The Jungle Book by Upton Sinclair - 1261 Words

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair exemplifies a muckraking style in its often gory depictions of life in a meat packing factory, Sinclair writes of how the meat packing industry exploits its workers, many of whom are uneducated and poor in the same way a capitalist government exploits its working class. Sinclair uses Symbolism in terms of physical objects, Objects that serve a metaphorical purpose, and oppressive tone, to persuade the reader that Capitalism leads to the declination and corruption of America and that the only way to remedy this is socialistic government. Among the few things in The Jungle that is referred to a symbol is the family house. The house is a symbolic object represents the hopes and dreams that Jurgis and his†¦show more content†¦He views this as the way American capitalism has an attractive exterior to the incoming immigrants, but in reality is as corrupt and rotten as the meat they [Americans] sell. The slaughterhouses of The Jungle are not just conv enient targets for Sinclair to expose to the public. They also serve as a larger metaphor for how American business treats its laborers, by luring them into unsafe working conditions and then consuming their dedication and strength just as they did to the livestock. In the novel, Sinclair blames the mechanisms of capitalism on the tricks that the meatpackers use to sell spoiled and contaminated meat. In an effort to squeeze every dime that they can out of the meat packing process, the packers encourage short cuts and unsanitary conditions in order to avoid wasting money. The workers are so abused themselves by the system that they do not have the power to change the conditions of the factories, this causes the audience to empathize with the workers, empathy (and disgust) is what triggered the major response of the public after this novel was published. Sinclair starts an oppressive or an unsettling tone very early in the novel when Jurgis is getting a tour of the meat packing factory and narrows into a very specific incident: These people could not be shown to the visitor – for the odor of the fertilizer man would scareShow MoreRelatedHow The Other Half Lives, And Upton Sinclair s Book, The Jungle, By Jacob Riis1300 Words   |  6 PagesAmericans and their perception on others. With the massive increase in industrialization and urbanization, Americans living in poverty and with poor jobs were mostly effected negatively than others. In Jacob Riis’s book, How the Other Half Lives, and Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, it opened the eyes of Americans not living and working in these conditions. After the government and American people witness the horror some citizens must deal with, changes will occur and improve conditions. MassRead MoreUpton Sinclair s The Food Industry958 Words   |  4 PagesMikayla Peri Ms. Maxwell English III 10. Feb. 2015 Upton Sinclair Upton Sinclair, the most influential writer regarding the food industry was born in Baltimore 1879. Growing up in a poor family with an alcoholic father was difficult for Upton (Simkin, John). Upton often lived with his wealthy grandparents during his childhood due to the instability in his own home. Moving from his poor parents house to his grandparents rich house constantly made him see the injustice in the American society, thisRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair Student Critique1539 Words   |  7 PagesThe book The Jungle was introduced as a novel by Upton Sinclair was financed and published with his own money. Upton Sinclair was a famous novelist and social crusader from California. He was born on 20 September 1878 in Baltimore Md. He was the only child of Priscilla Harden and Upton Beall Sinclair. Upton Sinclair’s childhood was lived in poverty, one where his father was an alcoholic, his job as an alcohol salesman most likely contributed to his disease. And although his own family was extremelyRead MoreA Blatant Agenda1280 Words   |  6 Pagesagendas in the hopes of swaying readers to their cause. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a prominent example of this phenomena. Hailing from the early 20th century, The Jungle addresses the poor working conditions in which the emigrant workers of the time would labor, working up to what equates to a socialist rant at the end of the novel. Upton Sinclairs political biases in The Jungle are in no way cleverly tied into the story, in fact, Sinclair egregiously abused the plot of the novel as a tool to mercilesslyRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair 792 Words   |  3 PagesCritics often argue that Upton Sinclair, author of many classic American novels including The Jungle, was cynical and bitter even. However if one were to dig just a bit deeper they may realize that Sinclair was spot on in his idea that this â€Å"American dream† that our country sells is actually a work of fiction. In his book The Jungle, Sinclair, points out the flaws of the American dream. Many immigrants traveled thousands of miles aboard, cramped, disease infested, ships with hope of coming to thisRead MoreEssay about Upton Sinclair And The Chicago Meat-Packing Industry1094 Words   |  5 PagesUpton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-packing Industry In 1900, there were over 1.6 million people living in Chicago, the countrys second largest city. Of those 1.6 million, nearly 30% were immigrants. Most immigrants came to the United States with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. A city like Chicago offered these people jobs that required no skill. However, the working and living conditions were hazardous and the pay was barely enough to surviveRead MoreIs Upton Sinclairs The Jungle a Primary Source?837 Words   |  3 Pages The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair shows a vivid description of life and the living condition in the meat and other industry around Chicago. The Jungle is full of examples of historical content about profit, corruption, and condition making it a good primary source. To determine whether a book is a primary source or a secondary source, a person needs to know what a primary and secondary source is. First, a primary source, define by Princeton, â€Å"is a document or physical object which was writtenRead MoreUpton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-Packing Industry1072 Words   |  5 PagesUpton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-packing Industry In 1900, there were over 1.6 million people living in Chicago, the countrys second largest city. Of those 1.6 million, nearly 30% were immigrants. Most immigrants came to the United States with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. A city like Chicago offered these people jobs that required no skill. However, the working and living conditions were hazardous and the pay was barely enough to surviveRead MoreA Comparison of the Legacy of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle and Rachel Carsons Silent Spring1725 Words   |  7 Pages 1906 would see the publication of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, pushing through major reforms of the meatpacking industry and eventually causing the government to take actions to protect the health of its people; almost fifty years later, the publication of Rachel Carsons novel Silent Spring would invoke a similar, but changed response to the threat of DDT. Although both would lead to government legislation creating major changes, the original intentions of the authors themselves differedRead MoreUpton Sinclair and His Influence on Society Essay1552 Words   |  7 PagesUpton Sinclair, the famous American author, wanted to be a great influence on society. He was born in 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland, from a family of Southern aristocracy. His father was an alcoholic and his mother came from a wealthy family. When Sinclair was ten, the family moved to New York. His father sold hats and spent his evenings in bars coming home drunk every night. As a child, Sinclair was an excellent reader and scholar. By the age of fourteen, he began writing in his spare time.