Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and the Pure Food and Drug...

Upton Sinclair’s â€Å"The Jungle† and the Pure Food and Drug Act Upton Sinclair’s â€Å"The Jungle,† gave the most in-depth description of the horrid truths about the way America’s food companies, â€Å"the only source of food for people living in the city,† are preparing the food they sell. â€Å"The Jungle† describes the terrible conditions of a Lithuanian family that moved to the US, and had to work, live, and die for the food companies in Chicago. â€Å"The Jungle† spurred a movement in the American people to do something about the problems facing the American food supply. Because of the growing concern about the quality of food in America the government took action to prevent further problems. Thus the Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed to†¦show more content†¦After years of wondering from job to job, being injured, and being put back in jail for a month, Jurgis wonders into a socialist political rally. The speech the orator delivers inspires Jurgis, and he joins the socialist party. He get s a job in a socialist-run hotel and is reunited with a member of is family. The book ends with Jurgis having lost almost all of his family and life to the terrible conditions of life in Chicago, but gains new beliefs in socialism. This is just a very shortened up summery of â€Å"The Jungle.† In many parts of the book it describes the rotten and diseased meat. â€Å"The cans have shiny, attractive surfaces but contain’s a mass of putrid meat unfit for Human consumption.†(Sparknotes, Quotations) In one part of the book it talks about a man who would be shoveling the meat into carts, and would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one. There were many things that went into the meat that made the poisoned rat as a tidbit. Men would have no place to wash their hands before eating, and so they washed them in the water tat was ladled into the sausage. Ends of meat, scraps of corned beef, and all odds and ends of the waste of the plants, would be dumped into old barrels to set until the spring. In the spring the barrels of rotten, and diseased scraps would be dumped into the hoppers with fresh meat to be sent out to the public for sale. (Sparknotes) Though it was not Upton Sinclairs originalShow MoreRelatedUpton 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. Read 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 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. 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In his book, The Jungle, Sinclair uncovered and made public the filth that was going into America’s meat, such as sawdust, chemicalsRead MoreUpton Sinclair: A Voice For Food Safety Essay1501 Words   |  7 Pagesand centered on immigrant life in the Chicago meat packing district. â€Å"The Jungle,† was written by Upton Sinclair, a 27 year old author from Baltimore under a $500 advance from a socialist newspaper. This novel soon became a focus of controversy and change within the United States. Though known more for it’s horrific portrayal of the conditions inside slaughterhouses, only 60 pages of the 413 pages that make up â€Å"The Jungle† detail the goings-on of the meat packing industry.Sinclair’s book was intendedR ead MoreProgessives and The Pure Food and Drug Act Essay862 Words   |  4 Pageslegislation that was a prime example of the progressive era, was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This law came about due to muckraking, and also because of public and political interests. Muckraking, such as Upton Sinclair’s piece, â€Å"The Jungle†, helped in the timing of the adoption of this legislature. This piece of legislature, allowed for the regulation of processed food items in United States food markets. The Pure Food and Drug Act was assigned to the Department of Agriculture under the BureauRead MoreA Cry for Deliverance Essay1263 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle was published in February 1906, it provoked outrage among the American public and prompted much needed legislative reform within America’s meatpacking industry. Responding to public pressure, President Theodore Roosevelt launched a government investigation. The ensuing re port, â€Å"Conditions in the Chicago Stock Yards,† confirmed many of Sinclair’s accusations and quickly led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. HoweverRead MoreModern Day Relevance of Sinclairs The Jungle Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesThe Jungle was first published in 1906. Contemporary critics disagree about whether or not the novel has any â€Å"relevance† for modern readers. What do YOU think? I believe this novel has somewhat of a relevance for modern readers in today’s society. In the world of economic competition that we live in today, many thrive and many are left to dig through trash cans. It has been a constant struggle throughout the modern history of society. One widely prescribed example of this struggle is Upton Sinclairs