Although THE JUNGLE does not take place in an actual jungle, how does Sinclair create a jungle-like atmosphere? Respond by citing and explaining a specific example to support the presence and effectiveness of imagery and symbolism in the novel.
When I think of a jungle I think about forests, animals, and especially chaos. Sinclair made a jungle-like atmosphere by describing everything that went on. All of the screams for animals, the blood everywhere, and people’s fingers and toes were being ripped off. Those descriptions really displayed the jungle theme. Also, Sinclair doesn’t just describe what he sees, but what he smells and feels. The smell was unbearable, but Jurgis could handle it; the room was freezing in the winter and that weakened the workers. When Sinclair writes he really portraits everything well and gets you to feel you’re in the room, like when we find out the meat isn’t clean. In that scene I felt like I was there, being disgusted by the horror. Sinclair’s way of showing the jungle theme is by using imagery to make you think you are in the room with the characters and to make you feel bad for them.
Using symbolism in Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, shows what a great and unique writer he truly is. When thinking of a jungle most people have the same thoughts of a tree and plant infested area, with animals of all sizes and abilities roaming around, thriving to live. He connects The Jungle to these thoughts, by creating visuals of a jungle using people instead of animals. In my opinion, I see the immigrants as the naïve and unsure baby animals in the jungle. They aren’t experienced and taught what to do and how to live yet, so they can only go by what their parent’s show and tell them. The salesmen are like the parents in this example. Jurgis’s family doesn’t know what a good deal is, or where and when to spend his money, so the salesmen persuade and convince them into doing things people normally wouldn’t do. The tree tops in a jungle are usually safe, and crawling with life. The immigrant’s homes are the tree tops. They are the only place they can be themselves and be sure they are safe for the time being. The jungle floor is where all animals are the most vulnerable. I think that the factories and working places of the immigrants are like the jungle floor. The immigrants are all desperate for jobs, so they are forced to go to these unsafe factories, where anything can happen, and anyone can be injured. One specific example that made me think of a real life jungle in this book is when there was a problem at the bank where the family stored their money. There was a huge swarm of people crowding the bank, and it reminded me of a feeding hole in a jungle. The people were like the animals, all trying to get food and water to live, but in this case they were all pushing to get their money.
I can relate Sinclair’s novel to an actual jungle because of the dangerous, hectic atmosphere. When I think of a jungle, I picture many different types of animals, various colors, and a dark, dense covering of trees. The scene that Sinclair creates in his novel is very similar to these images. For instance, Jurgis’s family is in great danger, just like they would be in a jungle. People everywhere are trying to take advantage of them and fool them, and their very work threatens their lifestyle everyday. In a jungle, on must always be on guard, in case of an attack. The same was true for the family in Packingtown. At every turn, a new danger awaited them. One example of this appears in chapter 6, when Grandmother Majauszkiene tells the family about how the salespeople who had sold them the house had fooled them. She told them of the fact that their house was not brand new as they had believed, but had actually been occupied by four other families. Grandmother Majauszkiene also told the family that the house was unlucky, and that someone from each family had died in that house. When the old woman told them the bad news, a dark and foreboding atmosphere was created, which is comparable to that of a dense leaf covering in a jungle. Also, the tricky people in the jungle remind me of preying animals. They are always stalking a new prey, in this case the immigrant families. To me, the atmosphere is Sinclair’s book is like a jungle because both have a hectic, dangerous atmosphere.
Sinclair exercises his great writing abilities by using symbolism. My view of a jungle is a place where it’s over grown and hard to find your way. It also has lots of animals and those animals fight to the death for the best conditions. I think The Jungle is a perfect title for this book because it shows all of those characteristics. The scenery of the jungle is portrayed by the struggles in America. Jurgis’s family is desperately trying to find a shelter but keep getting knocked back with surprises. In a jungle there are numerous surprises and for new immigrants majority of the “surprises” were brutal. Many immigrants came to this country (including Jurgis’s family) thinking they would have a better lifestyle when really their life gets worse. These immigrants stay in order to make a better future for their grandchildren. Their struggles are portrayed like a jungle too. In the sweatshops workers are treated like animals. The factories are filthy and disease ridden. The shops are cold and bloody. The whole time these animals (people) are fighting to the death with well death. Some lose to that battle of death, like man who dies from disease entered by his badly blistered feet, but it’s a jungle, survival of the fittest. Sinclair used great symbolism even by the title of the book.
