclair's novel was initially found too graphic and shocking by publishing firms and therefore was not published in its complete form until 1906. In this paper, I will focus on the challenges faced by a newly immigrated worker and on what I feel Sinclair's purpose was for this novel.
The jungle by Upton Sinclair has made me realize how history shaped what america is today. It was in this book that raised the spotlight on many topics including: meat handling, minimum wage, workers compensation, sexual harassment, child labor and most importantly the right to express one's thoughts. Now we live in a country that not only honors our freedom but respects and looks over our health. The jungle takes place in the 1900s when over 9 million immigrants were flocking to America searching for what was known as the American dream. So was this particular lutheran family that came to America for just that. Not knowing that in the end they would be contributors of the awareness and importance of checking meat handlers.
The Jungle is a novel that focuses on a family of immigrants who came to America looking for a better life. The novel was written by Upton Sinclair, who went into the Chicago stockyards to investigate what life was like for the people who worked there. The book was originally written with the intent of showing Socialism as a better option than Capitalism for the society. However, the details of the story ended up launching a government investigation of the meat packing plants, and ultimately regulation of food products. It gave an informative view of what life was like in America at the time. Important topics like immigration, working conditions and sanitation issues of the time were all addressed well in the novel.
The Jungle Book at its core is a story about a young boy finding his place in the world. By changing the main character to anything but a pre-pubescent boy, for example Tom Brady, the themes and plot of the film drastically alter. Tom Brady as the main character would cause the film to lose the villain motivation, the driving emotional force, and themes, behind Mowgli, and most of the character interactions. The overall theme and meaning of the film would be overshadowed by our preconceived idea of who Tom Brady is, and could possibly change the whole context of the film.