Exploring The Jungle The True Impact of a Literary...

Literature is a powerful and persuasive tool. History holds the proof that a well-written novel, even a work of fiction, has the power to profoundly impact society. One such novel is Upton Sinclair’s 1906 expose of the American immigrant, infamously titled The Jungle. The story is of the trials and tribulations of a Lithuanian family struggling to earn a living in the slaughterhouses of Chicago. The issues faced by this family are some of the most disturbing fictional depictions of the lower class, and some of the most well-read in the past century. The Jungle, now hailed as a literary masterpiece, is credited with being the reason for the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act of the early 1900’s (Ewers). Though Sinclair’s story†¦show more content†¦Americans were shocked and horrified by Sinclair’s portrayal of the unsanitary conditions of meat packing facilities, of workers losing fingers into the ground beef, of diseased animal carcass es being adulterated with chemicals and sent to market (Abrahamson). Though the story was meant to have a deeper meaning, more specifically a political one, the public was far too disgusted and fascinated by the details of the food they were purchasing than anything else. The uproar that was caused by Sinclair’s supposed research of these factories received the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who performed research of his own that led to the creation of new food inspection acts. The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 put tough restrictions on packing facilities, instituting a system that allowed certified federal meat inspectors to check all carcasses as they traveled throughout the process. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the other act created, and it called for the accurate labeling of all meat products, and gave the government the ability to prosecute plants if they made false claims concerning what was in their meat or were run under unsanitary or unsafe condit ions (Ewers). These acts calmed the public, and it is assumed that meat processing has greatly improved and is still operating efficientlyShow MoreRelatedVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 Pagesthat aspect is change. Nearly every institution of society was affected by rapid and unforeseeable changes.  As some writers greeted them with fear and others embraced the progress, this essay will guide a reader through an important era in English literary history and introduce with the voices that influenced its shape and development. It was the novel that was the leading form of literature in the 19th century England. The term ‘novel’ itself was a simple narrative form, which in opposition to itsRead MoreThe Studio System Essay14396 Words   |  58 Pages1930s the Hollywood film studios undertook a major evolutionary period. The inception of the Hollywood ‘studio system’ was to change the film making process radically. The following essay will examine how these changes took place, and what impact it had on the film making industry in America. We shall also examine how the system relates to the current production methods used in film making. The main issues raised within the text will be summarised concisely within the conclusion