#602 Sinclair's The Jungle

Preparation:

• Homework #602.

Analyze initial inferences:

• Take 3 minutes to start brainstorming to create a chart that identifies items that progressives supported, were divided on, or opposed.

Category:	Progressives supported:	Progressives were divided on:	Progressives opposed:
Examples:	Environmental conservation	Socialism	Child labor

Food industry today:

The clip above is from Food, Inc. (2008). For reference, you can watch the entire documentary on Netflix here or find it in the library: 338.4766 F73.

Discussion on Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1905):

• In the following discussion, my primary role will be to chart your discussion. I will ask the first question and intervene as needed. The specific items I will record are instances where students…
  • Ask a provocative question.
  • Refer specifically to the text.
  • Make a notable insight.
  • Advance the conversation
  • Make a meaningful connection.
  • Veer off-topic.
  • Make inferences based only on conjecture.
  • Dominate or disrespect.
• Questions for discussion:
  • Identify similarities you observe between Food, Inc. (2008) and The Jungle (1905). Differences?
  • Most of the text we read is simply descriptive. What do you think are his key arguments? Identify particular points in the text to support your conclusions.
  • Who was Sinclair's audience? 
  • President Theodore Roosevelt initially dismissed Sinclair as a “crackpot.” However, after reading book, he sent federal investigators to look into the Chicago meatpacking industry. The 1906 Neill-Reynolds Report confirmed allegations in Sinclair’s book, and the same year the Pure Food and Drug Act led to what is known today as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). How would you evaluate Roosevelt’s response? Which concerns raised by Sinclair did it address?
    
  • Explain what Sinclair meant when he said “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Do you think his book was successful? Why or why not?
  • Before Food, Inc., the book Fast Food Nation (2002) recounted:
    
    • "Lacerations are the most common injuries suffered by meatpackers, who often stab themselves or stab someone working nearby. Tendinitis and cumulative trauma disorders are also quite common. Meatpacking workers routinely develop back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and 'trigger finger' (a syndrome in which a finger becomes frozen in a curled position); Indeed, the rate of these cumulative trauma injuries in the meatpacking industry is far higher than the rate in any other American industry. It is roughly thirty-three times higher than the national average in industry."
    • With so much public attention on these issues would you speculate that these issues have been addressed by legislation like they were at the turn of the last century? Why or why not?
  • How would you recommend addressing the ongoing issues in the meatpacking industry today? What are the advantages and disadvantages of encouraging individual action (going vegetarian or researching industry practices) or passing federal legislation?

Homework: #603.