Week Three - The Rise of the City and the Battle for Reform
Share an idea or two from this week's reading. What was most interesting to you? What was most strange? How does the reading this week fit into issues and discussions we have had in this class?
The one thing that stuck with me from "The Jungle" was when it's described that the single men Jurgis worked with went to the bar after work, while he was expected to "bring home every penny." It really got me thinking that during this time, when very few people were skilled, was not a good time for families. No one really had hope except for single men and women, but was this better? To be alone in a time where you couldn't escape your surroundings. For these single men the only escape they really had was drinking, unfortunately Jurgis could not escape that way because of his family. And he couldn't escape the worries of the world through his family because they were in such a bad and needy state.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said and even today, we see single adults and even teens using alcohol as an escape and it is becoming an increasingly greater issue amongst individuals within society.
DeleteI found it very interesting that Ona's boss was blackmailing her to become a prostitute. But Ona doesn’t want Jurigs to know because she knows that he will overreact but Jurgis does end up figuring it out and goes to find Connor and tackles him. The other workers got Jergis off of Connor and took him to the police station. Juris then goes to jail. He doesn’t mind prison which I found interesting because he compares it to his job meaning that he doesn’t notice a big difference with his job compared to prison. In “The Jungle” it also talks about how the women started getting paid 50 cents less so they went on strike although they just started losing their jobs so strike didn’t work for the women back then, the reading fits to our discussion in class because we discussed the great railroad strike of 1877 where the wages of the workers were cut so therefore they went on strike.
ReplyDeleteI loved how Jurgis brought his family to America to try and give them a better life. He thought he was doing the right thing at the time, but once he got to America everything started changing for the worse. He was not a white man so he was getting the benefits like the other races at that time. He lost his wife during childbirth and his son. Jurgis thought he has doing the right thing by bringing his family to America at the time, and maybe it was but he lost a lot when coming into America and didn't get treated fairly or had the "Freedom" he thought that America was suppose to bring to people. In my opinion that is very upsetting and so unfair that people had to go through that and are still going through that today.
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ReplyDeleteI found that a really interesting part of this week’s reading was the character contrast between Jurgis and Jokubas. Jurgis is this naive individual who still believes in the idea of the American Dream and although he has an unpleasant job, he looks at it optimistically and remains committed to the value of labor. Jokubas, on the other hand, is more experienced than Jugis and due to such experience, he no longer believes in the American Dream because all he sees now is the corruption within society. Another interesting part was when Tamoszius explains the hierarchy of the workforce to Jurgis. He says, “Here was Durham's, for instance, owned by a man who was trying to make as much money out of it as he could, and did not care in the least how he did it; and underneath him, ranged in ranks and grades like an army, were managers and superintendents and foremen, each one driving the man next below him and trying to squeeze out of him as much work as possible. And all the men of the same rank were pitted against each other; the accounts of each were kept separately, and every man lived in terror of losing his job, if another made a better record than he” (Sinclair, Chapter 5). I find this part intriguing because even though this piece was written over 100 years ago, such hierarchy still exists in today’s society and we see it in class as we learn that class division and hierarchy are the main reasons for many of the events we discuss.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Jungle”, what I found most interesting was how the main character Jurgis, said that because he worked hard he thought he would have been able to advance in his position. In reality, he said it was the “knaves” who got the promotions. This fact is sad to me in that those who are working hard should be rewarded for that. They should be the ones getting the promotion. But then again, this also shows the reality of how unfairly immigrants were treated in America. Many immigrants came here looking for freedom, but were only met with pain and hardships. I feel like they deserved so much better.