Great Books: The Jungle

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1 Teacher s Guide Grade Level: 9-12 Curriculum Focus: Literature Lesson Duration: One class period Program Description Upton Sinclair s groundbreaking exposé of Chicago s meatpacking industry is a horror story of unsanitary conditions, food poisoning, and child labor abuse. Learn what led Sinclair into this turn-of-the-century urban jungle and how his book prompted Congress to pass the first food-safety laws. Onscreen Questions Before watching the video What is the American dream? Think about the expectations immigrants had for their new lives in America at the turn of the 20th century. As you watch the program, pay attention to the realities the immigrants faced once they settled in America. After watching the video The program suggests that factory workers in Chicago s meatpacking plants were processed just like the animals they slaughtered. Discuss the degree to which this analogy is accurate. How were the immigrant workers mistreated? Lesson Plan Student Objectives Make a list of books that convey strong social messages. Discuss the literary strengths and weaknesses of these books. Understand how literature reflects life and can be used as a vehicle to bring about change.

2 Teacher s Guide 2 Materials Great Books: The Jungle video and VCR The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (one copy for each student) Other books with social-action themes Procedures 1. Discuss The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, reviewing the book s main literary elements: setting, plot, characters, and central conflict. 2. Discuss the tradition from which this book came. Explain that in the early 1900s, some authors wrote in a style of investigative journalism known as muckraking. Their goal was to reveal social injustices, especially in American business and industry. Sinclair focused on the unsanitary conditions and corrupt management of the meatpacking industry. Published in 1906, this book succeeded in getting the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who appointed a commission of inquiry into the meatpacking industry. Although the commission exonerated the packers, Sinclair s book exerted pressure that resulted in a second commission and the passing of the Beef Inspection Act. 3. Ask students whether they think The Jungle is successful as fiction and muckraking journalism, or just as the latter. Discuss why it is difficult for a literary work to be both. For example, it is a challenge to dramatize social issues and make them believable. Often the characters are portrayed as symbols, rather than real people. 4. Tell students that during this lesson they will delve into the issue of social action versus fiction. Have students work in groups of four or five to develop a list of at least five other books with social themes that led to political and societal changes or heightened awareness of problems. These books can come from any author, past or present. Tell students to try to pick one book from each of the following categories: Civil rights Women s rights Children s rights International issues The immigrant experience 5. If students have trouble coming up with book titles, suggest the books listed below. They may help students think of similar books they have read. A brief description of each book is included. Civil Rights Native Son, by Richard Wright. Written in 1940, Wright s novel is the story of Bigger Thomas, a young African American man living in Chicago who commits a murder.

3 Teacher s Guide 3 The police pursue him ruthlessly, and he is ultimately sentenced to death. The book reveals the atmosphere of racial prejudice in the United States in the 1930s. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983, the author tells how black women struggled with racism and sexism in the early 1900s. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Set in Alabama in the 1950s, the book tells the story from a young girl s perspective of a black man wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. The incident and the ensuing trial had long-lasting consequences for many people. Women s Rights The Handmaid s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. An allegorical science fiction novel that shows how what could happen in a backlash against women s rights. Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser. Set in Chicago in the early 1900s, the novel portrays the life of a young woman living alone and working in a factory. The narrative conveys the protagonist s vulnerability and powerlessness. Children s Rights Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. This mid 19th-century novel was written to expose the harsh life in workhouses and on the streets for homeless boys. Homecoming, by Cynthia Voigt. Written in the early 1980s, the book depicts the emotional scars children feel when a parent leaves for no apparent reason. International Issues Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton. This book, written in 1948, was one of the first to take a stand against apartheid in South Africa. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. Painting a portrait of his own traditional village culture in Nigeria, the author tries to inform the world about Ibo traditions and remind his own people of their past. The Immigrant Experience The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan. Told through the eyes of a Chinese American daughter of an immigrant, the book conveys the difficulties a group of women faced in China and the obstacles they experienced when they came to America. Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. A dramatization of the poverty, prejudice, and other problems farmers from the Dust Bowl experienced when they moved to California during the early 1930s. Native Speaker, by Chang-Rae Lee. A contemporary look at the alienation that many young Korean Americans face. 6. Give each group about 20 minutes to compile its list. Tell students to include books that all or most members of the group have read. Ask the groups to consider the dilemma of literature versus muckraking by answering the following questions for at least three of the books on their lists.

