127 Comments
Sabrina
10/22/2013 01:00:38 pm
"One of the first consequences of the discovery of the union was that Jurgis became desirous of learning English. He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings, and to be able to take part in them, and so he began to look about him, and to try to pick up words." - Chapter 9
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Vivian Mason
10/22/2013 01:59:47 pm
This was an interesting HOHAM to pick, I never would have thought to use this one. You supported your choice very well. I like the argument you pose about picking up the language of the place you are in. Next time try and connect it to other parts of the book :)
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10/22/2013 02:27:08 pm
This was indeed an interesting HOHAM to chose from. I like how you supported your choice. Good job! Yes I agree, maybe connect with another parts of the book.
Lance Shuler
10/23/2013 10:23:22 am
This is definetly an interesting quote and I like your creativity while choosing. I would only recommend making the response a bit longer
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Sophia C.
10/23/2013 10:53:16 am
While I like the way you presented your argument I have to disagree with you. How is it arrogant of him to want to learn the language? he wasn't necessarily saying that it was a bad thing even though the word consequence was used, he was merely saying it was a result. Also, I understand that it would be useful to learn the native tongue, but it isn't common courtesy as you infer. At least, in my opinion it isn't.
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Sabrina
10/24/2013 02:13:03 pm
Thanks, I never really thought about it that way until you said that. Now Im going to re read that part in a new light :)
Andrew Ledezma
10/23/2013 12:14:24 pm
I like the take on the book that you presented in this analysis. I see your point clearly and I see the arrogant nature of the book.Great work!
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Carly
10/23/2013 02:59:58 pm
Interesting, I just skimmed over the word "consequence" and never thought it was meant in a negative way. I think you did an awesome job giving me a different perspective on the phrase. While I agree with you that he should learn English because he moved to the US, I think that the author did not mean to use "consequence" in a negative way, I think it might be more like the word "result".
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10/22/2013 02:24:49 pm
Chpt. 9& 10
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Salina
10/23/2013 09:38:08 am
I really like how you connected the book to present day, I agree.
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Meilani
10/23/2013 11:22:35 am
I also agree with your points, and like how you thought of a lot of questions. Do you believe that scamming is worse now?
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Ysabella Dawson
10/23/2013 12:36:39 pm
I thought it was interesting how you connected your quotes not only to the real world, but also to topics many people can relate to.
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Vivian Mason
10/22/2013 02:46:08 pm
Quote: "hundred and sixty-three inspectors had been appointed at the request of the packers, and that they were paid by the United States government to certify that all the diseased meat was kept in the state." -Chapter 9.
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Salina
10/23/2013 09:40:43 am
I had never thought of this before, I really like that you talk about the kosher thing, I have the same question.
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Lance Shuler
10/23/2013 10:24:27 am
Very good reading response and I love how you use evidence to support your claims!
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Paris Gramann
10/23/2013 12:13:27 pm
That was a great mixture of saying what the HOHAM means to you and how it connects to the piece of literature. Well done!
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Sabrina
10/24/2013 02:15:05 pm
Nice Vivian!! I really enjoyed the detail and attention to personal connections you used in your response
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Salina
10/23/2013 09:36:12 am
"Jurgis became desirous of learning English. He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings, and to be able to take part in them, and so he began to look about him, and to try to pick up words." -chapter 9
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Meilani
10/23/2013 11:26:03 am
I thought of this quote the same way and I like how you connected your thoughts to our own lives to make this more relevant to us.
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Andrew Ledezma
10/23/2013 12:16:01 pm
I think that Self-Advocacy fits the passage you chose very nicely! I like how you used the lens to analyze the book critically. Great work!
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Tess Herzog
10/23/2013 03:25:19 pm
I like how you chose self-advocacy for this quote. I think the fact that he wants to learn english really shows how much he wants to understand more about where he is living. It will allow him to hopefully make better conditions for himself by better understanding what others are saying and doing.
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Jessica Pollock
10/23/2013 03:57:21 pm
I completely agree with you that he is using Self Advocacy to learn the new language. I like how you also related not only to present day but to something relative to you.
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Lance Shuler
10/23/2013 10:21:53 am
"Duck, little brother, duck," the wise old peasants would whisper; "everything passes away."
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Sophia C.
10/23/2013 10:55:27 am
You took that quote in a different way than I did, but you may be correct. I thought it was referring to the wise old peasants from Russia telling him to duck away when the government came around and that it will pass. I understand how you got what you did though.
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Paris Gramann
10/23/2013 12:25:43 pm
I think what you guys just did is a perfect example of the HOHAM "Perspective". With everything we see, there are multiple ways of looking at a subject!
Captain Barboza
10/23/2013 01:25:25 pm
Like Sophia mentioned, I took this quote in a rather different way as well. Mine was a bit literal on the sense, as I hypothesized that it meant no matter who you meet, good or bad, everyone will pass away. So remain by the ones who help you in this time of struggle and duck from those who choose to ridicule you. Move forward in your times of need and only care/collaborate with the ones who truly matter to you...for they won't be here one day.
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Preston R.
10/23/2013 02:33:46 pm
I also took this quote much differently. I think that your way of looking at it is very open and maybe not so involved in the current events, but I think that the way you looked at it was a good way of looking at it because it related it in a creative, but purposeful perspective.
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Rachel Maristela
10/23/2013 03:14:25 pm
Your entry really explains perspective really well. I like how you didn't do a character's perspective, but your perspective and also a lesson that you can get out of this quote. Great job!
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Sophia C.
10/23/2013 10:49:21 am
"...and if one could not find any work, was not the hunger he began to feel the same sort of hunger?"
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Ysabella Dawson
10/23/2013 12:38:54 pm
I thought it was interesting how you elaborated a lot on how Jurgis was feeling, as well as how that made you feel and how you connected with his character.
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Jackson Walker
10/23/2013 11:02:03 am
'He was wonderfully proud of little Antanas; he was curious about all the details of him—the washing and the dressing and the eating and the sleeping of him, and asked all sorts of absurd questions. It took him quite a while to get over his alarm at the incredible shortness of the little creature’s legs.
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Malia M.
10/23/2013 12:42:06 pm
I really agree with your analysis and prediction. Both Antanas' share a name, they might share a similarly tragic fate. I hope not though because he is Ona and Jurgis' joy and hope.
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Karen
10/23/2013 12:45:07 pm
I really liked the quote you chose as well as it warming your heart. And it was really interesting to see the connections you made with how a father would feel as well as Ona.
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Vivian Mason
10/23/2013 12:55:53 pm
This was really well written, I liked how you shared your personal view point and then went into detail about you HOHAM.
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Sarah Olson
10/23/2013 01:45:25 pm
Your prediction of both Antanas' fates being similar is an interesting interpretation. Sinclair certainly gives an eery feeling to the book, and I agree that the story will only get darker from here.
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Trevin Kraus
10/23/2013 01:50:41 pm
Your connection from your HOHAM to the story is awesome. I agree with your statement about Antanas being a new motivation for Jurgis. I hope baby Antanas does not succumb to the fate of Packingtown as did old Antanas. However, I have a horrible feeling that it will happen and instead of having a negative affect on the family will have a positive affect. I think this will cause Jurgis to do something monumental in the battle against Corporation vs. Employee.
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Anthony Williams
10/23/2013 11:12:16 am
"The coming of this boy was a decisive event with Jurgis. It made him irrevocably a family man; it killed the last lingering impulse that he might have had to go out in the evenings and sit and talk with the men in the saloons."
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Rachel Deaton
10/23/2013 03:16:17 pm
Great post! Jurgis is just an outstanding character! This guy will never give up. Will he? I am so glad that he keeps working and is still extremely determined.
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Meilani
10/23/2013 11:18:50 am
"Jurgis had always been a member of the church...but the church had never touched him..Here, however, was a new religion-- one that did touch him, that took hold of every fiber of him..."
