"The Jungle"

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Upton Sinclair's 1906 work, "The Jungle", was the most influential expose of a corrupt system that did everything possible to destroy morality and working families. The paper discusses the novel's style and structure and highlights the relevance of this work in the United States today, which is slowly being destroyed by corporate capitalism. The paper explains how problems occur in the capitalist system and also addresses the unfair balance of power where employers pocket record profits while workers are working harder than ever and are being forced into poverty. The paper concludes that while Sinclair's idea that socialism is the solution to the problems of the world may be an oversimplification, his beliefs continue to be highly applicable in today's greed-driven and politically corrupt society.

From the Paper:

"In the current era of political corruption and uncontrolled, predatory corporate capitalism that enjoys the highest levels of profit in history while a large (and increasing) number of American working people are being forced into poverty by an economic system that has been engineered by legislators bought and paid for by Big Business interests, it's worth remembering the United States as a nation as been here twice before. Tragically, history is not a primary subject taught in school any longer, due in large part to "neo-conservative," Reaganist policies and corporate machinations, otherwise we might not now be repeating the tragic period of the "Robber Barons." This period, lasting roughly from 1880 to 1910, was a time of unbridled greed on the part of the upper economic class, who had its foot planted firmly on the neck of the American worker, and was backed then as now by weak-willed legislators who were all too willing to sell out their constituents in exchange for money and power."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dickstein, Morris. "Introduction." The Jungle. Bantam Classic Edition.New York: Bantam, 1981. vii-xi.
• "Latest Phase of the Socialistic Novel. Literary Digest 32, 5 May 1906.
• Reed, Lawrence. "Of Meat and Myth." The Freeman, November 1994.

More papers on "The Jungle":

• Book Review # 93471 : "Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"
• Analytical Essay # 89549 : "Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"
• Book Review # 119163 : "The Role of Capitalism in "The Jungle"
• Persuasive Essay # 72975 : "Stephen Crane's "Maggie" and Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"

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