The novel The Jungle is symbolic to a real jungle. At a first glance a jungle seems like a decent place; a tropical environment, vibrantly colored flowers, lush plants and an abundance of unique animals. The meat packing industry is the same way. On the outside it looks like a place that provides jobs for immigrants and stocks shelves in stores with meat. When a person takes a deeper look, they find out that a jungle and a meatpacking house are a “dog eat dog” business with harsh conditions. The concept of a food chain applies to both jungles. In an actual jungle, the top predator is most feared animal. All of the other animals feed the top predator. The owner of the company is at the top of the food chain. The bosses of the individual industries are like the monkeys. The immigrant workers are the lowest part of the food chain. The immigrants and the bosses “feed” the company owners by making them money. A jungle, such as a rainforest can be hot and humid just as the packing house is in the summer. In both type of jungles there is a fight to stay alive. In an actual jungle it is survival of the fittest. In the meat packing jungle it is the survival of the skilled worker who is willing to work for the least.
Well in the jungle its every animal, or person, for himself.Every person in this book has to work and care for themselves. Animals in a real jungle can go days without food, and in some ways people in this book have "no" food. They don't have alot of food and its not very good food. A jungle is very hot and humid. In this book its very cold. So cold it comes to a point where toes are frozen and your body feels numb. Its a survivial in the book and in real life jungles.
Sinclair uses the word jungle to explain the chaos that is happing to the family in the novel. I also think that he uses the word jungle to describe the workplace. In the first chapter, you already know how bad and disgusting the packing farm was. The chapter describes how the animals were killed and that was bad enough, but as you keep reading through out the chapters you read how the people were killed. The working conditions were awful and some of the workers paid the consciences. One example was when the workmen would cut each other. Because it was so cold outside and so warm inside there was a lot of steam and the men could not see in front of them. What they though was a cow or pig was actually a person and by the time they discovered it, the person was already dead or badly hurt. There were so many ways that the workmen could get hurt and they discovered the secret of the bad meat. The conditions show you that not everything is what it seems to be.
I agree with Lindsay that Sinclair’s jungle demonstrates chaos just like the real jungle. The first few chapters in the novel show a clear example of imagery. The factory has a ton of animals in it. The literal jungle has many animals in it as well. Also, the jungle can be seen as violent and wild. In the novel, the factory that Jurgis works in is a jungle. The factory is very dirty and it is wild in the way they treat their workers. The way they treat their workers is “wild” because it is unpleasant and vile. In the literal jungle usually it is dangerous and scary. Jurgis’ job is a good example of the jungle- like atmosphere, because it is as dangerous as the jungle. The machines and rough working conditions are the main factors that make the factory like the jungle. The Jungle is dangerous because of wild animals and weather. The weather in the real jungle would be the hard working conditions in the novel’s jungle. The wild animals in the real jungle would be the dangerous machines in the novel’s jungle.
Upton Sinclair is demonstrating a jungle in his novel. I think this because the setting can only be described as chaotic, ugly and survival of the fittest. The first couple of chapters in this novel show how they slaughter the animals they make into food. These chapters describe the food chain in a jungle. The highest on this chain is the humans they slaughter and kill and turn into food the less powerful animals. Like the cows. Jungles are never very clean and i think the perfect idea of this represents the factories. The factory Jugis works in is disgusting. He is almost always ankle deep in blood. Also, the jungle is a very dangerous place to be for some animals. For example Jurgis and other immigrants can be considered lower on the food chain then natives. Therefore working conditions are harder for them and animals stronger than them, like people who are American can trick them and deceive them into doing what Americans want. Fore example, when American's sold Jurgis and his family poor quality furniture that broke after the second try. This is how Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle demonstrates a real live, dangerous and filthy jungle.
