Premium Essay

Analysis Of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

Submitted By
Words 986
Pages 4
Upton Sinclair authored The Jungle in order to expose Americans to the plight of the lower classes by telling the story of an immigrant extended family that travels to America in the hopes of finding a new beginning. America was “a place of which lovers and young people dreamed,” (Sinclair 27) but Sinclair shows us that this dream was actually a nightmare through his depiction of the cruel reality where the immigrants were unable to improve their lives and were powerless to prevent themselves from experiencing many tragedies, most of which were directly or indirectly caused by the upper-class. In order to emphasize the relative strength and weaknesses of the working class and those in power, he entitled the book The Jungle, and included fictitious stories to emphasize the helplessness of the immigrants, despite their willingness to work. By making this a work of fiction, instead of a non-fiction book and recounting the true, horrible stories of the people he had encountered and interviewed during his thorough research, he was able …show more content…
At the first glance, this is nothing like the Chicago of that time period with its “endless vista of ugly and dirty little wooden buildings” (27). However, when looking deeper into the social structure and struggles found in both the city and the jungle, there are surprising similarities. In both the traditional jungle and its urban counterpart, there is a “food chain”, with few apex “predators” using a large amount of “prey” to benefit themselves. In both situations, it is the survival of the fittest where “the weaker ones died off of cold and hunger” (260). Due to many factors, including lack of education and inability to speak English, the immigrants are at a severe disadvantage and this analogy emphasizes the hopelessness of the immigrant’s

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Analysis Of Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle'

...which we the reader have not endured ourselves. His most notable work was The Jungle in which he exposed the American public to the inhumane and hazardous conditions of the meat packing industry and the injustices faced by immigrants. Upton Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland to an alcoholic father whom he was named after and his...

Words: 1217 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle: Video Analysis

...As I watched the video version of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, it took all my strength to suppress my disgust. As the gore flashed across the screen, I vowed to myself that I would never eat meat again. In the following weeks I continued to contemplate my new lifestyle, which led me to discover my respect for every organism on earth. I realized that eating and buying meat products helped sustain the force-feeding, crammed, filthy conditions, and physical torture of billions of animals, and, most of all, I saw how my actions affect others. Through becoming vegetarian and my newly realized affect on the world, I became interested in environmental sustainability. I began taking note of the harmful actions I did in my daily life and changing them....

Words: 388 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Analyzing Upton Sinclair's Novel 'The Jungle'

...“The Jungle” American Protest Literature Analysis 211 In Class Essay In the early 20th century, America was in the process of becoming the most industrial cities in the world. With the increase of factories across the country, stories were becoming more popular. One the most well-known stories from the novel titled “The Jungle”, written by Upton Sinclair. In the American Protest Literature text, I was able to see certain chapters of Upton Sinclair’s novel which peeked my interest. Upton’s techniques of persuading the readers, during that time, were able to have the realization of the harsh conditions of working the factory, however many of the readers have had a negative opinion towards his novel, believing it supporting communistic views. While I was unable to read the full novel, I was able to read certain important chapters from “The Jungle” by reading its section in American Protest. The story is about the Sinclair’s main protagonist named “Jurgis”, who is an immigrant from Europe. When he moves to America with his family, he starts to witness the harsh...

Words: 663 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle'

...Whenever you hear "The Jungle" most think of a tropical forest full of thick, brightly colored plants and trees containing various types of animals. However, the book The Jungle is a novel written by the American journalist and muckraker Upton Sinclair. Sinclair wrote the novel to expose the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the meatpacking industry of Chicago. So how do the two relate? The novel's title symbolizes the competitive nature of capitalism. The life of living in Packingtown is like living in a jungle, in which the strong prey on the weak and all living things are engaged in a violent, brutal fight for survival. In the book, you only see the use of the word "jungle" once. This being when Jurgis has been drinking and decides to sleep with a prostitute. The novel also seems to compare Jurgis' sexual desire to that of a beast in the jungle. Therefore associating jungles with uncontrolled desires. This being said, the awful conditions of the workers in Packingtown are the result of the uncontrollable human desire for money. The Jungle is about bringing to light human greed and the social damage it does. The images of "beasts" that live in the jungle also depicts violence and brutality – another huge theme of Sinclair's analysis of life in Packingtown. Sinclair describes capitalism as destructive because he shows it...

