Journal prompts for The Jungle
Chapters 1-5
The book starts out by describing how traditional Lithuanian culture was still being celebrated in America. By chapter 3, we start to see what is in store for Jurgis and his family. As you write your journal entries, try to describe the plight of the newly arriving immigrants. If there is more than one prompt per chapter, just choose one to write about.
Chapter 1:( Comment on Blogs 3 above, and 2 below)
1) The immigrants to America brought with them their traditions and culture. This was apparent during the wedding of Jurgis and Ona. During the ceremony called "veseliya" guests were to help the bride and groom pay for the celebration of marriage. Describe the "veseliya" and the stress it put on the bride and groom when they felt people were leaving without donating. How had a tradition turned into a free meal for many of the attendees?
2) as we are introduced to the characters in Chapter one imagine you are a film director casting the film adaptation, cast five characters, providing 5 actors with the roles they would play and why they would be a great fit. be sure to also provide head shots of each actor.
Chapter 2:(Comment on 1 above and 1 below)
1) Can you imagine immigrating to a country without being able to speak their language? The barriers created by not being fluent in English must have seemed insurmountable. The transition for Ona, her family, and Jurgis seemed very difficult. Describe some of the experiences these people witnessed in their first few days in America.
2) find a travel blog on the internet that deals with culture shock. provide a link to the blog in your own, and write a brief compare and contrast about the blog and the Lithuanians coming to America.
Chapter 3:( Comment on 5 Below and 6 Below)
1) At the factories, the workers seemed like "zombies". They lacked empathy for the animals and seemed unconcerned about the sanitary conditions. Interpret why the people would be called zombies and in what way their lack of concern for the animals was apparent to the "newcomers" touring the factory. How did Upton Sinclair portray the factory conditions these employees were working in?
2) Jurgis and the Family take a tour of packing town, what are some of the unique sites seen in packing town? what would you show people visiting the town you lived, what would be similar ? what would be different?
3) Find a Video that depicts some kind of zombies, (especially if they are worker zombies) and post it.
Chapter 4: (Comment on 3 Above and 7 above)
1) Earning seventeen and a half cents an hour filled Jurgis' heart with joy. Clarify why Jurgis was so excited about a job with such low pay. Specify the duties of Jurgis' job. Do you think you would have the same feeling as Jurgis if you were in the same situation?
2) things are looking up for Jurgis and the family, find a song or music video from youtube and post it to your blog. write how this song expresses the feeling of the overall chapter. use examples from the text.
Chapter 5:(Comment on two blogs you haven't already commented on)
1) Everyone is expendable. If you get sick, or hurt, on the job there will be someone to replace you in a second. Nearly everyone in Ona's family is employed and helping pay the bills. Describe the feeling of self-worth that getting a job created. What about the people they were replacing, what happened to them?
Journal prompts for The Jungle
Chapters 6-10 (Due 4-16)
Nearly every one of these prompts dealt a psychological blow to the workers. It was if they really had no way out of their situation. As you write your journal entries, imagine how this sort of helplessness must feel. If there is more than one prompt per chapter just choose one to write about.
Chapter 6:(comment on 7 above and 6 below)
1) Immigrants and people working at the "packing house" were seen as expendable; very little value was put on the lives of the workers by their employers. To the workers, their job was the only thing they had. how would this make you feel, can you relate to one character in-particular?
2) Immigrants were taken advantage of, at every opportunity, by various people. Employees used the different nationalities/ethnic groups to draw down the wages, because there was always someone to take your job if you didn't think you were being treated fairly. find a political cartoon, or youtube video that portrays this similar situation, then post and discuss it
3) By law, children were not allowed to work until age 16. With little enforcement of this law, employers found it a good investment to hire young kids. If kids were working, they weren't getting an education or learning English. These opportunities could help them rise above being taken advantage of and get a better job.What are you thoughts on this strategy, who in the story does it effect the most?
Chapter 7: (Comment on 3 and 4 above)
1) Misery sets in. No heat in factories, very little at home. The cold weather killed many and others, who were severely ill, found themselves out of a job. "All the year round they had been serving as cogs in the great packing machine, and now was the time for the renovating of it, and replacing of the damaged parts." The annual harvest of those that were seen as holding back production took place. How does this affect the household?
2) Referring to the prompt above Find or create a Meme that expresses the feeling of being expendable by the workers. post it on your blog and give an explanation as to who would post it on their Facebook wall and why.
