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The Role Of Capitalism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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“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

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Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle (1906) gives a top to bottom take a gander at the lives of the settler specialists here in America. Truth be told the look was so top to bottom that the Pure Food and Drug Act was made accordingly. Numerous individuals tend to concentrate absolutely on the unsanitary conditions rather than the hardships confronted by the laborers. Really I feel that Sinclair doesn't need the emphasis on the meatpacking, however on overcoming impediments, particularly through Socialism. Sinclair was himself extremely candid when it came to Socialism.

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In 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.

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601 Words | 3 Pages

The 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.

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Subject: The Jungle mainly focuses on poor living conditions for the working class in 20th century Chicago. I learned how corrupt politics in this time period were, how gross the meatpacking industry used to be, and how hard immigrants had it when they came to America. This text is controversial because it gives suggestion that socialism is the better government system. This would split the sides into those for capitalism and those for socialism. Occasion: The Jungle was written in 1906 by Upton Sinclair.

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Matthew 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

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Revealing 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

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Upton 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

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It is clear that everything Sinclair writes is to put a negative image on capitalism and make it seem horrible. However, when he mentions Socialism in his book Jurgis, symbolizing the working class, is captivated by it. In the end of the book Jurgis accidently ends up in a socialist meeting and listens to the speaker talk about the corruption of capitalism and how it needs to be put to an end. He agrees with everything

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In 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.

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As stated before, Upton Sinclair, was ahead of his time with his ability to dig for the truth and show Americans the truth regarding the Chicago meat packing industry. Another large passion of his was politics and the belief in socialism. He advocated against capitalism and ridiculed it within his novel by portraying it as the cause of much downfall for the main character. Sinclair did more for this country with the novel he wrote then many politicians are able to do in a lifetime. He showed through his power of writing the importance of every citizen within America to be woke and involved in every aspect of their lives.

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Upton 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

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637 Words | 3 Pages

Across 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.

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For example, he described “the tricks of the packers, their masters, the tyrants who ruled them… the irregular hours and the cruel speeding-up, the lowering of wages, the raising of prices! The whole machinery of society was at their oppressors’ command” (177). Sinclair depicted the factory owners in the novel as disgraceful rulers to reflect how capitalism allowed ruling class leaders to oppress workers. He also portrays the corrupt effects of capitalism on workers’ well-being, illustrating that “each day the struggle becomes fiercer, the pace more cruel; each day you have to toil a little harder and feel the iron hand of circumstance close upon you a little tighter” (298). Through this fictitious lens, Sinclair exaggerated the oppression and physical demands workers faced to stress that capitalism had caused these economic disparities.

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A 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,

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Camila 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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