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Study the Source Activity
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High School and College Questions for Textual Analysis:
Upton Sinclair |
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Directions: Who was Upton Sinclair? How did he influence American history? What influenced him? Use the Questions for Textual Analysis to draw some conclusions about what you have learned by exploring the influences on and effects of Upton Sinclair's written work.
Lesson Credit: Curriculum Advisory Team member, Don Leibold.
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Note to teachers: The questions below were specifically written for high school and college students, though the middle school questions are appropriate for advanced readers as well. Page numbers refer to the 1985 Penguin Classics edition.
High School and College
Writing and Discussing the Works of Upton Sinclair |
1. On page 107, one of Jurgis' co-workers jokes, "Now we're working for the church," after being assigned to a particularly unpleasant duty. How have oppressed groups used humor and irony to cope with their oppression?
2. How does the industry described in The Jungle maximize profits? How were these practices affected by the federal acts passed in the wake of The Jungle's publication?
3. What function does alcohol have in working class life?
4. How can financial problems affect a marriage? What stresses did the
environment of Packingtown put on marriages and other types of relationships?
5. On page 185, Sinclair writes, "...he had lived two years and a half in
Packingtown, and he knew what the police were." How do police enforce the status quo as set by the owners of industry?
6. What inspires a person to rebel against "the System," to "rage against the Machine?" What is "the System?"
7. What is "the lot of woman" (page 217) in The Jungle?
8. How did corrupt capitalists and government officials thwart union
influence? Why did they believe it was in their best interests to quash the unions?
9. What influence did The Jungle have on the Socialist movement in the United States?
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