Words: 765 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Fast Food Nation and the Jungle Analysis

...Emily Andes Mr. Hardy AP English 3 Period 2 Literary Analysis Essay The Jungle and Fast Food Nation have become two worldwide known books for exposing the meat industry, and both were able to change the viewpoints of many people on what they eat. With the meat sales sky rocketing since 1961, our society can thank the inspections and production side of the meat industry. The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, was one of the first books to uncover the gruesome side of the meat packing factories. With this book the world was introduced to the exposed side of the meat factories in unsanitary conditions. Of course, Sinclair’s intention was not to write The Jungle in an effort to unveil the dirty side to the meat packing factories, but it was intended to be a love story between a young couple immigrating from Lithuania to the United States. Along with The Jungle is Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. The statistical side of this book was also intended to expose the meat industry but by humiliating fast food restaurants and where their meat products were coming from. People were appalled by the facts this book gave, and they began having new perspectives on fast food. Overall, Fast Food Nation appeals to readers’ senses of ethos pathos and logos then The Jungle does. First of all, Schlosser does a much better job of convincing people to change their views on fast food products and all meat products in general. His diction choices are pedantic and factual, his details become emotional...

Words: 1884 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Listeria Outbreaks In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

...Upton Sinclair is well known for saying of his novel The Jungle, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Written to expose exploitation of immigrants and child labor, it instead resulted in a national outcry over the condition of its own food supply, leading to a number of reforms to improve the supervision and standard of meat packing and food processing prior to reaching the consumer. However, there continue to be consumer concerns today – some more unfounded than others – regarding the safety and quality of food available for mass production and consumption. Though the specifics – ingestion of nitrates and antibiotics versus potato flour – may differ by time period, some root concerns such as purity and...

Words: 2157 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Silent Spring Analysis

...Silent Spring Analysis Silent Spring is a book that makes just about everyone think, except for the major chemical companies that it was attacking. This is definitely one book that help shaped how we look at the environment today and also how we approach it. Rachel Carson aimed for a book that was going to open peoples eyes to what really was happening and who and what was doing it. She nailed this right on the head, while the book was very technical when it came to talking about the details of DDT, it was written at a level that everyone could understand and relate too. Easily this could be one of the most important books written in American history, where would we be without it and how would our future have turned out. While this book was aimed for the public to be able to understand, it also directly attacked the companies who were manufacturing the chemicals that people were using, especially DDT. If one were to try to explain how DDT worked at the chemistry level, most people would think your insane, but Carson is able to explain the devastating effects of this chemical in a way that everyone can understand. She does this by explaining the process chemically first, but then switches gears into how it is hitting people at home. This starts in the first chapter where she begins with “There once was a town…”. This is the beginning of the account that shaped Americans way of looking at the environment, especially when it came to using chemicals and other harmful substances...

Words: 1771 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Mixed Economy

...privately-owned and state-owned enterprises or that combines elements of capitalism and socialism, or a mix of market economy and planned economy characteristics. This system overcomes the disadvantages of both the market and planned economic systems. Features * Resources are owned both by the government as well as private individuals. i.e. co-existence of both public sector and private sector. * Market forces prevail but are closely monitored by the government. Advantages * Producers and consumer have sovereignty to choose what to produce and what to consume but production and consumption of harmful goods and services may be stopped by the government. * Social cost of business activities may be reduced by carrying out cost-benefit analysis by the government. * As compared to Market economy, a mixed economy may have less income inequality due to the role played by the government. * Monopolies may be existing but under close supervision of the government. http://www.dineshbakshi.com What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mixed Economy? The mixed economy refers to such an economic system wherein two the sector exist and function for achieving national objectives. The two sectors are the public sector and private sector. Both these sectors exist and function for achieving national objectives. Both these sectors make the economic system of the country. In fact the mixed economy is the happycombination of private enterprise with government enterprise on the...

