Name: _________________________

from The Jungle

Upton Sinclair

How does time

period affect the authors purpose of a

text?

Describe the 1920s:________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
***
Authors Purpose: ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

On September 20, 1878, Upton Sinclair was born

in Baltimore, Maryland into a poor, lower class
family. His family resided in Baltimore, until their
About the Author: Upton Sinclair
move to New York City when he was ten. After
finishing Columbia University, Sinclair traveled along the Northeast. He married Meta Fuller and
settled down in Princeton, N.J. After publishing many unsuccessful novels, Sinclair began to
write books advocating change through investigative journalism; this practice was called
muckraking. Upon hearing about a job in Chicago to investigate the meat-packing industry, he
moved there to examine the workers conditions. He published his findings in The Jungle, a
novel depicting an immigrant who worked in one of plants.
Although many people thought the aim of The Jungle was to target the unsanitary conditions of
the meat-packing industry, Sinclair was more focused on revolutionizing America into a equal
society. He advocated for the end of wage slavery and a redistribution of wealth.
Nonetheless, his book had a significant impact on society. Instead of helping out the working
class, the book made the public aware that the plants were filthy and dangerous, posing a threat
to the public. Therefore, this made it possible for the federal government to intervene and
regulate the food industry with the passing of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food
and Drug Act of 1906. Even though these acts were passed, change did not occur right away. As
a result, each state and local government passed its own set of rules and health codes to
supplement. In Maryland, most health codes were not passed until 1910 when the legislature
expanded the scope of power of the State Board of Health by creating the State Food and Drug
Commissioner.

During Reading

1. Prediction: Why do you think the guides didnt want to show the
visitors the entire meatpacking factory? (pg. 13)

2. Identification: Underline all the images in the 3rd and 4th paragraph on
page 13.
Draw a picture of what is being described:

3. Inference: Why are the men laughing nervously and the women standing with
their hands clenched? (13)

4. Comprehension: How fast are the men working? (working as if a demon

were after him.) (pg. 14)

5. Comprehension: Describe the government inspectors job. Is he doing his job

well? Why or why not? (pg. 14)

6. Comprehension: How does chemistry and labeling help the production of

meat? (pg. 14)

7. Identification: Underline 3 iamges that shocked you. Be prepared to share

your answers. (pg. 14-15)

8. Comprehension: Describe how working at the meatpacking factory affects the

workers (Elzbita and Ona). (pg. 15)

9. Inference: If the factory was so horrible to work at, why do you think the
workers continued to work there? (pg. 15)

10.Inference: Based on your reading, why do you think Sinclair titled his novel
The Jungle?