The Jungle

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, Sinclair frequently uses the term “machine” to reference the system that Jurgis and his family are subjected to.

• What is this “political machine?” (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three references to this machine throughout the novel that support your answer.
• In your concluding sentences, discuss briefly how the political machine of Chicago is an example of The Law and Government as Agents of Violence

2. Sinclair argues that the businesses of Packingtown use brutal and corrupt practices in their workplaces.

• How can businesses exploit their workers and consumers through brutal and corrupt practices? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three examples of brutal and corrupt business practices in the novel that support your rationale.
• How do Packingtown’s businesses speak to the larger theme of The Brutality and Corruption of Turn-of-the-Century Capitalism? Summarize your thoughts in your concluding sentences.

3. At the novel’s end, Jurgis becomes interested in the socialist philosophy.

• What is the socialist philosophy presented by Sinclair in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three references to Socialism in the novel and describe how each relates to Jurgis’s character development.
• How does Jurgis’s story advocate for The Nature and Necessity of Socialism? Summarize your thoughts in your concluding sentences.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Throughout the novel, Sinclair makes references to different animals, as well as animalistic behavior. Why does Sinclair choose to make references to animals? At which moments in the books does he make these comparisons? Find examples to substantiate your point. How does his use of animal imagery connect with the book’s title?

2. Discuss Sinclair’s representation of traditional gender roles. How does this attitude intersect with its depictions of capitalism and Socialism? Consider how the representation of gender roles in the novel relates to the theme of Capitalism’s Relationship to the Family.

3. How does life in Packingtown affect the trajectory of the family? Select one character and compare and contrast them at the novel’s beginning and end.