4 Teacher s Guide 4 Do you think the book succeeds in muckraking? Why or why not? Describe a political or societal change that may have resulted from this book. If no actual change can be documented, discuss whether the book resulted in heightened awareness of a particular issue. Do you think the book succeeds as fiction? Are the characters compelling? Do they have a conflict to resolve? Is it resolved in a dramatic yet plausible way? Do you think the book would have been more successful as nonfiction? Why or why not? 7. Discuss how many of the books succeed in being great stories and in muckraking. What makes those books stand out? Why it is difficult for one book to accomplish both goals? Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students work during this lesson. Vocabulary 3 points: Students demonstrated a deep understanding of the characteristics of fiction writing and muckraking; have strong knowledge of similar books on other subjects; participated actively in class discussions. 2 points: Students demonstrated an on-grade grasp of the characteristics of fiction writing and muckraking; have average knowledge of similar books on other subjects; participated somewhat actively in class discussions. 1 point: Students demonstrated a weak understanding of the characteristics of fiction writing and muckraking; have below-average knowledge of similar books on other subjects; participated little or not at all in class discussions. muckraking Definition: A type of journalism, begun in the early 1900s, that seeks to uncover misconduct in business, industry, or government Context: A good example of muckraking, The Jungle exposed corruption in the meatpacking industry. progressive movement Definition: A campaign in the late 1800s and early 1900s for economic, political, and social reform in the United States Context: The economic reforms of the progressive movement included increased government regulation of business and a series of tax reforms. Upton Sinclair ( ) Definition: Author of The Jungle and other books, plays, and articles, all of which focused on social injustices and aimed at improving working conditions Context: Upton Sinclair wrote books that brought social injustices to light.

5 Teacher s Guide 5 Academic Standards Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit link: This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: Language Arts Reading: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts History United States History: Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties Support Materials Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit DVD Content This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are specific to the DVD version. How To Use the DVD The DVD starting screen has the following options: Play Video This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause button is included with the other video controls. Video Index Here the video is divided into sections, indicated by video thumbnail icons. Watching all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief descriptions and total running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the remote for TV playback; on a computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text description and click again to start the video. Curriculum Units These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher s Guide. To

6 Teacher s Guide 6 play a particular segment, press Enter on the TV remote or click once on the Curriculum Unit title on a computer. Standards Link Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic standards the video addresses. Teacher Resources This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address. Video Index I. Introduction (10 min.) An introduction to The Jungle, the characters in the novel, and the horrors the book exposed to the American public about the meat industry. II. Sinclair s Story (12 min.) A look at author Sinclair s childhood and early writing career and a discussion about the early history of the meat industry; an examination of meat consumption in America. III. Tragedy and The Jungle (15 min.) Only a year after Jurgis and Ona s wedding, a series of tragedies causes their family to fall apart. IV. Social Reform and Modern Industry (13 min.) In the final chapters of The Jungle, Jurgis returns to Chicago and finds hope in the socialist labor movement. A discussion follows of the poultry industry and its problems. Curriculum Units Segment 1: Introduction: Welcome to The Jungle Q: Why did so many people come to the United States in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries? A: The industrial revolution brought the promise of jobs. People were looking for a better life and hoped they could find it in America. Q: Why was The Jungle considered a wake-up call for America? A: Illness and death had been an accepted condition of eating meat because the health and safety of the meat industry had not been investigated. Segment 2: An Immigrant s Tale Q: Do you think the immigrant experiences of the 19 th century are different than those of today? A: Answers will vary.

7 Teacher s Guide 7 Q: Describe Marija's transformation from the beginning of The Jungle to the time Jurgis returns to Chicago. A: At the beginning of the story Marija is seen as innocent. She is strong and she works hard to make a good life for her family. But when she loses her job at the packing plants because she joins the union, she feels she has no choice but to turn to prostitution. By the end of the book she is a hardened person who will survive at any cost. Segment 3: Transforming the Meat Industry Q: Do you think that people have a right to sue if they become ill from tainted meat? A: Answers will vary. Q: What did The Jungle do for the meat industry? A: The book led to legislation against adding fillers or impurities to meat. Government meat inspections began, and plants were forced to follow stricter sanitation guidelines. Segment 4: Protecting Our Health Q: How does E. coli get into our food supply? A: E. coli, fecal pollution, can be carried into slaughterhouses by animals. Q: How has Chicago changed since Sinclair s time? A: At the time The Jungle was written Chicago was the largest meat-processing center in the world. Since then the city has grown and become a hub for many businesses, but the last stockyard closed in Segment 5: Upton Sinclair: From Poverty to Social Reformer Q: What was Sinclair purpose in writing The Jungle? A: He wanted to tell a story about the human suffering of immigrants and poor workers in America. Q: How did The Jungle change Sinclair s life? A: Sinclair s book was an instant success, and he quickly became very wealthy and famous. He remained in the public eye for the rest of his life as a champion of public reform, even running for governor of California.