The Jungle is an interesting title for this book. The only reference to animals is found in the slaughter houses, but if you really think about the jungle, there are lots of similarities to Chicago. Chicago in the early 1900s was a terrifying place. There are too many people and not enough housing. Many people were found living in the streets. When I picture Chicago in the 1900s, I see a dark town. The skies are dark due to all of the pollution from the manufacturing plants. In the jungle, it is nearly impossible to see the sky because of the heavy tree covering. People of all different colors, sizes, and nationalities are everywhere. I relate the people to the variety of animals, big and small, in the jungle. The big animals may represent the business owners and the heads of the slaughter houses. The workers, women, and children can all be considered the small animals. The small animals have no say in how life is for them. They are preyed on by the large animals of the jungle. Violence is a commonly seen event in the jungle. Everything needs to eat, so they prey on whatever they can get their paws on. In Chicago, the workplaces are disgusting and unhealthy. Dede Antanas' job had unsanitary workspace that caused his feet to basically deteriorate. Although the literal meaning of a jungle is nothing like Chicago, it isn't difficult to draw many similarities.
Sinclair does an exceedingly excellent job with imagery. He explained the conditions of living as an immigrant, and the jobs so well that you felt like you were there almost. When he described the slaughter house, it made me nauseous because I could picture everything. I could feel the intense coldness where people’s feet were freezing in the blood, and the refreshing, and disgusting warmth of the carcasses they stuck their feet in. It reminds me of how in the jungle the predators or scavengers would stick their face into their prey to eat. It’s not the prettiest picture. All the conditions that Sinclair described were horrible, and I really disliked picturing myself in the family’s situations, especially in the slaughter house where Jurgis worked. The factory/slaughter house was a jungle all by it’s self with all the organized chaos, and screaming animals. It was a fight to just survive in there, but it was a fight to survive in the rest of the town too. I also believe the many people who manipulated Jurgis, and his family were like the hungry predators of the jungle descending upon it’s helpless victim(s). The Jungle was full of imagery, and symbolism.
When I saw the title of the book I thought it was going to be about a “jungle.” When I think of a jungle I think of a somewhat scarey place, wild animals, forests, and dangers around every corner. Sinclair describes a place that is exactly like a jungle. Packingtown is a jungle. There are dangers around every corner. People died throughout the book. Animals were being slaughtered. Packingtown is a scary place. Sinclair did an excellent job of creating a jungle-like atmosphere. After reading, I think that Sinclair’s Jungle was similar to the jungles that I imagine.
Upton Sinclair is very effective at creating a jungle-like atmosphere in this novel. He uses many examples of symbolism and imagery to do so. The way I see it, Packingtown itself, is the jungle. All of the humans represent the animals and money and jobs are like the animals prey. Packingtown and an actual jungle both live by survival of the fittest, the fittest in the novel being those with the most money. One case of this is when Jurgis injures himself on the job. By the time he is ready to work again, another man has taken his place. There is no sympathy shown towards anyone in Packingtown. It is a dog-eat-dog environment in this cruel town. Every family is for themselves. Another example is when Jurgis and his family are swindled into paying more than expected for a poor quality home. The Lithuanian family is taken advantage of by the salesmen. The salesmen are strong animals of prey that prey on the very weak animals. These examples are extremely effective in giving this novel a jungle-like atmosphere.
Sinclair creates a jungle-like atmosphere in this novel. It is very effective because when I think of a jungle I think of all the animals hunting and competing with each other to survive. That relates to people fighting for jobs in order to keep a roof over their heads and have food on the table. I agree with Katie when she says it’s a “survival of the fittest”. Another thing that comes to mind when I think of a jungle is all of the danger and chaos that occurs. In the novel people are going crazy to find jobs and make money any way that they can. People are scammed and paid unfairly. Also the places that people have to work are like jungles. Jurgis works in a meatpacking plant that isn't safe and is very difficult. People were severely hurt and some killed while working there. It’s chaotic and loud as well. Overall this novel contains many similarities to a jungle and the title fits it very well.
In my opinion, I think Sinclair based this novel on a jungle literally and symbolically. The Jungle is written about an extremely dangerous place and in many instances, so is an actual jungle. The novel placed multiple images in my mind as I continued to read, and although it wasn’t a typical ‘jungle’, it was just as intimidating as one. The people already in America-predators, the immigrants-prey, the city-jungle. The immigrants had a hard time surviving through the times and through the people already living in the cities they were coming to. The city was not a trouble-free, unproblematic place to live in and I’m sure the actual jungle was not either.