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Gage Gamboa
10/23/2013 12:31:03 pm
Excellent post Meilani. I think that your post expresses the significance of Jurgis' connection to the union well. I love the connections you drew to Jurgis' fervor for the union as a recurring theme throughout history.
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Julz valencia
10/23/2013 09:49:43 pm
I think your post is great! I really like how at the end you say that it will'...be interesting to see how this connection may affect Jurgis's future actions and thoughts...' because it really makes me wander about how this connection he has with the union could possible help him in the future of cause detriment to his life.
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Tyler Felix
10/23/2013 11:25:01 am
"One of the first consequences of the discovery of the union was that Jurgis became desirous of learning English. He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings, and to be able to take part in them, and so he began to look about him, and to try to pick up words."
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Quentin Jackson
10/23/2013 03:21:25 pm
I like your choice of hoham, and It is definitely an interesting point.
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Max Klein
10/23/2013 11:52:00 am
Quote: "After that, every evening that he got home from the yards in time, he would go to the school; he would even go if he were in time for only half an hour."
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Karen
10/23/2013 12:41:18 pm
I really liked how you connected it to Jurgis advocating for himself as well as the people he cared for as well as the connection you made with yourself.
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Paris Gramann
10/23/2013 12:09:05 pm
"Jurgis had never possessed anything nearly so interesting--a baby was, when you came to think about it, assuredly a marvelous possession. It would grow up to be a man, a human soul, with a personality all its own, a will of its own! "
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Gage Gamboa
10/23/2013 12:26:16 pm
Wonderful post Paris. I think that your description of the idea of having a child was well thought out and it aptly expressed many of the feelings/thoughts that Jurgis had.
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Vivian Mason
10/23/2013 12:58:15 pm
This was very well written and well thought out :) I however do not agree with " But how can you own something that has free will?" because we own animals and put wild animals in zoos, yet they are said to have free wills.
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Carly
10/23/2013 03:02:44 pm
In my mind, you just summed up the idea of parenthood in a very eloquent, meaningful way. Also, I like how you used two HOHAM's, that's not always easy to do.
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Hannah
10/24/2013 12:01:04 am
This was.. really beautiful Paris! You really got into this quote! And you chose a great one to get into. Nice job. :)
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Andrew Ledezma
10/23/2013 12:12:18 pm
“... he had not had to pay any taxes for the water, and he had built the icehouse out of city lumber, and had not had to pay anything for that. The newspapers had got hold of that story, and there had been a scandal; but Scully had hired somebody to confess and take all the blame...”
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Malia M.
10/23/2013 12:44:57 pm
I agree that Jurgis is becoming more aware of the corruption around him. I thought it was strange in the book that Scully was said to a be a "man of the people". Even though the unions are trying their best, I still don't think Jurgis or his co-workers are informed enough to make a difference.
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Gage Gamboa
10/23/2013 12:22:20 pm
“The next time she would know her place, as the forelady expressed it;” Page 110 (Barnes & Noble Classics Edition), about halfway into Chapter 10.
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Preston R.
10/23/2013 02:36:40 pm
I think that you really took the time to analyze this and think critically. I agree with you here, because I think I felt the same way you did in this moment of the book. You describe the surprised/shocked feeling very well, great job.
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Jessica Boensch
10/23/2013 12:23:27 pm
"The deed was signed now, he said, with sarcasm proper to the new way of life he had learned- the deed was signed, and so the agent had no longer anything to gain by keeping quiet."
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Erik Salazar
10/23/2013 02:24:04 pm
The connection you made with survival of the fittest and men who make a living off unfairly taking from immigrants. However I do thing that people should be held responsible for their actions. Society might influence people to become more self centered but in the end I believe its their choice on whether they should make the right choice or the choice for profit.
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Ysabella Dawson
10/23/2013 12:34:37 pm
“...and as for the other men, who worked in tank-rooms full of steam, and in some of which there were open vats near the level of the floor, their peculiar trouble was that they fell into the vats; and when they were fished out, there was never enough of them worth exhibiting,‒sometimes they would be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone out to the world as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard!”
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Chris Bargman
10/23/2013 01:03:09 pm
I completely felt the same way when reading this passage. I also thought that the unique way you connected it to modern society was really neat! I also enjoyed the personal story that you used as a connection as well.
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Sarah Hardin
10/23/2013 01:18:34 pm
I definitely agree with you! Not only is it ridiculous-- it's dangerous! It's parts of the book like this that makes me understand why a lot of people say they became vegetarians after reading it!
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Sarah Olson
10/23/2013 01:43:12 pm
I love your reflection! It was terrifying to realize that people ended up as an extra ingredient...why do you think they ignored the disappearance of a worker?
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Meranda
10/23/2013 01:46:11 pm
I completely agree with you about how disturbing this is. And I liked how you connected it to our present day too, I've heard many stories like the worm in the chocolate story and it is really sickening to think about. Just what else do we not know about?
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Malia M.
10/23/2013 12:38:58 pm
"They were harried all day and nearly all night by worry and fear. This was in truth not living; it was scarcely even existing, and they felt that it was too little for the price they paid. They were willing to work all the time; and when people did their best, ought they not to be able to keep alive?"
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Rachel Maristela
10/23/2013 03:11:08 pm
I really like your post and I agree with your point. Its sad because they are poor and foreigners, and its so hard for them live normally and not having the opportunity to live and enjoy a life with friendships, hobbies, cultures, etc. I wonder how they work everyday, non-stop.
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Tess Herzog
10/23/2013 03:21:40 pm
I like how you mention that if your basic needs are not met, you really are not living. I think that says a lot about the situation that Jurgis and his family are living in. They are only trying to survive at this point.
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Karen
10/23/2013 12:47:59 pm
Quote:
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Trevin Kraus
10/23/2013 01:42:45 pm
I really liked how you talked about the quote through Jurgi's perspective. This beautiful thing has entered his life and he wants to spend as much time with him as he can. However, in order to provide a good life for his new son he must continue working. Your quote and passage do an excellent job communicating that.
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Jordan Garcia
10/23/2013 01:47:38 pm
I agree, if there was any man who would do his best to give his baby the best life, it would be Jurgis..
Chris Bargman
10/23/2013 12:59:36 pm
A piece/quote of the passage that I chose to reflect on was "Jurgis felt quite proud of this good luck till he got home and met Jonas, who had taken the leader aside and whispered to him, offering to vote three times for four dollars, which offer had been accepted."
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Jordan Garcia
10/23/2013 01:58:34 pm
I agree, now that he knows English & Politics, he will be more knowledgable of his surroundings.
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Sarah Hardin
10/23/2013 01:14:27 pm
"Jurgis had sworn to trust no man except his own family; but here he discovered that he had brothers in affliction, and allies."
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Crystal
10/23/2013 01:28:29 pm
Perspective seems to be quite popular with this round of RJEs! Your quite is great, I feel it could also be related to more situations than just in this immediate context. Your analysis is also spectacular, it analyzes Jurgis more than just as a character in, but as a person!
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Captain Barboza
10/23/2013 01:14:39 pm
"And now in the union Jurgis met men who explained all this mystery to him; and he learned that America differed from Russia in that its government existed under the form of a democracy. The officials who ruled it, and got all the graft, had to be elected first; and so there were two rival sets of grafters, known as political parties, and the one got the office which bought the most votes." - "The Jungle" Chapter 9
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Crystal
10/23/2013 01:25:26 pm
Your analysis is really great and your quote really ties into it. Your relation of perspective is really clear as well and easy to understand. :)
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Crystal Delgado
10/23/2013 01:24:18 pm
"Here is a population, low-class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers; under such circumstances, immorality is exactly as inevitable, and as prevalent, as it is under the system of chattel slavery. Things that were quite unspeakable went on there in the packing houses all the time, and were taken for granted by everybody; only they did not show, as in the old slavery times, because there was no difference in color between master and slave."