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how Jurgis's perception of his job changed. He begins to understand that moving to the United States might be a different experience than he thought. As he does his work duties throughout the work day, he realizes that every day "he was working in the steaming pit of hell." I found it strange though that Jurgis was first excited for the horrible job he received and the horrible conditions he worked in. As an immigrant coming to America, he must've expected better living and working conditions. But he and his family dealt with many struggles in order to survive. It probably wasn't the change of lifestyle he was expecting. In class we talked about how the Chinese came to America in order to live in better conditions, but instead they were mistreated. I think this has to do with "The Jungle" because it shows how immigrants had to struggle with many situations just to survive.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how we can relate Jurgis's decision of bring his family to America to individuals of today's society. Jurgis comes here thinking that he can accomplish the American Dream and create a better life for his family and his self. America today has over 750,000 immigrants that are a part of the DACA program. These immigrants’ parents brought them to America as children in pursuit of the American Dream. 91% of these immigrants currently hold a job in America but still can face deportation due to lawmakers. Similar to Jurgis immigrants today face many more obstacles just to survive. Immigrants come to America and out work some individuals that are citizens but still cannot succeed. Every day they have to continue to jump through hurdles such as rules and regulation while earning a way to provide the essential needs of humans.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting was how well Sinclair captured the faith many immigrants had in the American Dream. Jurgis brought his family to America in hopes of a better life, and remained optimistic for as long as he could. Even when employed with the horrible job of sweeping entrails, he was ecstatic to be bringing money home to his family. Despite working hard, Jurgis and other family members were often cheated and unknowingly subjected to scams. Today, many immigrants still come to this country in hopes of the "American Dream", but just like Jurgis and his family, they are not always treated with the same respect as other citizens.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Jungle”, Upton Sinclair portrays many of the struggles that immigrants face, however one stood out to me. When they went to sign the contract and buy the house, they had to take a translator with them. They did not have much knowledge about “legal jargon.” When he read them the contract uneasiness settled upon the family, for the contract only talked about the down payment and then the monthly rent. They did not see where it talked about the actually purchase of the house. This is what scared them; they knew it was more than likely that they were being scammed. They entrusted in a lawyer, but were mortified when they found out that the agent and the lawyer knew each other. The lawyer said everything was right with the contract, and knowing that they could not be disrespectful, they proceeded in buying they house despite their uncertainties. This goes to show the hardships that the immigrants were faced with when buying property.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stuck out in "The Jungle" was how the family became numb to the work. As time progressed, each of the adults started to shut down, becoming set on a particular routine. Jurgis broke this routine by starting to drink, which led to his realization that in spending all of his money on alcohol he had doomed his family somewhat. He began to be followed by what he called a specter, his interpretation of his addiction. Soon after, his family starts to get sick, further fueling his guilt.
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ReplyDeleteThe most interesting portion of the reading to me was when Jurgis expressed that because he was a married man with a family that his expectations were higher than a single man. This is interesting because it shows the difference in responsibility between those two types of men. Jurgis has more responsibility as the money he makes has to support his household, which goes back to his decision to bring his family to America in search for a better living. Although as time progresses Jurgis and Onna realize that it was only the opposite, that they were not making enough for a good living they only made the bare minimum to pay for expenses. This quote stuck out to me the most, "They played the game and lost." The game being life as they played it in which they thought would rule in their favor; although it only backfired as the outcome was different that what they hoped for. This also expresses that within life you have to take chances, that it is not always certain which is why it is compared to a game because you win some you lose some. The strange part was that they took no action they settled for such misery, although it goes back to life being a game as they were in a rough time were they would've had to risk everything if they spoke up. This makes me think upon the Railroad strike of 1877 as the people of the strike were suffering the same issues as they believed they deserved higher wages. Although the difference is those people took action and did something about the treatment but without the unity of the people the strike wouldn't have be successful. This action was very skeptical as it was either going to be a success or major loss.