The moment I heard “The Jungle” I thought of an order. The lion is the king of the jungle, and the insects and plants act as peons. In between the two, all the animals of the jungle fall into a rank. When Sinclair describes the living conditions and the workers, I ranked them as insects that bend to the will of the corporate lion. The meat packing industry reins as a lion in the jungle with all of the wealth and power over the other animals. The jungle is nothing but chaos with order. The chaos of the jungle is just like the chaos of the workers. They live in deadly and unsanitary conditions, but they are the base. Without the base, the rest of the chaotic order would fall. Eventually, the corporate lion would find new workers to keep the chaos going. With every level on the jungle’s order, there is less and less chaos. That leaves the workers with an unimaginable amount of chaotic stress and labor just to stay alive. Jurgis has to work in the worst of working conditions, but is happy to have a job. Jurgis is a happy worker that pleases the corporate lion, so he will stay and work for as long as he can. The Jungle is an order that brings about greed and chaos, and Sinclair demonstrates that in the novel.
Sinclair gives jungle atmosphere even though the atmosphere is not an actual jungle. The town they move into is based on survival of the fittest which is how the actual jungle works. The people that are in charge at their jobs can do whatever they want with workers wages and such. All the bosses and high powered people are the top of the food change. Then all the lower management are in the middle of the food chain. Lastly come all the workers at the bottom of the food. So the high up people would be the lions or tiger. The lower management would be the birds or a reptile such as a snake or lizard. The workers would either be plants because plants are stepped on and eaten by many creatures or the workers could be the common house fly because they can easily be killed. The high up people do whatever they can to keep from paying the workers. During the winter their first year in the town the high up people would keep them from working for ten minutes or so, for the workers would them only get fifty minutes of work and the boss would say he could not pay the workers because they only worked an hour. This is what I think of Sinclair’s symbolism of the jungle book and the actual jungle.
A jungle is a wild, untamed, lively place. Chicago is not a jungle, but a city. However Sinclair creates a very jungle-like atmosphere in his book, with all the saloons, people waiting to take your money, and people on hand to take your job. Packingtown seems very much like a jungle. In a jungle, the bigger animal eats the smaller animal, and so on until you get all the way up to the king of the jungle. The heads of the packing companies are the kings of this jungle. They have lots of money, and not much to worry about; whereas the workers of the factories are the smaller animals of the jungle. The heads of the companies use up the workers and throw them out, just as a lion eats up a monkey. This system that Packingtown runs on is very similar to the system that a jungle runs on.
Sinclair describes new life in America as a jungle. He describes life with very detailed examples. He describes the horrible conditions in the packing house, and how people’s fingers are in the meat with the cow fetus. Sinclair creates this crazy, chaotic, and dangerous atmosphere just like a jungle. Nothing is organized and everyone is running all over the place. He also describes the conditions in which the family lives in. they are living in terrible conditions. Their house is gilded, and all of the family members will eventually have to work. Although we didn’t read the entire book, I heard the remaining chapters do not go so well for the family. This book does not have a good ending, but it gives clear examples of what life was like back in the early 20th century.
Jungles can have extreme atmospheres. They can be very chaotic. In the book, the weather would get so cold that people in the factory would freeze. That is one crazy atmosphere. Also, the smell was so bad. Jurgis did not seem to mind though. He just acted like the smell was normal. Having blood everywhere, and especially fingers in the meat would be very disgusting. Unfortunately, those kind of accidents happened everyday at meat factories. Sinclair really made the book as close to a jungle as possible.
Much as I hate to be repetitive, I have to run along with the ideas of danger and chaos. In The Jungle, the working conditions were ridiculous. There was always blood, and not only that of the animals, but that of the workers as they injure themselves while doing their jobs. Susceptible not only to injury, but also disease due to the unhealthy and poor conditions they were stuck working under. There's also the deception and gilded aura around everything there. Nothing can really be trusted; nothing is as it seems. The house and furniture, for example, were both lower quality than they'd been advertised as, and the meat, well, that ties in with the first point. It came off like nothing was realistic, but nobody could notice it until they didn't have a choice, creating an air of chaos. There also seems to be a feel of 'only the strong will make it out', as the people who are lower have such terrible conditions whereas those above them appear to have it better.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a jungle I think about forests, animals, and especially chaos. Sinclair made a jungle-like atmosphere by describing everything that went on. All of the screams for animals, the blood everywhere, and people’s fingers and toes were being ripped off. Those descriptions really displayed the jungle theme. Also, Sinclair doesn’t just describe what he sees, but what he smells and feels. The smell was unbearable, but Jurgis could handle it; the room was freezing in the winter and that weakened the workers. When Sinclair writes he really portraits everything well and gets you to feel you’re in the room, like when we find out the meat isn’t clean. In that scene I felt like I was there, being disgusted by the horror. Sinclair’s way of showing the jungle theme is by using imagery to make you think you are in the room with the characters and to make you feel bad for them.
