The Role Of Capitalism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
“The same endless vista of ugly and dirty little wooden buildings. Here and there would be a bridge crossing a filthy creek.” This was Upton Sinclair’s description of the city of Chicago in the early 20th century in his book The Jungle, and it was not flattering. The things that went on inside the city was even uglier, and it was done by one corporate, capitalism. Capitalism became a major problem in America as it bred horrible working and living conditions for the working class, and there was many reasons for why this happened (i.e. greed). Capitalism bred corruption in both police department, government and the voting process, and bred ethnic tensions that had a major effect on class relations during that period. The unions and socialist movements that came out during this time period showed to the world how problematic capitalism is, and blossomed in the 20th century as a savior of the working class. Upton Sinclair conveyed to the world the problems of capitalism in a progressive reform impulse way, and was extremely successful in showing to the world how problematic capitalism was. Capitalism bred horrible working conditions, and the …show more content…
“The floor was half an inch deep with blood, in spite of the best efforts of men who kept shoveling it through the holes, it must have made the floor slippery.” Sinclair’s descriptions of the floors of the factory was just one of the horrible working conditions these capitalistic bosses put their workers in, and on top of the fear a worker has from slipping and getting injured, he had to work in that condition in the infamous cold winter of Chicago. Sinclair further describes how deathly cold the conditions of the factory are, “On the killing beds you were apt to be covered in blood, and it would freeze solid.” It was cold in the packing houses that Sinclair further described the situation in even
Critique Upton Sinclair's The Jungle '
276 Words | 2 PagesThis section discusses the importance of theme in the writing process. Interestingly enough, the main message seems to be that one should not start writing with the purpose of getting one’s writing to embody a specific theme. According to the text, this can lead to the theme being too overtly stated or developed. A selection of writing by Flannery O’Connor is included which carries the same message, that theme should be subtly present throughout a story. Then, the authors critique Upton Sinclair’s
Theme Of Corruption Of The Industrial Age In The Jungle, By Upton Sinclair
244 Words | 1 PagesIn The Jungle , Upton Sinclair shows The corruption of the Industrial Age through his depiction of working conditions, wages, and living conditions. The working conditions were considered extremely bad in the industrial age. One was that no one could take a day off and if you didn’t go to work you job might not be there the next day. Another example of terrible working conditions was the danger that jurgis was in the Jungle.
Upton Sinclair's The Jungle: Industrialization Age
914 Words | 4 PagesMatthew DeBacker Mr. Shinabarger AS American History 19 October 2015 Corruption in The Jungle The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, was a very impactful book during the industrialization age and still impacts people today. It is considered one of the most important books in the Industrialization Age in America. Upton Sinclair was a muckraker and wanted to draw attention the the terrible things that went on in the meatpacking industry. So he highlighted several key themes such as poverty, capitalism, and immigration during that time period
Theme Of Socialism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
1390 Words | 6 PagesThe chatter and whispers of the ideas and philosophies of socialism have now become yells and screams about how socialism is the most righteous form of government, that will revolutionize social justice issues in America. The idea of socialism has been around since Plato, yet it never seems to work successfully. There have been many different works written to push the philosophies of Socialism but one of the most read books is The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair. Although many copies of this book have been sold since its publishing it has failed in its goal to open people’s eyes to the horrors of a capitalist society.
Socialism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
1082 Words | 5 PagesUpton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” advocates for socialism by depicting the story of a young immigrant who is manipulated and cheated time and time again by sadist business men in a capitalist society. Throughout the novel, the idea that socialism is a more Biblically sound economic system is asserted through evidence of Jesus’ teachings in which He condemns the wealthy for their attachment to the world. However, capitalism implements more Biblical ideas than socialism does because of the rewards that come from hard work and the means of production being privately owned, which are both ideas taught throughout Jesus’ teachings. Shortly after Jurgis is introduced to the idea of socialism, he finds Lucas, an evangelist, who argues that socialism is
Analysis Of Muuckraker Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
834 Words | 4 PagesIn the early 1900s, food safety was an incredibly unfamiliar and overlooked part of America’s food industry. Written by muckraker Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, was a controversial novel that depicted the harsh living and working conditions of immigrants working in the food industry. After the release of The Jungle, thousands of meat-eating Americans were horrified at what had been happening in factories. Disgusting yet accurate details presented in The Jungle were the basis for the creation of laws to stop food production from becoming so unsanitary.
