Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle in 1906 to encourage reform of the treatment of immigrants in Chicago. Due to its graphic descriptions of the meat packing plants, the novel brought reform in the food industry instead. The Pure Food and Drug Act required industries to label their food and to cease using chemicals and poisonous substances in their products. However, since the nineteenth century, the food industries have become worse with national monopolies and meat contaminated with e-coli, though they are still more sanitary because they must label their products. Since the nineteenth century, the food industry has worsened due to the presence of national monopolies with ties to the government. In The Jungle, Jurgis loses his job at Durhams, and other employers refuse to hire him because of Durhams local monopoly. Later in the novel, Jurgis learns that the police and the mayor formed agreements with large corporations their executives’ transgressions were forgiven. In the twentieth century, according to Food Inc., national monopolies replaced the local monopolies, so that only five companies control 90% of the meat packing plants. Now, too, …show more content…
Sinclair’s novel depicts several deaths, including that of Kristoforas, possibly the result of “tubular pork that was condemned as unfit for export” (The Jungle). The contaminated food came from the meat of the downers, or lame and sickly animals, and the unsanitary conditions in the packing plants. Food Inc. revealed that the industries today still use meat from downers. Yet, the source of more deaths today results from e-coli poisoning coming from cattle who are corn. Though e-coli contamination could be prevented by feeding cows grass, industries refrain to do so in order to save money. The food industry grew more dangerous in the twentieth century because of the sale of e-coli contaminated
In Jill Kaufman’s article “Meat Packing Industry,” Kaufman analyses the meat packing crisis and controversy that occurred during the Roosevelt administration in the early 1900’s. In 1906 Author Upton Sinclair released a novel title The Jungle, which sought to critic exploited meat packing workers of that time. While his novel did stir up some commotion, his ultimate goal remained unmet. Americans were appalled at the ways he described the unsanitary methods and procedures of the meat packing industry. This resulted in stricter policies and inspections being put in place; however, whether or not the industry was truly unhygienic and unsanitary remained disputed.
By Bread Alone. Sinclair had only visited the stockyards on three different occasions during his research. He had not given much mind to what was being done to the meat products during these visits, as that was not his
After reading “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, Theodore Roosevelt passed a few acts to ensure a safer and sanitary environment where livestock is slaughtered and processed. “The Jungle” shows the working class and their lack of social support, the loss of hope among the workers and unsanitary working and living conditions, for example, working environments were covered in blood, meat scraps, and dirty water. The book follows a man as he observes the meat industry as its horrific faults. He noticed the workers lost their fingers in the meat and the workers used bathrooms next to where the meat was processed occasionally doing their business on the floor. There was a chapter describing the meat being piled on the floor carrying sawdust, dead rats,
With the information he gathered, Sinclair wrote The Jungle. In 1906, The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair was published. It was a fiction book, explaining to everyone the horrible, gruesome working conditions in the meat packing
The novel did a tremendous job at exposing the horrendous work and unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry publicly that the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 was passed. The Jungle told how bribed inspectors allowed diseased cows to be made into beef, workers falling into the tanks and being mixed in with the animal parts. Upton Sinclair’s novel led to a direct reform of all packaging industries and gave federal officials the right to inspect all the meat being shipped in and shipped out to ensure the animals were healthy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was a direct effect of The Jungle. Upton Sinclair not only took interest in bringing the wrongdoings of the meat industry to the public, but he also stood up for immigrants who were being treated with disrespect.
The thesis of this review mainly consists of the issue with the school use of Upton Sinclairs’s “The Jungle”. The relevance with the book is that within this review there is a negative critique on how it is described to the students in the classroom. The author of this review, Louise Carroll Wade, argues that teachers have been kind to Sinclair. She explains that this novel was made to “call attention to the plight of Chicago packinghouse workers who had just lost a strike against the Beef Trust”. Also, she express her idea of how scholars have uncritically accepted Upton Sinclair's descriptions of the terrifying working and unsanitary conditions of the Chicago meat packing industry in 'The Jungle”, where in reality it was more skeptical.
