1. Jacob Riis was trying to make the point that the poor were not poor because they were less deserving or lazy, they were poor because of the conditions they were forced to live and work in, and how they were treated created a problem of poverty that they would never escape. He wanted to showcase that the slums were a cause of poverty and not a side effect.
2. A lot of connections can be made between this piece of text and what is happening today. The biggest connection that I can think of has to do with illegal immigration. Many people don't realize that illegal immigrants are coming here illegally because they have no other choices and because the process for becoming legal takes too long. The idea that Riis was trying to disprove that the poor were poor because they were lazy and less deserving is the same kind of idea that's being applied to these immigrants, they came here illegally so they deserve to be deported, they deserve to have their children detained,and they don't deserve to have help.
3. Upton Sinclair's purpose of writing this book was to expose the true conditions of the meatpacking industry. His goal was to expose the unsafe working conditions and the exploitation of migrant workers, but he ended up uncovering and displaying the disgusting and unsanitary way these meatpacking plants were being run. It also displays an idea of capitalism, where plant owners can abuse their workers and get away with unsanitary conditions, and it destroys the idea of the “American dream”.
4. This document had a large impact on the way meat/ meatpacking plants were regulated. When Sinclair shined a light on the rotting spoiled meat and the overall unsanitary conditions of the plants it caused a public outcry and led to the passing of new federal food safety laws.
5. The texts by Riis and Sinclair signify a real beginning of social change and the start of the progressive era.
2. A lot of connections can be made between this piece of text and what is happening today. The biggest connection that I can think of has to do with illegal immigration. Many people don't realize that illegal immigrants are coming here illegally because they have no other choices and because the process for becoming legal takes too long. The idea that Riis was trying to disprove that the poor were poor because they were lazy and less deserving is the same kind of idea that's being applied to these immigrants, they came here illegally so they deserve to be deported, they deserve to have their children detained,and they don't deserve to have help.
3. Upton Sinclair's purpose of writing this book was to expose the true conditions of the meatpacking industry. His goal was to expose the unsafe working conditions and the exploitation of migrant workers, but he ended up uncovering and displaying the disgusting and unsanitary way these meatpacking plants were being run. It also displays an idea of capitalism, where plant owners can abuse their workers and get away with unsanitary conditions, and it destroys the idea of the “American dream”.
4. This document had a large impact on the way meat/ meatpacking plants were regulated. When Sinclair shined a light on the rotting spoiled meat and the overall unsanitary conditions of the plants it caused a public outcry and led to the passing of new federal food safety laws.
5. The texts by Riis and Sinclair signify a real beginning of social change and the start of the progressive era.
Comments
Post a Comment