Crystal’s Weblog

Many books about our sixteenth president delve into a single aspect of his life rather then looking at him as a whole.  Did Lincoln Own Slaves? was a refreshing read because the pace keeps the reader interested and they will not get bogged down in the over explanation that can sometimes happen.  Within this great book are questions I knew the answers to, questions I thought I knew the answers to and some new ones that surprised me, as well as some really off-the-wall ones.  Lincoln has intrigued people for centuries and the mystery seems to continue. 

            When we, as Americans, look at Lincoln we tend to portray him as nearly saint-like.  While he was a good man and accomplished great things, he was also still human and prone to mistakes.  The book does a great job of showing some of these mistakes whether they were large or small.  The way Prokopowicz writes about Lincoln somehow still makes him the very likable and charming president, but also helps the reader relate to him as one of us, human.  People tend to make Lincoln’s characteristics and politics mirror their own.  It was stated in the book that whatever political view you have there is a strong case to show that Lincoln too would have picked that party. 

            Lincoln’s politics have always been a topic of debate.  A man with very little military experience became the commander-in-chief during a great war.  At the time of the war he was well liked by some and not so well liked by others, not so different then our last president.  Lincoln made some choices that were questionable and some generals scoffed at his strategies and some flat out ignored them.  He pressed forward.  Some of the many memorable things he did as president were things such as pardoning soldiers who were sentenced to death, working on freedom for all, and fighting to keep the country whole.  He may be considered a military genius by some because he was able to win a war with such a limited amount of background.

            Lincoln’s character is well known as a gentle and laid back man.  He was kind and generous, but tough when needed.  He was honest even when it could make him look bad.  He enjoyed telling jokes and relating stories although he refused to do so just for the pleasure of others.  He felt story telling was a way of getting through a tough situation or explain his point of view.  He tried not to say or do things without thinking, but there were times he got himself into a situation.  He once jumped out of a window to make sure there were not enough people for a quorum.  This didn’t work and he was embarrassed about the entire incident.  He was ok with people poking fun of his appearance, but was sensitive about his character being mocked.  People through time have tried to put holes in the fabric of Abe Lincoln, but it is usually put to rest with some research into his past.  Even before his death Lincoln was idolized as an upstanding citizen who tried to make life better for everyone, including those who were enslaved. 

            Lincoln felt that slavery was against the moral grain because it crushed the natural rights of non-European races.  He did; however, understand and believe that these races should not have the same civil rights as white Europeans like many other men of his era.  His opponents often tried to convince citizens that the two sides Lincoln argued were one and the same.  He did use derogatory names for African Americans, but not near as often as other politicians of the era.  Some believe that had he lived longer he may have pushed for civil rights for African Americans, but there is little proof to support that opinion. 

            Lincoln’s personality drew people to him, although he never had many close friends.  He enjoyed laughing and pulling pranks on friends and acquaintances.  He worried often about the well being of those around him as well as those serving him.  When a man was court marshaled Lincoln required his generals to present the papers to him so he could review the case before a decision was made.  Often Lincoln felt compelled to pardon the man, but there were times when he would sign off on their death.  Because of this some viewed him as soft and not qualified to lead the country.  It can be argued that he was soft for pardoning these soldiers or it can be viewed as being fair and just in a war that was fought for just such a reason as freedom. 

Over all, this book was very entertaining and useful.  It gives a candid look at the greatest president and his inner workings.  Not only does the author use humor he uses facts and backs them up with notes and names of books the reader can reference for further reading.   Lincoln’s personality, character and his political career are laid out a way anyone can read and understand.

  Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle was written to show the deplorable conditions of Packingtown’s poor immigrant workers.  Sinclair uses a main character, Jurgis, along with his family, to portray all the horrible atrocities the immigrants suffered.  Although these acts did happen to immigrants much imagination is needed to see them all happening to a single person.  The reader will begin to become callused to the hardships and may even blame Jurgis himself for the hardships happening in his world.  Because of the callousness, the issue seems to be pushed back as we examine the hellish filth and contamination within the packing houses. 

            As far as being a good piece of literature to improve the welfare and aide to the immigrant workers, the book may have missed the mark.  There were surely some people who, after reading the book, sat up and paid attention to the conditions of these poor immigrants; however, years went by before conditions truly changed.  Sinclair also uses a ploy to promote Socialism by showing that Jurgis is “saved” after finding this new path in life.  Nothing spectacular happens when he embraces this new life other than a new way of thinking. 

            Pressing Socialism may be an underlying reason why people had a hard time seeing a reason to help impoverished immigrants.  If the poor believed in Socialism they could help themselves! The division between the two classes was so deeply divided that most upper classes believed that the immigrants must have chosen this lifestyle because there is always a way to change.  So on this aspect of the book and the propaganda I would say it was not very effective.  On the packing house issue, which was not Sinclair’s intent, the book held more power.

            Americans had lived with immigrants moving in and with seeing how they survived, most social Americans had developed a hard shell to keep from thinking about the lives these people led.  Now society was being brought face-to-face with something they had never thought about, the processing of the meat on their tables.  The vivid details that Sinclair uses in describing the working conditions of Jurgis and his family members were horrifying to the public.  These gentile people had never had to think about what it took to get a steak to their table, and now they were seeing not only the process of meat production but the unhealthy way the meat was handled and stored.  They may have been able to shrug off the conditions of the workers, but when their own health was now being threatened, something had to be done!

            By giving the reader details about the horrible death of a worker who falls into a vat and is not retrieved because work would have to slow down, Sinclair unintentionally turns the focus of the reader away from the poor immigrant and back to the reader’s home.  People begin to look at their meats in a new way and are disgusted by the idea of what they may have consumed.  Even Socialism couldn’t help this mess! 

            Now propaganda is working, but not for Sinclair’s intended purposes.  People American’s were demanding that the packing houses change and rules are established to keep the public’s meat safe for consumption.   Change is happening because of Sinclair’s book but it is not the change he had hoped for.  Knowing that Sinclair’s efforts were to help the working class in Packingtown, I would have thought the book did the job of making readers aware of the horrors in the packing houses.  However, knowing Sinclair’s true intent of the novel makes determining effective propaganda difficult to say. Perhaps knowing the side Sinclair was fighting for helps the reader to take a true look at what he was trying to tell them. 

            The Socialism part of the book falls flat as the issue does not even appear until the end and is made to be a great savior to the people.  Most people reading the book would not have felt compelled to join the Socialist movement based on the three chapters at the end of a very long fiction novel.  The book has an almost fairy tale way of showing how Jurgis becomes a better man and can now deal with the hardships of life in the packing houses. 

            At the time of the book’s release, The Jungle was effective in making the world aware of the inner workings of the packing houses, but not effective as a source of propaganda for the immigrant working class of Packingtown.  The novel also does not do the job of promoting Socialism.  The introduction makes a good point when quoting Sinclair as saying, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”