Words: 1830 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Sdjvi9Afm

...Objectives 1. Define human relations and determine why its study is important. 2. Summarize early studies that laid the groundwork for understanding employee motivation. 3. Compare and contrast the human-relations theories of Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. 4. Investigate various theories of motivation, including Theories X, Y, and Z; equity theory; and expectancy theory. 5. Describe some of the strategies that managers use to motivate employees. 6. Critique a business’s program for motivating its sales force. Key Terms and Definitions |behavior modification |Changing behavior and encouraging appropriate actions by relating the consequences of behavior to | | |behavior itself. | |classical theory of motivation |A theory that suggests that money is the sole motivator for workers. | |compressed workweek |A four-day (or shorter) period in which an employee works 40 hours. | |equity theory |An assumption that how much people are willing to contribute to an organization depends on their | | |assessment of the fairness, or equity, of the rewards they will receive in exchange. | |esteem needs |The need for respect—both self-respect and respect...

Words: 8260 - Pages: 34

Free Essay

The Fda

...One of the oldest U.S. consumer protection agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protects the public from unsafe foods, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and other potential hazards. As part of the department of health and human services, the FDA annually regulates over $1 trillion worth of products, which account for one-fourth of all consumer spending in the United States. It also protects the rights and safety of patients in clinical trials of new medical products, monitors the promotional activities of drug and device manufacturers, regulates the labeling of all packaged foods, and monitors the safety of the nation's blood supply. To ensure compliance with its regulations, the FDA employs over 1,000 investigators and inspectors who visit over 15,000 food-processing, drug-manufacturing, and other facilities each year. If it finds violations of law, the FDA first encourages an offending company to voluntarily correct the problem or to recall a faulty product from the market. If the firm does not voluntarily comply with the law, the FDA may take it to court and seek criminal penalties against it. The FDA may also seize faulty products, order product recalls, seek injunctive relief, impose fines, and take other types of enforcement action. Each year, the FDA declares about 3,000 products and 30,000 import shipments to be unacceptable in various ways. The FDA employs over 2,000 scientists—including 900 chemists and 300 microbiologists—who provide the scientific...

Words: 3299 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Positive Impact of Business Ethics

...Positive Impact of Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility On an Organization Abstract Corporate social responsibility and business ethics have become the focus of an increasing amount of attention from the business sector and academicians following the scandal-ridden era of Enron and others during the 1990s. Although the findings from the research to date are mixed, there is a growing body of research in this area that has lent support to the notion that ethical business practices and corporate social responsibility initiatives have a positive impact on companies in terms of profitability as well as other less quantifiable areas. This review of literature examines these issues systematically to identify current trends and to describe the positive impacts that ethical business practices and corporate social responsibility programs can have for companies of all sizes and types. The Positive Impact of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility on an Organization To act in a socially responsible way requires organizational leaders to consider the effect of their decisions on the well-being of society; thus, managers must ask themselves what their actions do to society and what their actions do for society. – Ronald Sims, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall 2003, p. 66 Chapter Two: Review of Literature The epigraph above makes it clear that today, there is a growing recognition among the business community that they...

Words: 4724 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Business and Management

...J.B.M. Vol. 17 No. 1 Journal of Business and Management Editors Cristina M. Giannantonio, Ph.D. Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, Ph.D. Published by Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics Sponsored by the Western Decision Sciences Institute WDSI WDSI WESTERN DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE The Western Decision Sciences Institute is a regional division of the Decision Sciences Institute. WDSI serves its interdisciplinary academic and business members primarily through the organization of an annual conference and the publication of the Journal of Business and Management. The conference and journal allow academicians and business professionals from all over the world to share information and research with respect to all aspects of education, business, and organizational decisions. PRESIDENT Mahyar Amouzegar California State University, Long Beach PRESIDENT-ELECT Nafisseh Heiat Montana State University-Billings PROGRAM CHAIR/VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS/PROCEEDINGS EDITOR John Davies Victoria University of Wellington VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS-ELECT Sheldon R. Smith Utah Valley State College VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBER SERVICES David Yen Miami University of Ohio SECRETARY/TREASURER Richard L. Jenson Utah State University DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS Abbas Heiat Montana State University - Billings IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT G. Keong Leong University of Nevada, Las Vegas REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Vijay Kannan Utah State University Journal of Business...