ReplyDeleteUsing symbolism in Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, shows what a great and unique writer he truly is. When thinking of a jungle most people have the same thoughts of a tree and plant infested area, with animals of all sizes and abilities roaming around, thriving to live. He connects The Jungle to these thoughts, by creating visuals of a jungle using people instead of animals. In my opinion, I see the immigrants as the naïve and unsure baby animals in the jungle. They aren’t experienced and taught what to do and how to live yet, so they can only go by what their parent’s show and tell them. The salesmen are like the parents in this example. Jurgis’s family doesn’t know what a good deal is, or where and when to spend his money, so the salesmen persuade and convince them into doing things people normally wouldn’t do. The tree tops in a jungle are usually safe, and crawling with life. The immigrant’s homes are the tree tops. They are the only place they can be themselves and be sure they are safe for the time being. The jungle floor is where all animals are the most vulnerable. I think that the factories and working places of the immigrants are like the jungle floor. The immigrants are all desperate for jobs, so they are forced to go to these unsafe factories, where anything can happen, and anyone can be injured. One specific example that made me think of a real life jungle in this book is when there was a problem at the bank where the family stored their money. There was a huge swarm of people crowding the bank, and it reminded me of a feeding hole in a jungle. The people were like the animals, all trying to get food and water to live, but in this case they were all pushing to get their money.
ReplyDeleteI can relate Sinclair’s novel to an actual jungle because of the dangerous, hectic atmosphere. When I think of a jungle, I picture many different types of animals, various colors, and a dark, dense covering of trees. The scene that Sinclair creates in his novel is very similar to these images. For instance, Jurgis’s family is in great danger, just like they would be in a jungle. People everywhere are trying to take advantage of them and fool them, and their very work threatens their lifestyle everyday. In a jungle, on must always be on guard, in case of an attack. The same was true for the family in Packingtown. At every turn, a new danger awaited them. One example of this appears in chapter 6, when Grandmother Majauszkiene tells the family about how the salespeople who had sold them the house had fooled them. She told them of the fact that their house was not brand new as they had believed, but had actually been occupied by four other families. Grandmother Majauszkiene also told the family that the house was unlucky, and that someone from each family had died in that house. When the old woman told them the bad news, a dark and foreboding atmosphere was created, which is comparable to that of a dense leaf covering in a jungle. Also, the tricky people in the jungle remind me of preying animals. They are always stalking a new prey, in this case the immigrant families. To me, the atmosphere is Sinclair’s book is like a jungle because both have a hectic, dangerous atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteSinclair exercises his great writing abilities by using symbolism. My view of a jungle is a place where it’s over grown and hard to find your way. It also has lots of animals and those animals fight to the death for the best conditions. I think The Jungle is a perfect title for this book because it shows all of those characteristics. The scenery of the jungle is portrayed by the struggles in America. Jurgis’s family is desperately trying to find a shelter but keep getting knocked back with surprises. In a jungle there are numerous surprises and for new immigrants majority of the “surprises” were brutal. Many immigrants came to this country (including Jurgis’s family) thinking they would have a better lifestyle when really their life gets worse. These immigrants stay in order to make a better future for their grandchildren. Their struggles are portrayed like a jungle too. In the sweatshops workers are treated like animals. The factories are filthy and disease ridden. The shops are cold and bloody. The whole time these animals (people) are fighting to the death with well death. Some lose to that battle of death, like man who dies from disease entered by his badly blistered feet, but it’s a jungle, survival of the fittest. Sinclair used great symbolism even by the title of the book.