The Upper-Class During The Industrial Revolution
637 Words | 3 PagesAcross the course of history, mankind has attempted many different courses of action in order to industrialize their nation into a golden age of amazing technology. One of these times in history, known in American as the Industrial Revolution. During this amazing time, many different technologies were invented that truly changed the world, but at the same time, many disputes occurred between the working class and the upper class in the steel industry, described by Neil Irvin Painter in Chapter 4 of “The Depression of the 1890’s”. Many others would agree that the conditions that were put forth to the working class at the time were unfair, unjust and just plain wrong to have human beings endure. To Begin, the working and upper class have been in a power struggle from almost the moment that the first industrial factory was opened for business.
Examples Of Struggles In The Jungle
2149 Words | 9 PagesA Time for Struggle and Change Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, depicts the struggles of Lithuanian immigrants as they worked and lived in Chicago’s Packingtown at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The United States experienced an enormous social and political transformation; furthermore, the economy, factories, and transportation industry grew faster than anyone had ever seen. Immigrants and migrants were attracted to city life for its promise of employment and their chance at the American Dream. The poor working class had little to no rights, and they grappled with unfair business practices, unsafe working conditions, racism, Social Darwinism, class segregation, xenophobia, political corruption, strikes, starvation, poor housing,
The Economic Tension In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
1899 Words | 8 PagesUpton Sinclair portrays the economic tension in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries through his novel “The Jungle”. He used the story of a Lithuanian immigrant, Jurgis Rudkus, to show the harsh situation that immigrants had to face in the United States, the unsanitary and unsafe working conditions in the meatpacking plants, as well as the tension between the capitalism and socialism in the United States during the early 1900s. In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, there were massive immigrants move into the United States, and most of them were from Europe. The protagonist, Jurgis Rudkus, like many other immigrants, have the “America Dream” which they believe America is heaven to them, where they can
Socialism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
778 Words | 4 PagesIn Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Jurgis and his family attempt to survive in a malicious society. In this jungle of a town, rotten meat is being packaged in order to save money. Throughout the novel, the immigrants are faced with greedy capitalists who take advantage of the family’s ignorance and naivety in order to make money. The symbols of corruption, a jungle-like setting, and the tension between family and a work-based lifestyle transparently contribute to the unifying theme of anti-capitalism. In other words, this book is not art; this book is propaganda.
The Portrayal Of Chicago In The Gilded Age
396 Words | 2 PagesIn The Jungle, the amount of crime and corruption happening around Chicago in the early 1900s seems questionable. In my history class, I have never heard of how “tens of thousands of votes were [being bought] for cash”, just so a certain politician could win an election (Sinclair 303). Sinclair then went on to accuse the meat packing industries’ rampant corruption by invoking pity for Jurgis’s father, Dede Antanas. A feeble old man who could not find a job against the multitude of competition in Chicago, he found a poorly paying job as long as he was “willing to pay one-third of his wages for it” (Sinclair 73). Furthermore, Sinclair’s portrayal of Chicago in the late 19th century at times seems exaggerated.
The Working Class In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
1419 Words | 6 PagesMany times, workers didn’t have time to have a social life outside of work. Sinclair writes, “There are able-bodied men here who work from early morning until late at night, in ice-cold cellars with a quarter of an inch of water on the floor-men who for six or seven months in the year never see the sunlight from Sunday afternoon till the next Sunday morning” (Sinclair 13). Although these are extreme examples presented by the author, it shows us that they were real issues dealt with at the time. Along with long hours, pay for the workers was almost unlivable.
'The Jungle' By Upton Sinclair
601 Words | 3 PagesThe Jungle written by Upton Sinclair was an expose on the life of those who lived in Packingtown, Chicago. Packingtown was where most of the people who was looking for work lived, it was a very crowded city. Job openings were scarce and most of the jobs were very unsafe. Most of the people in this part of town were poor, so they did not really have much doubts of food,. The Jungle exposed the horrific work conditions, the poor food quality, and the deceitfulness of the business owners.
Meatpacking Workers In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
1060 Words | 5 PagesRevealing the harsh treatment of meatpacking workers and showing the reality of the disgusting conditions found in butchery shops to the public, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle became an enduring classic by American readers throughout the early twentieth century the prompted the later creation of the Federal Drug Administration. In the early 1900s, America was explosively transitioning from an agricultural society to a thriving manufacturing-based nation. As production demand in factories grew throughout the country, the work force needed to run those factories also expanded. A new type of demanding and dangerous work became prevalent throughout the nation, as immigrants coming into the “Land of Opportunity” found themselves desperate
The Jungle Critical Analysis
1202 Words | 5 PagesCamila Casanova U.S. History 1302: S67 Mr. Isaac G. Pietrzak February 9, 2018 Critical Review: The Jungle Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.
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