Comparing Douglass And Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

Their owners and employers have consistently treated slaves and immigrant workers brutally and inhumanely. Even though the mistreatment differs between these tow groups, both slaves and immigrant workers were taken advantage of because of their inability to control their lives. Slaves had no control over their lives since they were actually owned by the plantation owners, while immigrant workers felt that they, too, were enslaved because of their hopeless situations. Social injustice and brutality by the plantation owners and Chicago meat processing industry owners displayed the opportunity to manage and control their slaves and immigrant employees. Narrative by Frederick Douglass and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle both address the horrors …show more content…
He made reference in his text to the cruelty of slavery as an institution, but also to how slavery pertained to politics, law, religion, and social life (). Having lived with several masters, mostly bad, he described the deplorable condition under which he and other slaves lived. His explanation of slaves singing to appear happy to appease their white masters was simply a false impression to whites; he believed this happy appearance was the only way a slave could truly protect himself. “Slaves sing most when they are unhappy. The sons of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears" ( ). Douglass interrupted his narrative often with tales of other slaves’ treatment. Because his Narrative was aimed at Northern white readers, he used these stories to show the extent of cruelty displayed toward slaves. His intent was to emphasize the extent of cruelty and wrongdoing against all slaves. Douglass used his scant education to teach other slaves to read and write. “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free” ( ). However, as his education increased, he changed his mind about educating other slaves; he believed that this learning would cause them greater unhappiness later. After hearing about abolitionists, Douglass wanted …show more content…
They were both treated brutally by industry owners and plantation owners. They were forced to work in harsh conditions for long hours and in dangerous situations. The African American slaves toiled in the fields for long, hot hours to often be rewarded by beatings and humiliations if their master or his overseer did not approve of the work. The immigrant worker at the meatpacking facility worked long hours under dangerous conditions for minimal pay. Both groups, even after the Emancipation Proclamation, a document abolishing slavery, were still enslaved. No matter that Frederick Douglass believed that freedom for all was eminent, the immigrants that followed were also enslaved due to their inability to rise above their situation. Even though government control and unions helped improve their situation, they still felt