Words: 52229 - Pages: 209

Premium Essay

Narrative

...Narrative A narrative is a sequence of events that a narrator tells in story form. A narrator is a storyteller of any kind, whether the authorial voice in a novel or a friend telling you about last night’s party. Point of View The point of view is the perspective that a narrative takes toward the events it describes. First-person narration: A narrative in which the narrator tells the story from his/her own point of view and refers to him/herself as “I.” The narrator may be an active participant in the story or just an observer. When the point of view represented is specifically the author’s, and not a fictional narrator’s, the story is autobiographical and may be nonfictional (see Common Literary Forms and Genres below). Third-person narration: The narrator remains outside the story and describes the characters in the story using proper names and the third-person pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” • Omniscient narration: The narrator knows all of the actions, feelings, and motivations of all of the characters. For example, the narrator of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina seems to know everything about all the characters and events in the story. • Limited omniscient narration: The narrator knows the actions, feelings, and motivations of only one or a handful of characters. For example, the narrator of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has full knowledge of only Alice. • Free indirect discourse: The narrator conveys a character’s inner thoughts...

Words: 12257 - Pages: 50

Free Essay

Rules for Redicals

...Books by Saul Alinsky John L. Lewis, An Unauthorized Biography Reveille for Radicals The Professional Radical (with Marian Sanders) Rules for Radicals RULES FOR RADICALS A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals SAUL D. ALINSKY RANDOM HOUSE New York Acknowledgments This chapter "Of Means and Ends" was presented in the Auburn Lecture Series at Union Theological Seminary. Some of the other sections of this book were delivered in part in lectures before the Leaders of America series at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California; Yale Political Union, New Haven, Connecticut, April, 1970; The Willis D. Wood Fellowship Lecture, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, May, 1969; American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, D.C., 1968; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.; March, 1968; A.F. of L.-C.I.O. Labor Press Association, Miami, Florida, December, 1967; American Whig-Cliosophic Society, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 1967; Centennial Address, Episcopal Theological Seminary, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1968; Harvard Medical Conference, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1969. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Copyright © 1971 by Saul D. Alinsky All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. ISBN: 0-394-44341-1 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 70-117651 ...

Words: 62916 - Pages: 252

Free Essay

Business Student

...JÖNKÖPING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL JÖNKÖPING UNIVERSITY H o w to mo tiv a te a ss emb ly lin e wo rke r s Master Thesis within Business Administration. Subject: Management. Authors: Valdete Jusufi Maja Saitović Supervisor: Karl Erik Gustafsson Jönköping May, 2007. Master Thesis within Business Administration. Subject: Management. Title: Authors: Tutor: Date: Subject terms: How to motivate assembly line workers Valdete Jusufi & Maja Saitović Karl Erik Gustafsson 2007-05-28 assembly line, motivation, industrial laundry business, incentives, Human Performance System Abstract The purpose of our master thesis was to investigate what motivates assembly line workers performing low-skill jobs in a small industrial laundry business. We wanted to see what factors determine and influence their motivation to work and if and how this motivation can be improved with respect to assembly line systems in general. The method of our investigation was qualitative in nature, where we studied one firm that leases clean bed clothes and textiles to hotels and restaurants around Sweden. We constructed a survey on motivation and handed it out to the assembly line workers who deal with the laundry. Furthermore, we interviewed the shift manager in order to get the company’s view on employee motivation. Our findings indicate that there are several overlapping factors that determine and influence motivation in the long run. From this particular case we saw that a unified working culture...

Words: 36580 - Pages: 147