Low wages, long hours, and no concern for the public mean more money in anyone’s pocket. The early 1900’s was a story of mistreatment in meatpacking companies all across Chicago. The secrets held by means of the owners of these companies were outrageous and deadly. Until a hero of sorts had the guts to spill all the dark secrets held inside the walls of all those companies, the consumers knew what they were eating. Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle, brought to light all the wrongdoings of the meatpacking industry’s secrets and lies.
Values, beliefs, political ideas, and institutions in The Jungle and Fast Food Nation The leaders of Chicago’s meatpacking company and the leaders of many fast food chains today lack values, have orthodox political ideas, and do not follow proper code in their institutions. In society, since the beginning of time, businesses have existed.
As we go through The Jungle, Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Food, Inc., it becomes apparent that all of these publishings target ethos to appeal to their audience. Upton Sinclair uses ethos during the time when he describes workers washing their hands in the water used for the sausage (Sinclair 143). This is bias because it compels the reader into acknowledging that the things going into food is not right, however it does not show any good qualities in the meatpacking industry. Therefore, this affects the reader’s value system because when they were informed of the monstrosities going on within the food industries, it changes their trust towards the industry. Another example of this is Michael Pollan’s bias __ the food industry when he states that
Jurgis is a perfect example to show that no matter how much some people try to fix their problems, there are times when it is not possible. Sinclair first introduces Jurgis’ inability to move forward in life with the external conflict of Onas rape. Initially, even though Jurgis did not want Ona to work, he eventually allows her to do so; they could use the help of money for rent and/or necessities after all. Ona’s boss is not a man to be well liked.
In February 1906, Upton Sinclair would write and publish his fictional novel The Jungle. This book, which was intended to focus on the exploited workers in the meat industry would depict the unsanitary conditions for a mere 10 pages. Missing the point of the novel, Americans were disgusted by the conditions of the packing plants, rather than outrage at the mistreatment of the workers at these plants (Kauffman). The Jungle spurred new legislation, but this legislation wasn’t the first that called for such standards. In 1641, the Massachusetts Colony had passed the Meat and Fish Inspection document which prohibited selling “diseased, corrupted, contagious or unwholesome provisions” (Massachusetts Act against Selling Unwholesome Provisions).
Rough Draft Since the publication of The Jungle back in 1906, it remains a very impacting novel in American history. While it may not have any ghouls or goblins, The Jungle is miles past a horror story. In what is arguably Sinclair’s best work, he vividly depicts the terrors of life in the meatpacking industry, and the barbarous working conditions that come along with it. This novel illustrates the different ways the industrialization process destroys the lives of workers by bombarding them both physically and emotionally with: deplorable working conditions, harsh weather, and government corruption. Through the view of Sinclair’s fictional character Jurgis, he uncovers all of the lies and corruption that was masqueraded by capitalism, and he
The Jurgis family is one of the victims of this horrible crime. After the death of Ona’s uncle and some arguments , the family “finally decides that two more of the children would have to leave school and work”(Sinclair 71). The poor life had forced the children to leave the school, to make money for families in order to survive. This depicts the lack of government capabilities to bring law and order to the society and protect the future generations from this disastrous crime. If a boy were lucky he might found a job like “ getting men beers”(Sinclair 73)which was a simple task that they could have easily carried it out.
Although it may seem that the meat packing industry is still in turmoil because of their unwillingness to make known what foods have Genetically Modified organisms present, the meat packing industry was much worse during the 1900’s because of the unsafe working conditions, and uncleanliness of the food. Body 1: The meat packing industry’s working conditions were much worse in the 1900’s than they are today. In the novel The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, working conditions were horrible for immigrants who were employed in these factories. People in these factories were worked very hard and used up till they could not work anymore. In the novel Jurgis broke his ankle because of the unsafe
He goes on to describe the source of the family’s income, their work. Jurgis and many other family members are found to be working at multiple jobs for they would not survive on just one ’s pay. Each person is hired to work for a meat producing related job, more specifically Jurgis is working directly for the meatpacking as a part of a factory line that kills animals. Sinclair now introduces the fact about health conditions relating to products being released into the public.