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Sarah Hardin
10/23/2013 01:32:33 pm
I definitely agree here! I made a similar argument in my post:) Perspective definitely plays a big role in this book because it's coming from the little guy at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak. Everyone loves the underdog, and boy, if Jurgis isn't an underdog, I don't know what is. The saddest part is, in this time period, the underdog didn't prevail 9 times out of 10. :c Let's hope Jurgis does! c:
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Captain Barboza
10/23/2013 01:35:10 pm
I like how you didn't only analyze the quote, but also added other events that occur in the story to tie in with it. You also added your own commentary, how your HOHAM topic applies to the quote, as well as what you mentioned about Jurgis in the first sentence. It's true that he's determined to become close with his homeland and I don't think he does miss his meetings either.
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Ryan Martinez
10/23/2013 01:26:06 pm
"Here is a population, low-class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers; under such circumstances, immorality is exactly as inevitable, and as prevalent, as it is under the system of chattel slavery." For this quote I'm choosing to do Perspective. I think that it's important to really put things into perspective to see how far our country has come, to improve our working conditions by so much. During the early 20th century things such as starvation, and "brutal" working conditions were such a common thing for people who worked in factories, because they weren't allowed to qualify for a better job. But now this isn't seen nearly as often, we now have unions to protect the rights of employees, and are now paid at a reasonable amount of money. I personally am astounded by how far our country has come from.
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Erik Salazar
10/23/2013 02:34:12 pm
This country has come a long way from harsh working conditions to improved rights and conditions for laborers. However, switching gears a little, its obvious that working conditions for all laborers in this time period are not perfect. How could people improve conditions now a days taking what you know about the strikes in the 1900's.
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Trevin Kraus
10/23/2013 01:35:42 pm
Quote: "All but the bones of them has gone out to the world as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard."
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John Engel
10/23/2013 03:40:06 pm
I really like how you compared the the industry back then to now and how we have come really far over the years.
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Justin Walker
10/23/2013 07:50:44 pm
The claims made in this entry are quite well-thought, especially with their modern-day connections. However, is it not true that the meat industry still possesses rather disgusting secrets, such as the McNugget pink slime? How would that tie into Dunham's Lard?
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Meranda K.
10/23/2013 01:39:12 pm
"Jurgis had once been among those who scoffed at the idea of these huge concerns cheating; and so now he could appreciate the bitter irony of the fact that it was precisely their size which enabled them to do it with impunity."
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Halee Robinson
10/24/2013 12:34:38 am
It is interesting that we are beginning to see Jurgis's opinion change, and both he and Ona are staring to see the cracks in the perfect image of America. You found a quote that really embodies that, and also shows both his previous perspective, and his changed one.
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Sarah Olson
10/23/2013 01:40:14 pm
"...[the superintendent] would dress differently, and live in another part of town, and come to work at a different hour of the day, and in every way make sure that he never rubbed elbows with a laboring man. Perhaps this was due to the repulsiveness of the work; at any rate, the people who worked with their hands were a class apart, and made to feel it."
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Jordan Garcia
10/23/2013 01:43:54 pm
" This gave him many friends--all of whom he had gotten together into the "War Whoop League," whose clubhouse you might see just outside of the yards. It was the biggest clubhouse, and the biggest club, in all Chicago; and they had prizefights every now and then, and cockfights and even dogfights. The policemen in the district all belonged to the league, and instead of suppressing the fights, they sold tickets for them. "
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John Engel
10/23/2013 03:48:53 pm
I really liked how you took this as a time when jurgis was bonding with people to socialize with them.
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Alex Demos
10/23/2013 04:51:31 pm
I liked how you made the connection between Jurgis and Mike Sully and how they come in relation to each other in the book. I too believe this is an important role Jurgis needs to take part in.
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Preston R.
