Upton Sinclair's Accomplishments

Improved Essays
“And we shall organize them, we shall drill them, we shall marshal them for the victory! We shall bear down the opposition, we shall sweep if before us—and Chicago will be ours! Chicago will be ours! CHICAGO WILL BE OURS!” Persuading people to accept socialism was Upton Sinclair’s purpose when he wrote The Jungle, a third person narrative story written about a fictional family in the oh-so very realistic world of Chicago. “I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Said Upton Sinclair. This specific quote was referring to Sinclair’s book The Jungle. The Jungle was Sinclair’s most well-known, controversial, misunderstood, yet successful attempt to identify and expose social injustices and promote his activist beliefs on socialism. Upton Beall Sinclair, Jr’s Life began on September 20, 1878, in Baltimore. As the young Sinclair grew he was exposed to two very different lifestyles due to his father’s hardships in financials and his mother’s wealthy family. This gave Sinclair a taste of both worlds providing strong foundation for credibility in most of his later writing.
When he was ten years old he left to New York City as a student and a gifted writer. Later, fourteen-year-old Sinclair began education at College of the City of
…show more content…
Sinclair’s belief? Socialism was great in his eyes and he wanted the public to think that too so of course The Jungle reflected on Socialism’s pros. The writing in The Jungle also reflected on his observation of the corruption of society at the time. Although gut wrenching and somewhat terrifying The Jungle was the truth and Sinclair made sure of that with his research and time spent studying the matters in Chicago. His dedication and heart that he put into the book, along with the horrid truth, sold this book and the ideals it expressed. Sinclair’s other books were quite similar in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    (Sinclair 1906). The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, was intended to show the plight of immigrant workers in the meatpacking industry of Chicago. Sinclair wanted to show how capitalism had failed and that socialism was the only way to solve the problems of the American worker. However, the American public centered their concerns on the awful conditions that meat was processed and how unsanitary, contaminated, and rotten meat was making their way to American stores.…

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The interwar period between 1919 and 1939 was one of the most interesting and understudied periods for the American working-class in shaping America as we know it today. Lizabeth Cohen’s Making a New Deal draws our attention to workers in the city of Chicago during this period, and their interactions with the modern bastions of the American life, capitalism and democracy. This paper will aim to summarise Cohen’s story of the working-class within the communities of Chicago during this period. The working-class experience of American capitalism and democracy was a new one for many in 1919, particularly as the immigrant population made up the vast majority of the workforce.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a great book that gives the reader and insight of how life was for people with low income, foreigners and also how females and men were looked upon as. Sinclair signals how people that come from poor class are treated and also taken advantage of. Racism is also shown to foreigners, they are looked at as if they were animals. Sexism is shown when women are taken advantage and unable to say or do anything for their own safety.…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Sinclair uses a series of grotesque imagery in order to expose the corruption that was going on in the meat packing industries. By doing this he hoped that people would start taking precautions and caring about the products their foods contained. This was aimed more towards the middle class people as they were the only ones who could really do something. The lower class were too poor and the higher class only made decisions that were in their best interest.…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Jungle And Socialism

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Upon Sinclair was an American Novelist that wrote The Jungle in 1906. Sinclair’s novel portrayed harsh conditions and abused lives if immigrants in Chicago. The book illustrates working class poverty, lack of social support and unpleasant living and work conditions causing hopelessness among many workers. Sinclair wrote The Jungle to promote socialism. The issue that caught attention of the public was the horror of the meat packing industry.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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…

    • 1196 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Upton Sinclair's’ book the Jungle, is based over the Gilded Age in history. In the Gilded Age things did not appear as it seemed. For example the meat packing industry was very disgusting and the bosses hid those types of things from the public. In the story Sinclair writes about a family that are immigrants who are trying to survive in the inner parts of Chicago. The family gets cheated out of everything and nothing rarely ever goes their way.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetoric In The Jungle

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The text states, “There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about it. It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats.” She also states, “He was working in the steaming pit of hell; day after day, week after week.” The imagery here is perfect it is just the certainty that the audience only feel one type of way after reading, “The Jungle.” The audience only felt condolence toward the family, that is why I conclude that Catt’s “Address to Congress on Women’s Suffrage” was more effective because Sinclair only made me feel sad whereas Catt made me think, and feel…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most influential, wise, and controversial presidents in U.S. history. From a Dakota hunter and ranger, to a New York police commissioner, and nevertheless to the President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt lived an amazing life. His policies and decisions for the country come into play and affect us even today. Born into a rich family in 1858 in New York City, Roosevelt had a good start in life.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is an accurate presentation of United States history during the early twentieth century because it correctly depicts the exploitation of the poor working class and eventual shattering of dreams by the wealthy capitalists through: the political corruption such as the party bosses’ constant rigging of elections, the harsh labor conditions and cheating of wages put on workers, and the constant injustices and swindling that the working class endured. Sinclair portrays the twisted influence of political machines during the Progressive era in The Jungle. For example, when the main character Jurgis gets out of Bridewell Prison, he begins to work for Mike Scully (a corrupt Democrat) by joining a union that does not…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Of all the muckrakers, Upton Sinclair stands out as the greatest muckraker of the Progressive Era due to his unique perspective, passion for honest journalism, and ability to influence more social change than perhaps any authors before him. His willingness to put even his reputation on the line for the sake of exposing the truth to the public and his overcoming his upbringing makes him an admirable figure in American literature. His tireless activism and attempts to right the wrongs of society had far-reaching impacts that still affect us today. Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20, 1878 to his father of the same name and his mother, Priscilla. From his very earliest days, his life was fraught with dichotomies that…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The novel, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is about the life of people working in factories in Chicago during the early twentieth century. After the first two chapters, the story begins with Ona and Jurgis' wedding in a bar in Packingtown, Chicago. Both Ona and Jurgis are Lithuanian immigrants who came to America for a better future. So far the main characters are depicted as hardworking and caring people. The story began with a happy and easy going mood, yet soon to discover the horrors of their life in Packingtown.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nick Bauer Mrs. Gerdes English 3 29 March 2017 Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was one of the greatest African American advocates of all time. He contributed more to the Harlem Renaissance than imaginable. He changed the world through poetry. He brought empowerment to people, but especially black women and men.…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Upton Sinclair Case Study

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Hi Jasmin, I also have the same perception as you do to why President Roosevelt decided not to help Upton Sinclair in his campaign. As you mentioned, I can see why Roosevelt was not motivated or wanting to have any involvement whatsoever to supporting Upton Sinclair for California Governor. Instead, FDR was focus, concerned and determined to developing his "New Deal," to help in aiding and pulling the country out of the Depression. You mentioned the End Poverty in California (EPIC) helped to influence the American people in supporting SInclair to victory in his campaign. Why was this so?…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ambrose Bierce: A Strange Writer Ambrose Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 and died in the year of 1914 in Mexico. He was an American writer, poet, and journalist. His death is a mystery. The people in his time period reported that he disappeared without a trace. All investigations were proven wrong and people at that time period came up with many stories that other people found incredible and false.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays