The Jungle Essay Research Paper The Jungle 2 — страница 3

appeal for food legislation, he later stated, ?I aimed at the public?s heart and by accident I hit their stomach? (2). Readers didn?t care about the political philosophy imbedded in his message, what got them was the revolting details about the meat they were eating. After the release of The Jungle, a parody on a familiar childhood rhyme appeared in the press. It read: ?Mary had a little lamb, And when she saw it sicken, She shipped it off to Packingtown, And now it?s labeled chicken? (Cook 116) . The novel was a best seller and led, partly because President Theodore Roosevelt reacted to it by setting in motion a government investigation, to federal meat inspection and the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act. Roosevelt read the book. He was horrified at the books descriptions

of the packing houses. Thus, he instructed the Secretary of Agriculture and a commissioner of the Department of Labor to investigate Sinclair?s? story. The two-commission reported that The Jungle did not misrepresent the deplorable conditions of the industry? (Miller 5)It wasn?t easy to pass the two bills, because the packing industry kept striking back viciously. The packing industry was able to win some favorable publicity by printing a series of articles in The Saturday Evening Post saying that the packing industry only produced the purest and finest of meats. Roosevelt?s inspectors confirmed Sinclair?s descriptions so Roosevelt could convince Congress to pass an act. Roosevelt?s investigating commissioners were able to get Mrs. Bloor to help them get in touch with potential

witnesses, who were able to confirm some of Sinclair?s allegations. The bill was quickly passed and signed by the President. Even though bills were passed, they weren?t enforced to the point where it made a huge difference. It did make a difference but diseased meat was still appearing on the city markets. The bills did not pierce the thickest skulls and most leathery hearts among the meat packers, but it had its effect on the American people. Meat sales were cut in half, because of the bills. ?No other American novel, before or since, has produced such fast action? (Fischer 1). Since 1906, many debates have been made about the specifics of food and drug regulation, but never any serious suggestion that the two laws should be repealed. In conclusion, Sinclair was able to show how

meatpacking was hell on earth, and how revolting some of the meat was that was sent out into the public. The owners of the meatpacking industries didn?t care if anybody got sick or died by eating or preparing the meat all they cared about was their money. They had so much money that they were able to pay off inspections just to protect their industry. They would do anything just for their money. That just goes to show the reader what kind of world this world is turning into, a greedy one, a world where the inhabitants would do anything to please their needs or wants. We as a society need to learn how not to be so materialistic and how to respect other people. Aryes, Jeff. Conditions in Meatpacking Plants, 1906.

http://galenet.gale.com/a/acp/netacgi/nph-brs?d=DTCU&s1=Condition. Gale Group, 1999 Cook, Fred. The Muckrakers. Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1972 Frakes, Jordan. ?Summary.? http://www.kirasto.sci.fi/sinclair.htm. 1995 Garraty, John. ?101 More Things Every College Graduate Should Know About American History.” American Heritage, December 1987. Grall, Jessica. ?Meat-Packing Horrors.? http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/literature/Sinclair. Sunsite Inc., 1998 Lee, Rick. Upton Sinclair Exposes U.S. Meat-Packing Conditions. http://galenet.gale.com/a/acp/netacgi/nph-brs?d=DTCU&s1=condition?/index.html&r=4&f=. Gale Group. 1999 Miller, Ruth. Pure Food & Drug Act & Meat Inspection Act, June 30, 1906. http://galenet.gale.com/a/acp/netacgi. Gale Group. 1999 Mitchell, Greg.

?How Media Politics Was Born.? American Heritage, sept/oct 1988. Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York. Robert Bently Inc., 1946 Yardley, Jonathan. ?The Ten Books That Shaped The American Character.? American Heritage, April/May 1985.