10/23/2013 02:30:20 pm
“Duck, little brother, duck," the wise old peasants would whisper; "everything passes away." And when Jurgis had first come to America he had supposed that it was the same. He had heard people say that it was a free country—but what did that mean? He found that here, precisely as in Russia, there were rich men who owned everything; and if one could not find any work, was not the hunger he began to feel the same sort of hunger?” -Chapter 9 (2nd Paragraph)
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Grady Gumner
10/23/2013 04:11:12 pm
I would be interested to see how you connect this quote by Upton Sinclair to his views on capitalism. You have a very interesting quote, however I think there is some more meaningful significance beyond just the realization of Jurgis (a fictional character). Do you think there is a larger, underlying message behind this quote, and book as a whole?
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Trey Lewis
10/23/2013 02:33:02 pm
"...and so Jurgis learned a few things about the great and only Durham canned goods, which had become a national institution. They were regular alchemists at Durham's; they advertised a mushroom-catsup, and the men who made it did not know what a mushroom looked like. They advertised "potted chicken,"--and it was like the boardinghouse soup of the comic papers, through which a chicken had walked with rubbers on. Perhaps they had a secret process for making chickens chemically--who knows? said Jurgis' friend"
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Rachel Maristela
10/23/2013 03:00:23 pm
"One of the first consequences of the discovery of the union was that Jurgis became desirous of learning English. He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings and to be able to take part in them, and so he began to look about him, and to try to pick up words." Ch. 9
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Rachel Deaton
10/23/2013 03:11:34 pm
Nice post Rachel! I believe too that it is great of Jurgis to learn English so he can understand what happens around him. Knowing English will only make him stronger!
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Rachel Deaton
10/23/2013 03:09:21 pm
"...she was always chasing the phantom of good health, and losing it because she was too poor to continue."
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Tess Herzog
10/23/2013 03:15:38 pm
“He had heard people say that it was a free country- but what did that mean?”
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Quentin Jackson
10/23/2013 03:22:09 pm
It is difficult to truly see what "free" means in our country.
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Carly
10/23/2013 03:16:08 pm
"And then there was "potted game" and "potted grouse," "potted ham," and "deviled ham"--de-vyled, as the men called it. "De-vyled" ham was made out of the waste ends of smoked beef that were too small to be sliced by the machines; and also tripe, dyed with chemicals so that it would not show white; and trimmings of hams and corned beef; and potatoes, skins and all; and finally the hard cartilaginous gullets of beef, after the tongues had been cut out."
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Cole Sargent
10/23/2013 04:34:39 pm
I also thought that was significant, how could the bosses live with themselves? Did they just schedule their life to avoid the meat-packing factories or something? I simply can't understand how, no matter how greedy someone is, they could subject another human to that level of mutilation.
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Halee Robinson
10/24/2013 12:44:37 am
Your analysis embodies almost my exact thoughts. Except the last sentence. I had not considered the workers in this before and it is interesting that you did. I see what you mean by this, and I definitely agree, but from the perspective of the workers, it was likely that this was the only job that they would receive and one they would definitely lose if they were to be discovered confessing to this. Also, even if they had admitted to using waste meat, not much would change. Authority figures would have backed up company owners, and the people couldn't do anything about it because companies had a monopoly over these neighborhoods. As stated in the book, "...even if they had known it, what good would it have done them, since there was no place within miles of them where any other sort was to be had?"
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John Engel
10/23/2013 03:33:35 pm
"Also the union made another great difference with him--it made him begin to pay attention to the country. It was the beginning of democracy with him. It was a little state, the union, a miniature republic; its affairs were every man's affairs, and every man had a real say about them. In other words, in the union Jurgis learned to talk politics."
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Grady Gumner
10/23/2013 04:06:49 pm
It's very interesting that you bring up this point. I think that as Jurgis was exposed to the injustices of the United States he felt the need to become more involved in politics and express his beliefs. This is usually the case for people growing up in today's culture. As they mature and become more exposed to politics, they form opinions and pay more attention to their government.
