Upton Sinclair Essay Example for Free

Upton Sinclair Essay Upton Sinclair was born on September 20th 1878, in Baltimore Maryland. His life was spent alternating between politics, writing and in civil rights movements. His first major book was written in 1903 Manassas, but it is The Jungle that would throw him into instant fame and make known his stand in the complications brought forth by capitalism. He was a socialist and tried running for office in 1906, having a go at the congress in New Jersey through the socialist party of America where he lost slightly. His literary works are full of critical writings where he would mirror authoritatively many of the issues affecting the Americans. He was a socialist and was always at clash with conservative politicians who were painting him as a violent communist despite the fact that he had denounced communism. His writings are not only political or social but he also gave a shot at psychic (William J. helm, 1994). His most recorded success in elections was in 1934 when he was nominated to run in office, this time not with the socialist party but with the Democratic Party. He was however to lose as his most conservative people in California could not buy his political ideas. The communists thought of him as a capitalist while the capitalist believed he was a communist and was out to change the state for the worse. An analysis of his accomplishments would reveal that they did not lie in politics but in his advancement of civil rights. His notable achievement however is in the labor movements. His writings and campaigns were strong injection to the labor unions. This shall remain the focus of this paper as it seeks to establish the impact and significance of Upton Sinclair on the American workers and the labor movements. Of particular interest in this paper will be his novel The Jungle and its impact of food legislations. The epitome of Upton Sinclair criticism of the capitalist system in the United States can be captured in The Jungle. It is here that he exposes many of the social evils that were being perpetuated in the society especially against the low-income earners. It exposes many scandals that before had remained hidden from the public’s eyes while at the same time urging for change (Jon Blackwell, n. d). The story is based on an emigrant family that moves to the United States, Chicago, in search of the American dream and prosperity only to be raped by the ruthless capitalist system. The whole family has migrated in to Chicago in the hope of a better life but the unscrupulous employers including corrupt officials gives the family no piece and they start dying one after the other. The working conditions of the stockyards in Chicago are intolerable. The situation is exacerbated by rampant corruption that thrives. For one to get something done, it is a must that an official be bribed in the process. The key character in The Jungle is one Jurgis and it is through him that the woes of the workers are brought to the fore. His family is on the verge of extinction as a string of deaths have caught the family. He is a troubled man and totally devastated by the employers and the farmers who keep turning employees away. This novel is a clear attack of industrialization and the intense mechanization of America. It portrays the fast waning optimism of people especially the workers who have to survive a life of bondage and wage slavery. The spotlight of the jungle is on the hard conditions that workers in the Chicago’s meat factories have to undergo. Workers of all ages including women and children are being exploited. It gives a vivid account of how farmers were being ground after having fallen accidentally in to the processing tanks with the full knowledge of the owners of the factories. The Jungle caused a major row pitting the public, the government and meat processing factories. The cleanliness of the meat was in question. This novel had exposed much of the evils and the malpractices that were being subjected to the workers. Sinclair intent and purpose of the novel was mostly to be centered on the woes of the workers, it was just that the publics attention become focused more on the hygiene of the meat. The Meat Inspection Act for example was passed after this novel had brewed enough uproar. To Sinclair, The Jungle did not just contain empty words, but they had to be followed up by real actions. He sent a copy of the book to the then president, Theodore Roosevelt. His was not on the hygiene of the meat but rather was on the wage slavery now dominant in American factories. The workers were being mistreated and poorly paid. However the authority’s attention was not on the â€Å"wage slavery† but on the meat quality and hygiene. The working conditions of the workers were ignored and instead the investigators focused more on the cleanliness of the processing factories. This would lead to his famous statement later to the effect that his works were intended to strike at the care of the matter and rather not the â€Å"stomach† this indicates the passion through which Sinclair was committed to securing the welfare of the workers to a point that he would confront the powers that were there then. Roosevelt only agreed to respond to the meat factory allegations after immense pressure from the civil societies including Sinclair himself. His efforts to secure the rights of the workers and improve their welfare can be seen in his campaigns for the seat of governor of California. His political ideology was being centered on the workers. His EPIC movement (End Poverty in California) was promising to alleviate the situation of the workers (Deibre Donahue, 2006. ). The Flivver King, a story of Ford America a book by Upton Sinclair in 1937 also roused and sensitized the workers on the woes facing them in their workplaces. It traces the origin of the Ford Motor Company and how after it was established it was treating its employees well as it only employed qualified workers, its focus in on the scientific management of the Ford Motor Company factories. After sometimes, the Ford Company took to breaking down the labor and introduced specialization meaning that even the low skilled workers could do the job with low pay (http://www. amazon. com/flivver-king-story-ford-america/dp/0882860542). This book traces how the Ford Company has over time phased out the skilled labor and in its place with the low skilled people and exploiting them. The workers in the Ford Company would wish to start a union but there were set backs as Ford’s â€Å"spies† are working to undermine their efforts each time they try to congregate. It explores how Ford was transformed in to selfishness by maintaining the same small pay but continuing to wreak billions. This book was of great significance as it led to great inspirations to the workers and also led to the formation of the United Autoworkers Union. It would result to a wave of workers movements and unionization that hit the big companies in the 1940s. It indicates the harsh realities that the workers had to contend with as they tried to form unions that would collectively agitate for their rights (Philip S. Foner, 1964). Upton Sinclair works are popular not for their qualities as novels but for their social impact. He is able to capture workers conditions and the low pay that characterized their remuneration. In the jungle he gives the heartrending details of stories of the workers who fell in to the vats and not being retrieved in time, they would die in there with no efforts by the factory owners to retrieve the bodies. These books went a great deal in inspiring the formation a workers union. By focusing at the problems facing the laborers, they were able to bring them together under a communality of purpose. The situation as it was in the factories for example in the, Ford Company, was that the owners were not taking any efforts to coalesce the workers interests lightly. The confrontations between the two would sometimes turn bloody. Unlike the communists who were expecting to push the ideas of the workers suffering down their throats, Sinclair takes a far much smoother approach through a well-researched story. The inspiration of Sinclair’s works upon the foundation of the workers union in America cannot be underscored. They made a great deal in presenting the reality in the factories. The United Workers Union is one such labor movement alongside others that were directly inspired by the novel on the Ford Company. Reference William J. helm, 1994. Upton Sinclair: overview. In reference guide to American literature 3rd ed. Edited by Kamp. St James press. Amazon Com, 1996. The Flivver King: A story of Ford –America. Retrieved on http://www. amazon.com/flivver-king-story-ford-america/dp/0882860542 Jon Blackwell. 1906: rumble over ‘The Jungle’ retrieved on 24/11/07 from http://www. capitalcentury. com/1906. html Jacob powers. Upton Sinclair, the flivver king. Retrieved on 24/11/07 from://upinmichagan. org/ver-sinclair. html Deibre Donahue, 06/23/2006. ‘Radical’ Life, times of Upton Sinclair USA TODAY. Retrieved on 24/11/07 from http://www. usatoday. com/ife/books/eviews/2006-06-21-radical-innocent-x. htm Philip S. Foner, 1964. History of the labor movement in the United States. International publishers co.

Devils Advocate Essays -- essays research papers

I believe that the theme of this film is, â€Å"there is no such thing as a free lunch†. The story gives the lead money and power. The lead finds out that he needs to pay for it with his soul. The director has a lot of ambition for the movie. He brings a lot of religion and ethics into the characters of the film by using subliminal symbolism. Even though the director tries to make a lesson out of the film, he makes the film with a lot of takes. This makes the film fast and very stimulating. Every detail of the screenplay is needed to make up the whole story. Given the director’s ambition and intent, I think that he portrayed the story well. Subjectively, I did like this film. Even though the world is not entirely Christian, I believe we all have religion. Religion does not have to revolve around a god, but religion revolves around or morality. I enjoyed this film because it dealt around someone’s decision to do the right thing. The film starts out in Gainesville, Florida. As successful lawyer, Kevin Lomax, has never lost a case. During his trial defending an alleged child molester in the form of a math teacher, he suddenly is caught up in the whole intriguing plot of the movie, that the firm Milton, Chadwick and Waters, a powerful firm in New York asks him to come down to help select a jury. After, he and his wife are treated to luxury on that visit, Kevin is offered a job with the firm based on his talent. He was given all he could wish for, in the form of a huge apartment and great office. There are two main characters in this movie, Kevin Lomax, who is played by Keanu Reeves, and John Milton, who is played by Al Pacino. Kevin Lomax is a relatively good person, even though he is a lawyer. He has got a sixth sense; he has intuitions when he picks his jury. His mother is a devout Christian in Gainesville and does not approve of his life. She speaks at Kevin in scripture and he answers her back. He is not a practicing Christian though. During the church scene, you see Kevin go up to the church that he was once a big part of his life, but not in it. He is half in the light and half out of the light. He is a cool and cocky character. He knows that he is an unbeaten lawyer. His expensive alligator skin boots are shown throughout the movie. In the first trial they show him with these boots while he is wearing a southern, cotton suit. These boots symbolize that he i... ... win but not at the expense of your humanity†. I think that the message of the filmmaker is that there are choices that we make concerning everyday. We might be able to make unethical choice but maybe making the right choices. He is saying that you might not have to pay for your choices now but sometime down the road you are going to have to. I think that the title of the movie has a lot of meaning. The Devil’s Advocate has a meaning all to itself. In business it is a person that goes against the group thought. He tries to get the get the group from getting groupthink (a stagnant cohesion of thinkers). Kevin was the devils advocate in his trials. Everyone knew that his defendants were dirty and bad people, but got them to think about how they were innocent of the crime they were under persecution of. Webster’s Dictionary says an advocate is one that argues for a cause, one that pleads in another’s behalf, a lawyer. During the Jewish Apocalyptic movement Satan went from God’s public prosecutor to an ind ependent adversary. This sounds like what Kevin did. He was an Assistance District Attorney with a 64:0 record and then went to work for the scum of the earth. Like father, like son.

