In The Jungle, Sinclair's purpose is to expose the dangerous and unhealthy ways of the meat packing industry, while also exposing the difficulties immigrants have while reaching for a romanticized "American Dream." Sinclair persuades the audience by using catharsis and constructing the audience to feel badly for the characters. He is able to "win over" the audience by avoiding sentimentalism, and instead uses ambiguity in order to make us analyze further.
In addition to writing the novel, Sinclair follows up with several speeches and essays about his cause and is successful in bringing change. In his case, his biggest desire is to have his audience informed, and he himself brought about a great change because of it.
In the case of The 11th Hour, the audience must be persuaded in order to do the work. The film uses appeals to logic and reasoning and shows us the facts. They instill hope in the audience by reminding them they can completely change the world. Therefore, by exposing the harsh reality that our biosphere is ill, the audience feels an obligation to change it.
Taryn, I think comparing the documentary style of "The 11th Hour" to the writing techniques of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle." Both are designed to reach their audiences and expose the truth of problematic world issues. Although "The 11th Hour" and "The Jungle" deal with different topics, they must appeal to their viewers through logic, emotions, and simple terms to correctly make their points.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Jungle," Sinclair appeals to his readers' emotions. He does this by documenting the daily happenings of an immigrant working in Chicago's meatpacking industry. Through the lives of his characters and their troubles, he is able to appeal to emotions of those reading their story. These clear terms allow him to uncover the corruption within society, and therefore successfully mold his audience.
"The 11th Hour," appeals to its viewers through logic. It presents numerous facts provided by various, prestigious scientists. Although these pieces of evidence involve complex forms of science, "The 11th Hour" discusses the issue of climate change in relatively simple terms. By supplying these facts clearly, the point of the film is easier to understand, and able to appeal to a wider audience.
I think that your comparisons of “The Jungle” and “The 11th Hour” are interesting. In addition, I think that “Ishmael” and “The Jungle” are comparable in their appeals and their goals. Both “Ishmael” and “The Jungle” have anti-sentimentalist narration that highlights the ideological critique, such as how “Ishmael” uses the Leavers and the Takers instead of more loaded words and how Jurgis begins to speak about the horrors of his life with indifference. The pursuit of the American dream is also comparable to the enactment of the Taker story and its negative effects. Also, the two are similar because they don’t leave the reader with a clear action plan. This is a clear difference between “The 11th Hour” and the other two novels, because “The 11th Hour” does give us, if not an action plan, at least hope for the future.
ReplyDelete