Exce rpt fro m The Jun gle
Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) was a fam ous twentieth century poet who often experim ented with di5 erent
genres. , published in 1906, exposed the harsh conditions of the m eatpacking industry in
Chicago and other sim ilar industrial cities. Public pressure during the afterm ath of the book’s publication
led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act, which helps ensure that m eat is packaged under sanitary
conditions. As you read the text, take notes on Sinclair's use of im agery and tone in describing the
conditions of the m eatpacking industry.
"Chicago Meat Inspection 1906" by H.C. White Co. is in the public
dom ain.
Appara tu s (noun)
Ca pa city (noun)
Answer the Reading Comprehension Questions below:
1. How does the phrase “they use everything of the pig except the squeal” (Paragraph 1) contribute to the
central ideas of the text?
A. The phrase refers to the meatpacking industry’s use of the entire animal, even non-meat parts, thus
contributing to the central idea of American ingenuity.
B. The phrase refers to the meatpacking industry’s use of animals, even spoiled meat and non-meat
parts, thus contributing to the central idea of the industry’s corrupt and unsanitary nature.
C. The phrase refers to the meatpacking industry’s terrible treatment of its livestock, thus contributing
to the central idea of the industry’s corrupt and cruel animal-raising practices.
D. The phrase refers to the meatpacking industry’s mistreatment of its employees, taking advantage of
them and leaving only their voice, thus contributing to the central idea of the employees exposing
the horrors of the industry.
2. In what conditions did the employees work or interact with the meat?
A. The employees mostly worked in ignorance of the horrible conditions of the rest of the industry.
B. The employees worked in poor conditions, but this was largely due to their own inability to keep
themselves and their workplaces clean.
C. The employees worked in squalid conditions, working among disease and rats and lacking the
facilities to even wash their hands.
D. The employees worked in pretty bad conditions, working with spoiled meat, but they did not
understand that these practices were hazards.
3. PART A: Why did the factory likely employ such questionable practices?
A. Because the factory had no ethical issue in deceiving the public; they were interested in making as
much money as possible
B. Because there was no regulation to tell them that these were morally wrong practices.
C. Because they were confident that no inspection or employee would reveal their secrets.
D. Because they had no way of getting rid of the spoiled meat in an environmentally safe way.
4. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “In the pickling of hams they had an ingenious apparatus, by which they saved time and increased
the capacity of the plant....” (Paragraph 2)
B. “To pump into these the packers had a second and much stronger pickle which destroyed the odor
—a process known to the workers as “giving them thirty per cent.”” (Paragraph 2)
C. “It was only when the whole ham was spoiled that it came into the department of Elzbieta. Cut up by
the two-thousand-revolutions- a-minute flyers, and mixed with half a ton of other meat, no odor
that ever was in a ham could make any difference.” (Paragraph 3)
D. “All of their sausage came out of the same bowl, but when they came to wrap it they would stamp
some of it "special," and for this they would charge two cents more a pound.” (Paragraph 5)
The Jungle - H.I.P.P and How Practice
Historic Question: What impact did Muckrakers (like Upton Sinclair) have on the Progressive Era?
Questions to Consider Response
This document was written by Upton Sinclair in 1905.
At the time this document was created, during the
Progressive Era. At that time, the meat food safety
- When was this document written? problem was very serious, At that time, the meat food
- What was happening at the time? safety problem was very serious. A large number of low-
- How might this impact the content
quality meat, rotten meat, and non-meats entered canned
H: Historical or reliability of the document?
meat and other meat foods and were sold and eaten. This
Context
“At the time this document was created...” may affect the reliability, because the author personally
“This might impact the content/reliability entered the meat processing plant and worked there for
because…” several months, observed, investigated, and talked with
the workers, so the reliability of this document is very
high.
- Who was this document created
for?
- Did the author intend for the public
or a specific group or person to read
this document?
- Could the author’s message change
This document is written to all the American public
I: Intended based on their audience?
Audience - HINT: The answer will NEVER be because he wants more Americans to see this book so
you! that he can sell more books and make more money.
“This document was originally addressed
to…”
“This document might show bias
towards…”
- Why or for what reason was Sinclair wanted to expose the poor working conditions
this source produced?
and poor treatment faced by new immigrants to the
P: Author’s - What was the author’s goal?
United States during this period. But people paid more
Purpose
“The author wanted to...” attention to meat food safety issues, which also led to the
“The author wrote this because...” passing of the new meat inspection law.
- Can you identify an
important aspect of WHO the
author is and HOW this might have
As a socialist, he believed that capitalism was bad, so he
impacted what they wrote (i.e. exposed the problem that big companies often abuse their
family, job, religious views, workers. He is also a muckraker, so he also uses his
P: Point of political views)? works to borrow the unreasonable and dark side of
View - Can you identify something society. This document attempts to expose poor working
that influenced the author or conditions and attack capitalism, but it also exposes the
source and how this may impact unsanitary conditions of meat packaging and attracts
the content?
“Because this author was influenced by…
greater attention.
the document portrays…”
What impact did Muckrakers (like Upton Sinclair) have on the Progressive Era? (answer the question using the
document and assessing one relevant aspect of HIPP).
Muckrakers had a very big impact on the reforms of the Progressive Era, he has had a great impact on some
aspects of reform, and his works and voices have pushed the government to take action more quickly.
Multiple Choice Answer Key:
1. B
2. C
3. A
4. D
