Jungle Paper, Social Justice - 4076 Words

Running Head: IMPRESSIONS OF THE JUNGLE FROM A SOCIAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE Impressions of the Jungle From a Social Justice Perspective The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Sherree Boyce Lehman College Author Note This paper was prepared for Social Welfare Institutions and Program, SWK, 639, Section 81, taught by Professor Yvonne Johnson The novel, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair depicts the lives of poor immigrants in the United States during the early 1900’s. Sinclair is extremely effective in this novel at identifying and expressing the perils and social concerns of immigrants during this era. The turmoil that immigrants faced was contingent on societal values during the era. There was a Social Darwinist sentiment†¦show more content†¦The next level would include safety needs, personal and financial security health and well being. As you move up the pyramid the needs increase to love and belonging, self –esteem and the highest level would include self-actualization, reaching one’s full potential. The theory is that you can not reach the highest level without first obtaining the basics. (Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs, 10/20/10) The Jungle both supports and refutes this theory. It supports it, considering that Jurgis’ family could not progress because their main focus was survival, food, clothing shelter. However, Jurgis reaches the highest level of self actualization during a period where his basic needs are not meet, when he decides to join the political party of Socialism. It is not until he joins this party that Jurgis understands his purpose. Jurgis and his family would have greatly benefited from many of the social services, policies /programs available today including child abuse and child labor laws, social insurance programs, worker’s compensation, free and subsidized medical insurance, social security insurance and institutions /programs such as shelters, Human Resource Administration and soup kitchens. Child Abuse, Neglect, Maltreatment Laws: A great majority of the poor immigrant was neglected in the town of Packingtown, Chicago. The children were allowed to rummage throughShow MoreRelatedSocialism in The Jungle Essay1109 Words   |  5 PagesSocialism in The Jungle The Rudkus family arrived from Lithuania to find Chicago as a city in which justice and honor, womens bodies and mens souls, were for sale in the marketplace, and human beings writhed and fought and fell upon each other like wolves in the pit, in which lusts were raging fires, and men were fuel, and humanity was festering and stewing and wallowing in its own corruption. (Pg.165) The city, during the time span of the novel, was truly a jungle-like society in whichRead MoreUpton Sinclair s The Jungle1630 Words   |  7 PagesWritten at the turn of the 20th century, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle took place in an era of unprecedented advancement in civilization where the American economy had risen to become one of the wealthiest on the planet. 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