Chapter 8: (Comment on 2 blogs you haven't commented on yet)
1) A chance for a better life was in the butcher helpers union. You were expected to be on the floor even if you didn't have any meat to process, but weren't paid unless you were processing meat. You might be on the job for ten hours but only get paid for 2 hours. The terms "broken time" and "working for the church" were a common part of the workers vernacular. do you ever feel like this happens to you? who did it affect the most?
2) Referring to the prompt above find a song that illustrates what it would be or feel like to be stuck at work with nothing to do. post it to your blog and comment how it fits.
Chapter 9:
1) Dishonest businessmen would do anything to turn a buck even if that meant poisoning someone with their concoction or selling putrid meat or other products. what are your thoughts feel free to use excerpts from the chapter.
2) Political machines ran many aspects of society. People like Mike Scully gathered votes from the residents/workers around Packingtown, and delivered them to political candidates. Mike was seen as "a people's man." Swindles and crimes were evident everywhere you turned, you couldn't trust anyone.
Chapter 10:
1) Lives revolved around money. You never caught a break and were always on the brink of starvation. You worried about losing your job, no matter how bad the job was. If you complained about being cheated you would probably lose your job. how would this life style make you feel.
2) Find a meme that one of the Characters would have on thier Facebook wall and discuss why they would have it based on events in this chapter
Chapters 11-15 (Due 4-23)
Nearly every one of these prompts dealt a psychological blow to the workers. It was as if they really had no way out of their situation. As you write your journal entries, imagine how this sort of helplessness must have felt. If there is more than one prompt per chapter, just choose one to write about.
Chapter 11: (Comment on 10 above and 10 below)
1) Chapter 11 opens discussing the methods used to increase work while decreasing pay. Marija and the Canning girls go on strike, donning a red flag. reflecting on the first two pages, post and discuss a You tube video that portrays the events or attitudes of what it was like to be an unskilled laborer in the meat packing district.
2)Misery returns: Jurgis felt he had conquered the enemy and was now the master of his fate. After his accident he spent a great deal of his time worrying about his family and their financial situation. He fears they may all die with no one to hear their cries or give them a hand up.
3) there are several sad moments in this chapter, as a character write a short poem from the view point of a character about their hardship, be it Jurgis' Injury, Marija's banking problems, or any other you can think of be sure to also write a little explanation about the poem
Chapter 12: (Comment on two you haven't already commented on before)
1) Jurgis was the first to abandon the family. Describe the financial and psychological impact this had on the family.
Chapter 13:( Comment on Any 2 blogs you would like)
1) A person would do anything to pay the bills, even if this meant taking the "lowest mans job". What must this have been like for Jurgis and Elzbieta (Teta).
2) referring to the worst possible job, what do you think would be the worst jobs today, find a video or website showing what the job is, and if you think members of the family would take it.
Chapter 14: (Comment on two blogs with different color buttons than yours)
1) They used everything of the pig, except the squeal. This was also the case for spoiled and sour meat that was illegal to sell in Europe. It was sent to the U.S. to be made into food products and resold worldwide. Ingenious inventions created many products that would have otherwise been inedible. discuss this and provide examples.
2) Find a Product, or company either through a web site or youtube video that you think is disgusting, or has recently come under fire for misconduct, or mistreatment of workers, and compare the plight of workers in that company to those in the meat packing industry.
Chapter 15:
1) After Connor raped Ona in the hallway after work, he threatened to use his position and contacts to have all the members of her family fired if she reported this crime. He also used this threat later to take advantage of her on numerous occasions. This was another example of people using and abusing the poverty stricken immigrants who had no way to defend themselves.
Chapters 16-20 (Due 4/30)
Chapter 16: (Comment on two blogs of your choosing)
Juris had his moment of gratification, but the result was misery for him and his family. "Maddening procession of thoughts that lashed him like whips upon his naked back". Explain this quote with regard to Jurgis' situation.
Chapter 17: (Comment on blogs 5&6 below your own)
The inmates Jurgis met at the jail were "swindlers and thieves of pennies and dimes, and they had been trapped and put out of the way by swindlers and thieves of millions of dollars". Explain what Jurgis meant by saying this.
Chapter 18: (Comment on two Blogs whos names start with different letters than yours)
1) What experiences did Jurgis have when he was released from jail and returned to his home? What must this have felt like?
2) Jurgis's ordeal with prison is a story all of it's own, find a movie trailer on line and post it to your blog explain how it could be a trailer to a movie about Jurgis's prison experience.
Chapter 19: (Comment on a blog from a boy, and one from a girl)
1) "You had ought to haf had a doctor, und not vaited so long." Describe how this was a situation that could not have been prevented with Jurgis in jail and Marija with a cut hand. They barely survived much less pay for a doctor.