ReplyDeleteThe novel The Jungle is symbolic to a real jungle. At a first glance a jungle seems like a decent place; a tropical environment, vibrantly colored flowers, lush plants and an abundance of unique animals. The meat packing industry is the same way. On the outside it looks like a place that provides jobs for immigrants and stocks shelves in stores with meat. When a person takes a deeper look, they find out that a jungle and a meatpacking house are a “dog eat dog” business with harsh conditions. The concept of a food chain applies to both jungles. In an actual jungle, the top predator is most feared animal. All of the other animals feed the top predator. The owner of the company is at the top of the food chain. The bosses of the individual industries are like the monkeys. The immigrant workers are the lowest part of the food chain. The immigrants and the bosses “feed” the company owners by making them money. A jungle, such as a rainforest can be hot and humid just as the packing house is in the summer. In both type of jungles there is a fight to stay alive. In an actual jungle it is survival of the fittest. In the meat packing jungle it is the survival of the skilled worker who is willing to work for the least.
ReplyDeleteWell in the jungle its every animal, or person, for himself.Every person in this book has to work and care for themselves. Animals in a real jungle can go days without food, and in some ways people in this book have "no" food. They don't have alot of food and its not very good food. A jungle is very hot and humid. In this book its very cold. So cold it comes to a point where toes are frozen and your body feels numb. Its a survivial in the book and in real life jungles.
ReplyDeleteSinclair uses the word jungle to explain the chaos that is happing to the family in the novel. I also think that he uses the word jungle to describe the workplace. In the first chapter, you already know how bad and disgusting the packing farm was. The chapter describes how the animals were killed and that was bad enough, but as you keep reading through out the chapters you read how the people were killed. The working conditions were awful and some of the workers paid the consciences. One example was when the workmen would cut each other. Because it was so cold outside and so warm inside there was a lot of steam and the men could not see in front of them. What they though was a cow or pig was actually a person and by the time they discovered it, the person was already dead or badly hurt. There were so many ways that the workmen could get hurt and they discovered the secret of the bad meat. The conditions show you that not everything is what it seems to be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsay that Sinclair’s jungle demonstrates chaos just like the real jungle. The first few chapters in the novel show a clear example of imagery. The factory has a ton of animals in it. The literal jungle has many animals in it as well. Also, the jungle can be seen as violent and wild. In the novel, the factory that Jurgis works in is a jungle. The factory is very dirty and it is wild in the way they treat their workers. The way they treat their workers is “wild” because it is unpleasant and vile. In the literal jungle usually it is dangerous and scary. Jurgis’ job is a good example of the jungle- like atmosphere, because it is as dangerous as the jungle. The machines and rough working conditions are the main factors that make the factory like the jungle. The Jungle is dangerous because of wild animals and weather. The weather in the real jungle would be the hard working conditions in the novel’s jungle. The wild animals in the real jungle would be the dangerous machines in the novel’s jungle.
ReplyDeleteUpton Sinclair is demonstrating a jungle in his novel. I think this because the setting can only be described as chaotic, ugly and survival of the fittest. The first couple of chapters in this novel show how they slaughter the animals they make into food. These chapters describe the food chain in a jungle. The highest on this chain is the humans they slaughter and kill and turn into food the less powerful animals. Like the cows. Jungles are never very clean and i think the perfect idea of this represents the factories. The factory Jugis works in is disgusting. He is almost always ankle deep in blood. Also, the jungle is a very dangerous place to be for some animals. For example Jurgis and other immigrants can be considered lower on the food chain then natives. Therefore working conditions are harder for them and animals stronger than them, like people who are American can trick them and deceive them into doing what Americans want. Fore example, when American's sold Jurgis and his family poor quality furniture that broke after the second try. This is how Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle demonstrates a real live, dangerous and filthy jungle.
