Sasha Rivera Mr. Moran AP English Language/Composition-Period 1 2 December 2013 The Devil in the White City Critique In his nonfiction novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses the two main characters to juxtapose the themes of good and evil. The book parallels the lives of Daniel Burnham, the chief builder of the World’s Columbian Exposition, and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer, during 1890s Chicago. Larson recreates the 19th century city and the two main characters to explore the development of good and evil. The author achieves this purpose using rhetorical strategies and symbolism. The book is divided in six parts: Prologue, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and the Epilogue.
He called upon Congress to pass a law establishing the Food and Drug Administration and, for the first time, setting up federal inspection standards for meat. The Jungle, itself, is an extremely graphic novel depicting the real life of many immigrants once they come to America. This book shows the political scandal, bad working conditions, the taking advantage of cheap labor, and the treatment of immigrants of the early twentieth
Sinclair’s novel, the Jungle, tells the story of a Lithuanian family of impoverished immigrants who settle down in Packingtown, the heart of Chicago’s meatpacking district. While describing the tribulations the family faces in Chicago (discrimination, corruption, and abject poverty), the novel also highlights the role ethics plays in American life, specifically in regards to dishonesty and cheating. There are several examples of struggling honest folks who are constantly swindled by con artists, thieves, and slackers. This is first illustrated by the dishonesty of the guests at Jurgis and Ona’s wedding. Lithuanian custom dictates that wedding guests provide a monetary gift to the new couple as compensation for the costs associated with the wedding celebration, however, after eating and drinking to their heart’s delight, many guests sneak out of the fete without contributing.
The novella Animal Farm written by George Orwell shares this theme of a lust for power. A pig named Napoleon could be described as the Macbeth of this novella, starting off as a successful tactician, and then becoming a ruthless dictator. In the third scene of the first act of Macbeth the protagonist meets the Witches and hears the prophecy which states that he will become “thane of Cawdor” and “king hereafter”. Soon after the meeting, Macbeth is given the role of Thane of Cawdor, since the predecessor was executed for being a traitor; this gives some truth to the Witches prophecy, and makes it much easier to believe. Along with this, Lady Macbeth is also hasty to pursue the prophesised power, and manipulates Macbeth into committing the first deed.
Explain Topic#2- Urban Immigrant Life Introduction: Written in 1906, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle “provided a voice to the great masses of immigrants who came to America yearning to be free and comfortable and who found instead the wage slavery and misery of mill, factory, sweatshop, and slum. Sinclair highlighted the factory workers’ conditions- “physical danger, insecurity, fear, exploitation, corruption and faith.” The Jungle gives us a glimpse into immigrant life in US cities between 1880 and 1920. Directions: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Go to the following website: http://www.online-literature.com/upton_sinclair/jungle/1/ Read the first chapter and answer the following 1) What country are the main characters in “The Jungle”
Although Sinclair’s investigation tells a story of the toll the meatpacking industry took on families nearly a hundred years ago, he still offers insight into the deceiving side of America’s food corruptions. Both writers brilliantly offer realization and awareness in their books that will benefit anyone who reads them to make better decisions daily. The description of the factory farming slaughterhouses in both books is enough to send chills down almost anyone’s spine; The Jungle opens with the cruel tactics, yet Fast Food Nation did not mention the slaughterhouses until midway. As Jurgis and his family tour the packinghouse where he will be working as a shoveler,(shoveling blood and guts) they first see what seems to be millions of cows. There are rail yards that carry the cattle to the slaughterhouse where the mechanics of the process are awe-inspiring.
The Seige – Helen Dunmore The frontispiece of this novel is a historical archive document - the sinister declaration from the German Naval Staff, relaying Hitler’s order that Leningrad (formerly St Petersburg) was to be annihilated and its inhabitants starved to death (They would otherwise have to be fed!) Although it was published some years ago, an analysis of this un-putdown-able novel was recently featured in The Guardian newspaper’s Saturday ‘Review’. Dunmore really gets you inside what it must have been like to be an inhabitant of Leningrad during the first, horrific winter of its 900 day siege by German forces during WW II. Although the author is not herself Russian, you feel completely immersed in Russianness. We follow the struggle for survival of Anna and her constant care for her young brother Kolya; her ailing, war-wounded father, Mikhail; and her father’s long-standing friend and one time mistress, the actress Marina – a non-person as far as the regime was concerned and therefore dangerous to know.
Rash Paper We started off the new quarter reading a book called Rash by Pete Hautman. This book is about a boy named Bo in the future United Safer States of America. The book goes through the events of how Bo gets in trouble with the very controlling government and how he is sent to labor prison for doing crimes that are considered being just plain mean today. Rash is similar to the book The Hunger Games by Suzaane Collins, though they have their differences too. Rash is very similar to The Hunger Games.
Allan Pinkerton “Allan Pinkerton was a key figure in the development of the railroad police as well as in the development of contract security forces” (Hess and Wrobleski, 1996, p.17). A native of Scotland, Pinkerton was born, August 25, 1819. He was forced to immigrate to the United States in 1842 due to his involvement in a radical chartist group and settled near Chicago, Illinois. After some searching, he moved to a town called Dundee that was in need of a cooper and quickly gained control of the market because of his superior quality barrels and low prices. His desire to continually improve his business actually led him down the path to being a detective.
Tomorrow’s Society, Today Society slowly changes for the better and the worse day by day. Ray Bradbury depicts the negative change over time in his award winning novel Fahrenheit 451.This fictional book talks about the life of Guy Montag, a man who burns books for a living and soon realizes the corruptness of the society he lives in. The story takes place in a world set in the future where the people are unhappy with their lives because of their government. Though the novel was written in the mid-1900s, many things that Bradbury states in the story now relate to society directly. Bradbury writes this novel to warn against the many negative aspects of society.