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ReplyDeleteOne thing that struck to me about "The Jungle" is that when the family was looking at the house to purchase, even though the house had many issues with it, they were willing to settle for it because of money limitations. It was great reading how a man would do anything, work as hard as he can to provide for his family with a simple house, not the best house but just a simple house even when facing such great poverty.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting in "The Jungle" was that Sinclair went into describing the meat packing industry and how grotesque the working conditions were. The meat packing industry were tricking the public into buying what they assumed to be quality meat, and while some of it was, lunch meats and boneless hams were just spoiled and rotten pieces of meat that could've possibly been dropped on the floor. Sanitary wasn't an issue for those companies. Jurgis and the majority of his family that worked in some part of the meat packing industry became so mentally and physically exhausted from working in those conditions. The conditions became so bad for Jurgis' family that they became silent and so exhausted they could barely lay in their beds at the end of the day. Even Jurgis, who was a tremendous family man, resulted in drinking and hating his family and wife, describing himself as a slave and wishing he was never married so he never had to provide for a family.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading, The Jungle, I found most interesting how the struggles faced in the novel strongly relate to the struggles that immigrants face in modern society. When a person of family moves to America to live the "American Dream", they are faced with many troubles and hard times that they must overcome to live a happy life, and create a happy life for future generations in their family. Some of those obstacles may even be seen as unfair. In the novel, the author goes about portraying this unfairness extremely which really caught my attention. The fact that Jurgis was happy with his extremely low pay rate in the beginning of the reading really shocked and confused me. But it is understandable at the same time because he has a family that he needs to support and provide for, so he will take what he can get.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting in "The Jungle", was the way the immigrant situation was portrayed. I think that it really relates to the times we are facing in the country right now. In the beginning of the excerpt, Jurgis is unbelievably happy just to have a job. Even though his job is sweeping up the inards of a dead animal. Regardless, he is still ecstatic to have a paying job to support his family. I think that this idea is still very in modern America. Immigrants are so often given the jobs that no one else wants to do and put up with it because it is some kind of income. It is sad to think that so many years later not much has changed.
ReplyDeleteWhat intrigued me the most was the fact that there was a complete different dark side of the workplace. There was so much corruption in this time period, I could not imagine how i would feel in these working environments. From working in a meat factory with no health or safety regulation, to prostitution, and blackmailing happening at work. This book also displays an example of what the poverty and lower class had to go through during this time period. It was very exhausting, with a sense of hopelessness for the whole community.
ReplyDeleteThe jungle really gave me so much to think about and changed my perspective on labor work. What was really interesting to me was the fast that nobody really knew what was happening in this work places. Everyone just assumes that things are great and that nothing can happen that's bad. All the disgusting things that are been put into the meat. The unsanitary places these people have to work in.
ReplyDeleteThe most strange things to me was everything people had to do to keep up with their lives. The hours these poor people had to work. There was never enough money for anything they had so many bills they had to pay that it was just never enough. This reading fits into the class lesson because we learn about the strikes people were doing because of the work they didn't agree with anymore.
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ReplyDeleteI found most interesting that, when compared to what little plight I may or may not have, that it paled in comparison to what Jurgis and his family went through. Unsanitary and exhausting working conditions did little to deter them. Eventually, they were finally in such a situation in both money and courage to purchase a home. The home, while still an improvement to their living arrangements prior to purchase, was not what was described to them. Still, they were grateful for the little they had. With the chips stacked so highly against them they were bound to do as much as they could, with as little as they had, for as long as they could. Starting anew in a country that already had structures in place that kept certain social classes from advancing was a titan of an obstacle. While it was far from uplifting, their ambition was at the very least inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThroughout American history the notion of the American dream is mentioned frequently. Juris and his family came to America with the hope of fulfilling the American dream. They wished for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They believed that with a little hard work America could make their dreams a reality. Little did they know the American dream was just that a dream. Their families lives were taken by the injustices of the country, Dede Antanas was quite literally killed by his working conditions. The families freedom was taken away when they were given no choice but to work and live in meager conditions. The work the family did crushed their spirits. Their powerlessness to improve their current living and working situation ended their hopes for happiness.
ReplyDeleteFrom the excerpt "The Jungle", I can say the most interesting thing about the reading was his determination and thoughts on working with the railroads. At the beginning, when he kept his spirit high, being so happy about getting a couple cents every hour just to support his family was very touching. He stayed focus on finishing his work and knew he could do it without worrying about what the others could do. What I thought was strange was how he and his family would try not to think about the negatives about the house and other things. Jurgis wanted his family to live better and since there are many items his family didn't have before, I guess it makes sense why they would choose the house anyway. It sort of fit by the fact that with having some bit of freedom, there's always going to be someone that's going to ruin things for them. Like the housing agent, he had no sympathy for them being poor, he just wanted there money for his financial gain. And how they discussed "scabs" with the railroad situation and how those who either do not keep up or refrain from working can quickly be replaced by someone who would like the money.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, this book was a good read, definitely kept turning the pages, but the struggle that they faced was depressing. Initially, Jurgis just kinda shrugged off the nay-sayers, because in his eyes, America still had a lot for him to offer. His 'interment' hadn't really been finalized in his head yet. It was extremely disheartening to see how they, as immigrants, were taken advantage of in their early, formidable time as foreigners. I researched into the book and I believe it was a way to spread socialism, but instead it opened the eyes of Americans at the time. The absolutely horrid work environment was killing the dream of so many Americans, the dream they were entitled to and told of. The fact that drinking and drugs were their only respite besides death was a common theme throughout the excerpts and you could really see how it negatively played out.