2) as a character dies we see Jurgis react. find a song that represents his feelings towards the matter. post it to your blog as well as a breif discussion as to why it fits the mood.
Chapter 20:
1) Upon Ona's death, Elzbieta pleads with Jurgis to break his grief and work for the sake of his son. why is she the one who is fit to do this more than anyone else? what do you think you would have done if you were in Jurgis' Shoes
2) Jurgis is looking for work very hard, but can't seem to find one, why can't he get work? have you ever found yourself in that type of situation. how does someone's reputation effect them?
3) by the end of the chapter jurgis begins to find hope again. how is his new job different from the packing yards? what seemly small event could send it all crashing down.
Journal prompts for The Jungle Chapters 21-25
(Due 5/7)
You may use one of these prompts or write about something else that interests you from each chapter.
Chapter 21:
1) In today's society it is noble and courageous to risk life and limb to help a person in danger. For Jurgis and the other workers it was not worth the risk. If you were injured while helping someone else, you risked everything.
2) Jurgis had two joys in life, his son Anatanas and the Sunday paper. In some aspects, life was a lot simpler during the turn of the century.
Chapter 22:
1) Jurgis' attitude about working has changed. When Jurgis went to the country, he was offered many jobs working on farms for as much as $1.00 a day plus room and board. He turns down these jobs, telling the farmers that he wants a job that will last all year long, not one that discards him during the winter months. Jurgis later enjoys the life of a wandering tramp.
Chapter 23:
1) Describe the plight of Jurgis after he returns to Chicago. He felt like a "wounded animal in the forest."
2) Jurgis returns and finds work, Choose either a poem or song that illustrates his feelings or hardships and share it on your blog, write an explanation for your choice.
Chapter 24:
1) When Jurgis went to Freddie Jones' house he was exposed to the riches that were a part of America that he had only heard about. This man and his family lived in extravagance while his workers starved to death.
2) For Jurgis to see Freddie Jones' house he was taken back by his riches. research 2-3 things "rich People have today and relate how crazy that seems to you and connect them to some of the things Jurgis saw.
Chapter 25:
1) Jurgis had turned to a life of crime. "It's a case of us or the other fellow and I say the other fellow every time."
Journal prompts for The Jungle (Due 4-14)
Chapters 26-31, Afterword (Test Essay Questions)
Chapter 26:
1) Jurgis was now living a comfortable life. He had a job working as a "scab" foreman on the killing floor and was making a good wage. Describe more about his current life.
Chapter 27:
1) "…suddenly horrible discovery-Marija a whore, and Elzbieta and the children were living off her shame!" Marija said "Ona could have taken care of us all, in the beginning." Describe Jurgis' feelings about the plight of Marija. What did Marija mean by her statement about Ona taking care of them?
Chapter 28:
1) A common theme throughout The Jungle was to prey upon the newest arrivals before they learned the language and the culture of America. Identify how the young girls from abroad were treated by people like the "madame."
Chapter 29:
1) Portray how the "Great Butcher" ran their business. in explanation.
2) explain how the "Great Butcher" Ran their business with a Meme and explanation
3) give a short Video of either your self or a youtube video that explains how the "Great Butcher" ran their business.
Chapter 30:
1) Jurgis was hired as a porter at a hotel/apartment building, but was really a spokesman for the Socialist party. Interpret this part of Jurgis' job.
2) Create a handout or poster with catch phrases, pictures, and slogans that jugis might hand out or hang as the Spokeman for the socialist party.
Chapter 31:
1) List and explain the two basic Socialists "cut and dried program for the future civilizations." Be sure to describe how these programs would change a society such as Packingtown.
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Afterword: Extra Credit *
Answer the following questions. (Due on test day for The Jungle, 35 pts.)
1) List and describe the two events that set the scene for The Jungle and helped to make it a success. (5 pts.)
2) How did Upton Sinclair gain the knowledge he needed to write The Jungle? Be thorough in your answer. Do you think a lot of his descriptions about the plight of the Packingtown workers were exaggerated? Explain. (7 pts.)
3) Roosevelt felt empathy toward the Packingtown workers described by Sinclair. Analyze the role the government took in the six months following the release of The Jungle. (8 pts.)
4) "…what 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' did for the black slaves 'The Jungle' has a large chance to do for the white slaves of today." Explain what Jack London meant by this statement. Compare the book Uncle Tom's Cabin with that of The Jungle. Describe how this statement actually came true. (This means you may have to do some research on Uncle Tom's Cabin to see and understand the correlation.) (15 pts.)