Monday, December 2, 2013

The Jungle- by Upton Sinclair



1) What qualities did Sinclair believe a person must have to succeed in Packingtown?
  
    Sinclair believed that a person must be hard working and willing to do anything to earn money. They needed to be the best at their job and maybe even manage the company. Being high up in the rankings of the company would bring more money and would allow you to become as wealthy as u could become. You either needed to own the company or you wouldn't make it in the business.

2)According to the passage, what is the plant owner's main goal.

The plants owner wanted only money. He didn't care how he got it and would push workers to the limits and didn't even help if one was injured on the job. He simply shrugged it off and had another man, usually a back-up, come and fulfill his duties. He didn't care about the conditions of the plant and didn't care how the animals were treated when on their death bed. If a man was done working, he was thrown in the gutter and the next man waiting outside would be called up.

3) What does Sinclair mean when he says, "...there was no place in it where a man counted for anything against a dollar....?"

When Sinclair says this, he means that in the factory nothing meant anything. Men weren't treated fairly and they didn't mean anything to the owner except labor. Cows were thrown around and calves were slaughtered even though everyone knew they weren't good for meat. All of it was a cruel game that the owners played that lead people to believe it was alright when in the end, even Sinclair declared it was cruel and wrong.


Sources: (http://www.ukrainebusiness.com.ua/modules/news/images/topics/5d489836-1342-81b5.jpg)-image

.and our American Vision Modern Times book (pg 336-338)