ReplyDeleteThe Jungle is an interesting title for this book. The only reference to animals is found in the slaughter houses, but if you really think about the jungle, there are lots of similarities to Chicago. Chicago in the early 1900s was a terrifying place. There are too many people and not enough housing. Many people were found living in the streets. When I picture Chicago in the 1900s, I see a dark town. The skies are dark due to all of the pollution from the manufacturing plants. In the jungle, it is nearly impossible to see the sky because of the heavy tree covering. People of all different colors, sizes, and nationalities are everywhere. I relate the people to the variety of animals, big and small, in the jungle. The big animals may represent the business owners and the heads of the slaughter houses. The workers, women, and children can all be considered the small animals. The small animals have no say in how life is for them. They are preyed on by the large animals of the jungle. Violence is a commonly seen event in the jungle. Everything needs to eat, so they prey on whatever they can get their paws on. In Chicago, the workplaces are disgusting and unhealthy. Dede Antanas' job had unsanitary workspace that caused his feet to basically deteriorate. Although the literal meaning of a jungle is nothing like Chicago, it isn't difficult to draw many similarities.
ReplyDeleteSinclair does an exceedingly excellent job with imagery. He explained the conditions of living as an immigrant, and the jobs so well that you felt like you were there almost. When he described the slaughter house, it made me nauseous because I could picture everything. I could feel the intense coldness where people’s feet were freezing in the blood, and the refreshing, and disgusting warmth of the carcasses they stuck their feet in. It reminds me of how in the jungle the predators or scavengers would stick their face into their prey to eat. It’s not the prettiest picture. All the conditions that Sinclair described were horrible, and I really disliked picturing myself in the family’s situations, especially in the slaughter house where Jurgis worked. The factory/slaughter house was a jungle all by it’s self with all the organized chaos, and screaming animals. It was a fight to just survive in there, but it was a fight to survive in the rest of the town too. I also believe the many people who manipulated Jurgis, and his family were like the hungry predators of the jungle descending upon it’s helpless victim(s). The Jungle was full of imagery, and symbolism.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the title of the book I thought it was going to be about a “jungle.” When I think of a jungle I think of a somewhat scarey place, wild animals, forests, and dangers around every corner. Sinclair describes a place that is exactly like a jungle. Packingtown is a jungle. There are dangers around every corner. People died throughout the book. Animals were being slaughtered. Packingtown is a scary place. Sinclair did an excellent job of creating a jungle-like atmosphere. After reading, I think that Sinclair’s Jungle was similar to the jungles that I imagine.
ReplyDeleteUpton Sinclair is very effective at creating a jungle-like atmosphere in this novel. He uses many examples of symbolism and imagery to do so. The way I see it, Packingtown itself, is the jungle. All of the humans represent the animals and money and jobs are like the animals prey. Packingtown and an actual jungle both live by survival of the fittest, the fittest in the novel being those with the most money. One case of this is when Jurgis injures himself on the job. By the time he is ready to work again, another man has taken his place. There is no sympathy shown towards anyone in Packingtown. It is a dog-eat-dog environment in this cruel town. Every family is for themselves. Another example is when Jurgis and his family are swindled into paying more than expected for a poor quality home. The Lithuanian family is taken advantage of by the salesmen. The salesmen are strong animals of prey that prey on the very weak animals. These examples are extremely effective in giving this novel a jungle-like atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteSinclair creates a jungle-like atmosphere in this novel. It is very effective because when I think of a jungle I think of all the animals hunting and competing with each other to survive. That relates to people fighting for jobs in order to keep a roof over their heads and have food on the table. I agree with Katie when she says it’s a “survival of the fittest”. Another thing that comes to mind when I think of a jungle is all of the danger and chaos that occurs. In the novel people are going crazy to find jobs and make money any way that they can. People are scammed and paid unfairly. Also the places that people have to work are like jungles. Jurgis works in a meatpacking plant that isn't safe and is very difficult. People were severely hurt and some killed while working there. It’s chaotic and loud as well. Overall this novel contains many similarities to a jungle and the title fits it very well.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think Sinclair based this novel on a jungle literally and symbolically. The Jungle is written about an extremely dangerous place and in many instances, so is an actual jungle. The novel placed multiple images in my mind as I continued to read, and although it wasn’t a typical ‘jungle’, it was just as intimidating as one. The people already in America-predators, the immigrants-prey, the city-jungle. The immigrants had a hard time surviving through the times and through the people already living in the cities they were coming to. The city was not a trouble-free, unproblematic place to live in and I’m sure the actual jungle was not either.
