Journal entry #1
Up till now I have read to page 32. The book begins with a 15 page introduction before it starts on page #1, so I thought that an introduction that long would be worth reading. It explained a lot about Sinclair life and how he was involved in the Pure Food Act after The Jungle was published. It also explains what The Jungle will be about. It says that Sinclair traveled under cover to meat-packing factories for first-hand experience and studied the environment.
The actual story begins with a wedding celebration for Jurgis and Ona. They are very nervous about paying the bill for the wedding ceremony.
In school I have learned that factories of the 19th century used to provide horrible working conditions for their employees. Assuming that everyone knew this and thought that the conditions should be improved, I would think that the working conditions in the 20th century would be better that those in the past. However, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair firmly challenges my beliefs. When describing the environment of the meat packing town in
Chicago, Sinclair includes true details about it. The sewage puddles and pitch black smoke billowing out of the chimneys of the factories are only a few of the many gross details that I will come upon when reading The Jungle.
This book greatly reminds me of Supersize Me, because this book shows what really happens in the meat-packing factories in
Chicago and Supersize Me demonstrates what really happens when you eat McDonald’s food.