ReplyDeleteThese are just a few things I gathered from "The Jungle." As a group, Jurgis’s family was very poor. Their family consisted of twelve members. They rented a flat together, but Jurgis found an opportunity to buy a house instead of renting one. The family had just enough money left over from their journey to America to put a down payment on the house. They had very cramped living conditions.
ReplyDeleteWhile the family is poor and they all work low level jobs, they make the best out of their situation. Jurgis, specifically, is very happy with his job. He even learns that other people who work on the killing floor hate their job, and he can’t fathom why. Antanas comes home after a few days at work, and he explains that he hates his job. His Job consists of cleaning out traps where waste is kept from the leftover been taken out of vats for canning. In the slaughter house, the work conditions can be very bad. It was eye opening to me how they, as immigrants, viewed America. They came to America for opportunity, and a new way of life. It seems like they inevitably faced the reality that not everything was exactly the same as what was explained to them before their journey. Life in America would prove to be hard.
What I found interesting about "The Jungle" was Jurgis' character. He was a hard working man and would do anything to provide and to make a better life for him and his family. There are a lot of men in our society today who are lazy and does not have the same mindset as Jurgis does. It is sad how we Americans have become so spoiled. There are immigrants coming to our country with good intentions, head strong and hard working. They come to live a better life and with that they are motivated and that is how Jurgis' character was. I was also shocked at the beginning of reading this because he was so excited to have made only a dollar and some change. You could really tell the difference between life then and now because then that was a lot of money to them. I loved this reading because it proved that not everything is easy and you have to go through some obstacles to get to where you want to be in life.
ReplyDeleteWhat really upset me about The Jungle was the conditions of the meat factories. Every process they described was absolutely repulsive. The description of the smell of rotten meats and how they would pump the hog full of juice to hide the smell made my stomach churn. The worst part, though, was probably the rats. The image of all these dead rats laying on top of a pile of meat, being shoveled into an meat processor, rat and all, was too much for me. I don't understand how people didn't notice what they were eating. I couldn't image meat mixed with poison, rats, and feces could taste very good. If I were Jurgis, I'd probably become an alcoholic too after having to see that every day.
ReplyDeleteThe working conditions for Jurgis and his family members were harsh and they are all put out to hard work in unsafe conditions. This can be said even more so in the winter time as Jurgis risks his safety and health in the slaughter house because he can’t see and the animals sometimes run amuck due to bad job conditions. Not only that but the bosses of their jobs care very little of their wellbeing and over plagued by corruption. This can be shown when a boss of the pickling factory offers Jurgis’s father a job only if he pays him a third of his salary which he accepts and ends up killing him due to the working places unsanitary conditions.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing that I read from the Jungle were the horrendous working conditions that immigrants had to work through, and the large disadvantage that immigrants had live through. The descriptions of the conditions of the factories that the main characters worked in described factory conditions that would be unacceptable today and were likely to cause illness to people who worked in these conditions. The reading further elaborates on the poor working conditions of immigrants such as how the Chinese were treated while creating the railroad.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing I found from "The Jungle" was the cycle that went on. Jurgis and his wife get swindled by con men. As the story progresses, Jurgis faces several hardships that end up changing him. The basis of his turn to crime all started with the horrendous living and working conditions that he had to endure as he and his family started their lives in America. As the conditions worsened, so did their chances to become successful, ultimately turning Jurgis down the path he would have never taken before. In the end, Jurgis turned into a con man, preying on others like he was preyed upon.
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