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Erik Salazar
10/23/2013 03:37:17 pm
"She learned her lesson this time, poor creature; she learned it ten times over. All the family learned it along with her--that when you have once got a job in Packingtown, you hang on to it, come what will."
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Julz Valencia
10/23/2013 09:43:47 pm
I think you capture the idea of this quote by saying one can not simply demand fair pay because that could potentially cause someone to loose their job. I also agree with the fact that one person alone is not really going to change much, but when actions are 'taken by laborers protesting that they have had enough,' something can be done.
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Jessica Pollock
10/23/2013 03:54:06 pm
“He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings, and to be able to take part in them...”
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Cole Sargent
10/23/2013 04:21:21 pm
I also made the connection to unlimited potential when Jurgis decided he was going to learn English. Do you think it'll help him deal with the corrupt bosses?
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Justin Walker
10/23/2013 07:48:58 pm
These quotes definitely encapsulate some of the difficulty Jurgis undertook while still attempting to learn the American language. However, would Intellectual Curiosity better suit this particular claim? He is trying to learn a new language instead of simply ignore it which implies curiosity or, more rather, necessity. But I digress.
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Grady Gumner
10/23/2013 04:02:16 pm
Quote: "For her canning-factory had shut down! Marija would about as soon have expected to see the sun shut down- the huge establishment had been to her a thing akin to the planets and the seasons. But now it was shut! And they had not given her any explanation, they had not even given her a day's warning..."
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Alex Demos
10/23/2013 04:42:45 pm
Great connection. I liked how you recognized the similarities from today's job market compared to what the job market was like when the book was written. The issues you represent between the relationship between now and back then are very strongly supported with detail.
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Cole Sargent
10/23/2013 04:31:23 pm
“The men would tie up their feet in newspapers and old sacks, and these would be soaked in blood and frozen, and then soaked again, and so on, until by nighttime a man would be walking on great lumps the size of the feet of an elephant. Now and then, when the bosses were not looking, you would see them plunging their feet and ankles into the steaming hot carcass of the steer, or darting across the room to the hot-water jets,” (Sinclair 88). This quote was significant to me because, more so than any other text in the chapter, it highlighted the horrible working conditions that Jurgis, and the working class in general, was subjected to in the 1900s. The fact that these men put up with this day by day is astounding, and it made me wonder why they didn’t just move--if they were immigrants perhaps to the country that they were from, or if they’re Americans to a rural town. What kept these people here, where the only jobs are those that horribly mutilate one’s body with cuts, blisters, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, depression, coughing fits, and flesh-eating acid?
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Alex Demos
10/23/2013 04:39:26 pm
"There came a time when there was so little flesh on him that the bones began to poke through -- which was a horrible thing to see or even think of."
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Chelsea Flores
10/23/2013 05:07:13 pm
"...would yet consider himself a gentleman, as far removed as the poles from the most skilled worker on the killing beds; he would dress differently, and live in another part of the town, and come to work at a different hour of the day, and in every way make sure that he never rubbed elbows with a laboring man. Perhaps this was due to the repulsiveness of the work; at any rate, the people who worked with their hands were a class apart, and were made to feel it."
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Sabrina
10/24/2013 02:16:55 pm
Great job Chelsea! I really liked how you connected our lives with the past retold in the Jungle. You also brought out some good points about race.
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Ryan Novak
10/23/2013 05:31:00 pm
"They were harried all day and nearly all night by worry and fear. This was in truth not living; it was scarcely even existing, and they felt that it was too little for the price they paid. They were willing to work all the time; and when people did their best, ought they not to be able to keep alive?"
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Justin Walker
10/23/2013 07:46:33 pm
"Jurgis had once been among those who had scoffed at the idea of these huge concerns cheating; and so now he could appreciate the bitter irony of the fact that it was precisely their size which enabled them to do it with impunity."
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Julz Valencia
10/23/2013 09:37:12 pm
"Just one year and three days after she had begun work as a can-painter, she lost her job.