ReplyDeleteThe moment I heard “The Jungle” I thought of an order. The lion is the king of the jungle, and the insects and plants act as peons. In between the two, all the animals of the jungle fall into a rank. When Sinclair describes the living conditions and the workers, I ranked them as insects that bend to the will of the corporate lion. The meat packing industry reins as a lion in the jungle with all of the wealth and power over the other animals. The jungle is nothing but chaos with order. The chaos of the jungle is just like the chaos of the workers. They live in deadly and unsanitary conditions, but they are the base. Without the base, the rest of the chaotic order would fall. Eventually, the corporate lion would find new workers to keep the chaos going. With every level on the jungle’s order, there is less and less chaos. That leaves the workers with an unimaginable amount of chaotic stress and labor just to stay alive. Jurgis has to work in the worst of working conditions, but is happy to have a job. Jurgis is a happy worker that pleases the corporate lion, so he will stay and work for as long as he can. The Jungle is an order that brings about greed and chaos, and Sinclair demonstrates that in the novel.
ReplyDeleteSinclair gives jungle atmosphere even though the atmosphere is not an actual jungle. The town they move into is based on survival of the fittest which is how the actual jungle works. The people that are in charge at their jobs can do whatever they want with workers wages and such. All the bosses and high powered people are the top of the food change. Then all the lower management are in the middle of the food chain. Lastly come all the workers at the bottom of the food. So the high up people would be the lions or tiger. The lower management would be the birds or a reptile such as a snake or lizard. The workers would either be plants because plants are stepped on and eaten by many creatures or the workers could be the common house fly because they can easily be killed. The high up people do whatever they can to keep from paying the workers. During the winter their first year in the town the high up people would keep them from working for ten minutes or so, for the workers would them only get fifty minutes of work and the boss would say he could not pay the workers because they only worked an hour. This is what I think of Sinclair’s symbolism of the jungle book and the actual jungle.
ReplyDeleteA jungle is a wild, untamed, lively place. Chicago is not a jungle, but a city. However Sinclair creates a very jungle-like atmosphere in his book, with all the saloons, people waiting to take your money, and people on hand to take your job. Packingtown seems very much like a jungle. In a jungle, the bigger animal eats the smaller animal, and so on until you get all the way up to the king of the jungle. The heads of the packing companies are the kings of this jungle. They have lots of money, and not much to worry about; whereas the workers of the factories are the smaller animals of the jungle. The heads of the companies use up the workers and throw them out, just as a lion eats up a monkey. This system that Packingtown runs on is very similar to the system that a jungle runs on.
ReplyDeleteSinclair describes new life in America as a jungle. He describes life with very detailed examples. He describes the horrible conditions in the packing house, and how people’s fingers are in the meat with the cow fetus. Sinclair creates this crazy, chaotic, and dangerous atmosphere just like a jungle. Nothing is organized and everyone is running all over the place. He also describes the conditions in which the family lives in. they are living in terrible conditions. Their house is gilded, and all of the family members will eventually have to work. Although we didn’t read the entire book, I heard the remaining chapters do not go so well for the family. This book does not have a good ending, but it gives clear examples of what life was like back in the early 20th century.
ReplyDeleteJungles can have extreme atmospheres. They can be very chaotic. In the book, the weather would get so cold that people in the factory would freeze. That is one crazy atmosphere. Also, the smell was so bad. Jurgis did not seem to mind though. He just acted like the smell was normal. Having blood everywhere, and especially fingers in the meat would be very disgusting. Unfortunately, those kind of accidents happened everyday at meat factories. Sinclair really made the book as close to a jungle as possible.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I hate to be repetitive, I have to run along with the ideas of danger and chaos. In The Jungle, the working conditions were ridiculous. There was always blood, and not only that of the animals, but that of the workers as they injure themselves while doing their jobs. Susceptible not only to injury, but also disease due to the unhealthy and poor conditions they were stuck working under. There's also the deception and gilded aura around everything there. Nothing can really be trusted; nothing is as it seems. The house and furniture, for example, were both lower quality than they'd been advertised as, and the meat, well, that ties in with the first point. It came off like nothing was realistic, but nobody could notice it until they didn't have a choice, creating an air of chaos. There also seems to be a feel of 'only the strong will make it out', as the people who are lower have such terrible conditions whereas those above them appear to have it better.
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