Labor Day is the day we honor the achievements of American workers, according to the Department of Labor. In honor of that tradition, I will take a minute to discuss a labor-oriented novel, and then we'll all participate in a Labor Day writing prompt.
Labor Themed Novel: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
In 1906, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle. His goal was expose the deplorable conditions at factories in Chicago and other American cities. The book was wildly successful.
But not for the reasons Sinclair intended.
Rather than being disgusted with the exploitation of the American worker, most people were just disgusted by the way their sausage was made at the meatpacking factory featured in the story.
I get the impression from Wikipedia that Sinclair was definitely annoyed, but at least it got people to read his book, right?
Does it matter that the public was drawn to The Jungle for a completely different reason than the author intended? Are there other examples of this happening? Let us know in the comments section.
PRACTICE
Take fifteen minutes to write about an American worker. Share in the comments section below!