The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Lesson

Reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Student Exercise One:

1. Have the students research the author.  The following site will provide biographical information on Upton Sinclair. http://www.capitalcentury.com/1906.html
2. Have the students research the historical context of the novel.  A history text or this website will provide useful information.
   http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/hyper_titles.cfm
3. Have students work in small groups.  Each group should write questions to guide them while reading the novel.

Student Exercise Two:

1. Have the students read The Jungle. 
2. As they are reading, they should consider the questions they wrote.  They may want to revise their questions or write new ones for an ongoing discussion while reading.
3. Discuss the reading as assigned. 

Activity Three:
Rewrite portions of the novel:

1. Rewrite the immigrants’ experiences as they would have been in the socialist society that the author described.  An understanding of Sinclair’s socialist vision is important. In addition to Sinclair’s discussion of socialism in the novel, research might be useful.  Some sites that are helpful are:  http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=233
   http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/socialism.html
   http://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1900/outlook.htm  
2. Write a play depicting the lives of Jurgis and his family.

Activity Four:
Congressional Hearing

1. Divide the class into members of Congress, members of the informed and concerned public and observers.
2. The members of Congress will plan a hearing on the problems and abuses in the meat packing industry—sanitation, health, working conditions to name a few.  They should develop some opening questions for the hearing.
3. The members of the informed and concerned public will prepare to testify on the practices in the meat packing industry.  The testimony should include at least the sanitation conditions that affected the slaughtering and processing of the meat, the working conditions, and child labor.  These students should also be prepared to respond to questions from the members of Congress.
4. The observers will listen attentively to the hearing.  After the hearing, they will write proposals for legislation.  These proposals should address the issues raised in the hearing.  The Pure Food and Drug is an example of legislation enacted after the novel was published.