Discuss the contribution that psychology has made to contemporary society

Since Psychology has been known as a subject, it is very broad, and has contributed to many areas of society to the work place, school, prison and institutions. In the work place, managers are trained to deal and communicate effectively with employees and customers alike. This helps to keep both parties happy, and this causes less distress. Most work places are under law in which even people with mental health issues are allowed to be employed, and only in severe cases they will be unaccepted to the job. An occupational psychologist is able to find a job for those who are disabled and that would be able to meet their skills and knowledge. A couple of centuries ago, people who had mental illnesses wouldn't be able to get a job, and are likely to be distinguished as ‘insane' or ‘crazy', because of the lack of help that was given at that time. In the school, the National Curriculum has been helped by the research of Psychology by the reflection of Piaget's stages – showing that children are likely to cope with ideas when they are ready or at a given age. For example, those children who are at the concrete operation stage at age 11 should not be given anything to do with formal reasoning. Although, Vygotsky believed in scaffolding, this means by actively participating in groups to their level of understanding to be able to make them understand what they are being taught better. In prison, they use token economy systems which is based on operant conditioning for those who have good behaviour they are reinforced with tokens, and these can be saved up to be able to have a privileges to go out. The token economy system allow for prisoners to continue their repeated good behaviour. During court sessions they need to know whether someone is classified as insane, and whether they should go to psychiatric hospital or ward, or to prison because they are a criminal. In institutions, they also use the operant conditioning of token economy systems to be able to have the patients do good behaviour and to be reinforced with tokens. This allows to substitute the tokens to be able to have leave or be able to do more activities within the institution. Institutions also have social skills to help those with mental health issues to be able to understand how to make social interactions with other people – many of both offenders as well as patients lack these skills, and these can be developed through number of ways such as role play and rehearsal.

The Effects Of Alcohol Related Incidents On Children

Research Essay Economics Andrew McWhinney Australia is regarded by many as a relaxed and carefree country, who enjoys a drink or two on a Sunday afternoon. As a result, BBQ’s and major sporting events have become accustom to providing and allowing the consumption of alcohol. Consequently, the negative effects caused by alcohol abuse have risen so drastically that the Australian Government has installed several practises to ultimately eradicate the outbreak of negative behaviour surrounding alcohol-related incidents. According to â€Å"World Health Organization’, alcohol is classified as a depressant drug that under certain circumstances can have devastating effects on the human body. Most distinctively; a higher chance of depression and†¦show more content†¦For e.g. , when demand is perfectly elastic, by definition consumers have an infinite ability to switch to alternatives if the price increases, so they would stop buying the good or service in question completely—quantity demanded would fall to zero. In the opposite case, when demand is perfectly inelastic, by definition consumers have no alternative to purchasing the good or service if the price increases, so the quantity demanded would remain constant. Hence, suppliers can increase the price by the full amount of the tax, and the consumer would end up paying the entirety. (Smith, 2013). In reality, demand is expected to be relatively elastic or relatively inelastic, that is, somewhere between the extreme cases of perfect elasticity or inelasticity (Kelvy, 2012). In the case of the ‘alcopop tax’, demand is elastic as there are many alternative beverages the consumer can purchase in place of ‘alcopops’. Since the introduction of the alcopops tax in 2008, evidence suggests that its introduction has not achieved its anticipated results in decreasing the quantity of alcohol youth consume. According to the University of Queensland, ‘The increased tax on `alcopops was not associated with any reduction in hospital admissions for alcohol-related harms in Queensland 15-29 year-olds’ (UQ, 2013). Several