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Hannah
10/24/2013 12:04:56 am
I think it is super that you really thought about and understood your relation to this quote. You connected this quote to high school, affiliations, and judgement, which is something most of us can also relate too. Nice ulz!! :)
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Shannon Carlson
10/24/2013 02:59:23 am
I like how Julz did not take the quote literally but interpreted it a different way. Connecting it to the book and personal life
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Hannah O'Connell
10/24/2013 12:22:14 am
Quote: " They would have to renew the insurance every year; they would have to pay the taxes, about ten dollars a year; they would have to pay the water tax, about six dollars a year--(Jurgis silently resolved to shut off the hydrant)."
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Halee Robinson
10/24/2013 12:23:50 am
"...he had not earned the right [to her]; that she trusted him so was all her own simple goodness, and no virtue of his. But he was resolved that she should never find this out, and so was always on the watch to see that he did not betray any of his ugly self..."
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Katie c
10/24/2013 02:02:07 am
“Jurgis heard of these things little by little, in the gossip of those who were obliged to perpetrate them.”
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Shannon Carlson
10/24/2013 02:56:03 am
Quote: "One of the first consequences of the discovery of the union was that Jurgis became desirous of learning English. He wanted to know what was going on at the meetings, and to be able to take part in them, and so he began to look about him, and to try to pick up words."
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Chris dang
10/24/2013 03:49:59 am
And shortly afterward one of these, a physician, made
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Sophia Kormanik
10/24/2013 02:51:05 pm
"Perhaps, Jurgis thought, this waas intended to signify that it was his baby; that it was his and Ona's, to care for all its life. Jurgis had never possessed anything nearly so interesting - a baby was, when you came to think about it, assuredly a marvelous possession. It would grow up to be a man, a human soul, with a personality all its own, a will of it's own! Such thoughts would keep haunting Jurgis, filling him with all sorts of strange and almost painful excitements."
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Rilind
10/26/2013 04:27:37 am
I didn't see the link on her edmodo the other night for this and i'm pasting it from my docs.
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Adrian Schnepp
10/28/2013 01:30:05 pm
"The deed was signed now, he said, with sarcasm proper to the new way of life he had learned--the deed was signed, and so the agent had no longer anything to gain by keeping quiet. And Jurgis looked the fellow squarely in the eye, and so the fellow wasted no time in conventional protests, but read him the deed."
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Abby T
10/28/2013 04:50:49 pm
Some events that I thought were pretty significant took place primarily in chapter 10 when things began going downhill for Marija, Jurgis, and Ona; Marija loses her job and doubts the canning factory will ever reopen and when it does, she just gets fired, Jurgis is struggling to make money for the family, and Ona is about to have a baby without a proper doctor. After a few weeks of searching for a job, Marija gets a job of cutting diseased meat up, but the pay is even worse than what it originally is and she hates the working conditions. I was really shocked at this part in the book because I can barely imagine what it's like to have to go through any of these events or in this time period, and it's sad that so many people had to go through events similar to these just to be able to barely get enough money to live in America and were constantly competing against one another for jobs, no matter how terrible the conditions were.
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John Laine
10/30/2013 05:18:05 am
"“He found that here, precisely as in Russia, there were rich men who owned everything; and if one could not find any work, was not the hunger he began to feel the same sort of hunger?” chapter 9 second paragraph
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Quentin Jackson
11/12/2013 12:11:29 pm
It was a war of each against all, and the devil take the hindmost. You did not give feasts to other people, you waited for them to give feasts to you. You went about with your soul full of suspicion and hatred; you understood that you were environed by hostile powers that were trying to get your money, and who used all the virtues to bait their traps with. The store-keepers plastered up their windows with all sorts of lies to entice you; the very fences by the wayside, the lampposts and telegraph poles, were pasted over with lies. The great corporation which employed you lied to you , and lied to the whole country— from top to bottom it was nothing but one gigantic lie.
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