Like I said before, I am so grateful for the time and place in which I live. Never have I had to struggle to survive like this man and his family have. I have a roof over my head, enough money to survive and a bed, more than this family usually had. These first few chapters really gave me some insight into what life was like back then and how hard it was for immigrants to live. Not only do they have barely anything to begin with but people are so ready to pounce on the ignorant to use them for everything they're worth. It's sickening. I'm excited to read more about what this young man and his family go through. Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Jungle
This week's reading was The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. This is yet another reading to make me feel so grateful for the time and place in which I live. This story is about an immigrant worker, Jurgis, from Lithuania who is seeking to make it in the big city of Chicago with is teenage wife and her family. Jurgis is a strapping young man who is fit for any work thrown at him. There isn't a task that can't be done by this man. Even so, Jurgis finds working in Chicago harder than he could have imagined. The working conditions are poor, people are out to con them and his family is getting sick.
Like I said before, I am so grateful for the time and place in which I live. Never have I had to struggle to survive like this man and his family have. I have a roof over my head, enough money to survive and a bed, more than this family usually had. These first few chapters really gave me some insight into what life was like back then and how hard it was for immigrants to live. Not only do they have barely anything to begin with but people are so ready to pounce on the ignorant to use them for everything they're worth. It's sickening. I'm excited to read more about what this young man and his family go through.
Like I said before, I am so grateful for the time and place in which I live. Never have I had to struggle to survive like this man and his family have. I have a roof over my head, enough money to survive and a bed, more than this family usually had. These first few chapters really gave me some insight into what life was like back then and how hard it was for immigrants to live. Not only do they have barely anything to begin with but people are so ready to pounce on the ignorant to use them for everything they're worth. It's sickening. I'm excited to read more about what this young man and his family go through. 
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I agree, reading this book has really made me grateful for what I have! I can't believe what these immigrants went through and how little respect they received! This is definitely a darker side of the industrial revolution and our country's history.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but think how horrible the conditions within slaughterhouses still are - and then to think how much worse they were back then?! It's crazy. As I read, I felt so bad for this family. They just wanted to make a living but had to go through some horrors to do so.
ReplyDeleteI also thought while reading this how grateful I was for what I have in my life and I also thought that I couldn't even imagine living in these types of conditions. And the fact that they seem so excited about living in these conditions is really terrible.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. We don't realize how fortunate we really are, until we have something (negative) to compare to. The Jungle further proves this.
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