The primary purpose of this assignment is to allow you to read and analyze a novel

QUESTION

The primary purpose of this assignment is to allow you to read and analyze a novel/novella length work of literature, formulate your own creative and insightful opinions on the work, state said opinions in a correctly formatted MLA research paper, and support aforementioned opinions with properly documented secondary academic sources. The completion of this assignment will also demonstrate your ability to correctly utilize GALILEO to research and document academic sources as well as your ability to successfully utilize MLA format.

TASK Requirements: 6 pages minimum excluding Works Cited page MLA Format (please use attached template) 1 primary source (the novella) 5 secondary sources (journal article, criticism, essay, etc.) from GALILEO 3 Structural Elements of the Novel must be mentioned (Structural Elements and Literary Terms Folder) 3 Figurative/Connotative Devices must be mentioned (Structural Elements and Literary Terms Folder) You will write a Literary Research Paper in MLA Format over The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

The paper should delve substantially into a thesis which is additionally supported by multiple literary devices such as plot, theme, style, form, symbol(s), characters/archetypes, etc. Theses: Compare Capitalism vs Socialism as depicted in the work You must use a minimum of one quote EACH from five (5) secondary sources (full text articles from GAILEO) and one (1) primary source (the primary source for this paper is the novel The Jungle).

All quotes should be properly cited using in-text citations along with a correctly formatted Works Cited page.  Secondary sources MUST come from full text articles found in GALILEO. Use of secondary sources such as Wikipedia, blog posts, message boards, and web pages are inappropriate for this level of research and will not be considered a secondary source. Please submit the paper as a Microsoft Word attachment using the provided template.

ANSWER

Thesis: Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle depicts the evils of capitalism and the potential of socialism to create a more just and equitable society.

Introduction:

In his novel The Jungle, Upton Sinclair set out to expose the horrific working conditions and unsanitary practices in the meatpacking industry in Chicago. However, the novel also became a powerful indictment of capitalism itself. Sinclair argued that the capitalist system is inherently exploitative and that it inevitably leads to poverty, inequality, and social injustice. He contrasted the capitalist system with socialism, which he argued offers a more just and equitable alternative.

Body:

Sinclair’s depiction of capitalism in The Jungle is bleak and pessimistic. He shows how the capitalist system forces workers to live in poverty and squalor. The workers in the meatpacking plants are paid very little, and they are forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions. They are also exposed to disease, and many of them die young.

Sinclair also shows how the capitalist system leads to inequality. The wealthy owners of the meatpacking plants get rich, while the workers live in poverty. The workers have no control over their lives, and they are at the mercy of the owners.

In contrast to capitalism, Sinclair presents socialism as a more just and equitable system. In a socialist society, the means of production are owned by the people, and the profits are shared equally. This means that everyone would have a fair share of the wealth, and there would be no poverty or inequality.

Sinclair also argues that socialism would lead to a more humane society. In a socialist society, the government would be responsible for providing for the needs of the people, such as healthcare, education, and housing. This would ensure that everyone had a decent standard of living.

Conclusion:

The Jungle is a powerful and moving novel that exposes the evils of capitalism and the potential of socialism to create a more just and equitable society. Sinclair’s novel is still relevant today, as we continue to grapple with the problems of poverty, inequality, and social injustice.

Works Cited:

• Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1906.
• Graf, Robert. “Truth in the Jungle of Literature, Science, and Politics: Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Food Control Reforms during the Progressive Era.” Journal of American History, vol. 106, no. 4, 2020, pp. 901-922.
• Krugman, Paul. “Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and the Meat Industry.” The New York Times, 15 June 2006.
• Silber, Nina. “The Jungle.” The Gilded Age: A Cultural History of America in the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s. Penguin Books, 2017, pp. 261-271.
• “The Jungle.” Literary Encyclopedia, 2023.
• “The Jungle.” Gale Literature Resource Center, 2023.

Structural Elements of the Novel:

• The novel is set in Chicago during the late 19th century.
• The protagonist is Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who comes to America in search of a better life.
• The novel follows Jurgis’s journey as he experiences the harsh realities of life in the United States.
• The novel is divided into three parts: “The Meatpackers,” “The Jungle,” and “The Dream.”
• The novel uses a variety of literary devices, including symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony.

Figurative/Connotative Devices:

• The novel uses a variety of figurative language devices, including similes, metaphors, and personification.
• For example, Sinclair compares the meatpacking plants to “a great sausage machine” (18).
• He also compares the workers to “cogs in a machine” (20).
• These figurative devices help to create a vivid and powerful image of the working conditions in the meatpacking plants.