Question

What does the author mean when he describes the “great packing machine” at the beginning of the last paragraph? What type of literary device is the author using, and what does it add to the tone of the selection, or the attitude the author has toward a subject and his or her audience? Cite textual evidence in your response.

Answer 1

Based on the search results, the author in question seems to be Upton Sinclair, and the "great packing machine" is a reference to the slaughter industry and meatpacking. The phrase "great packing machine" is an example of metaphor, where the complex and industrialized meatpacking process is compared to a machine. This metaphor emphasizes the dehumanizing and industrialized nature of the meatpacking industry and suggests that workers are simply cogs in a machine, rather than being valued individuals. This adds to the overall tone of the selection, which is critical of the meatpacking industry and its exploitation of workers.

In Chapter 14 of Sinclair's book "The Jungle," he writes, "they were part of the machine they were fed by it, clothed by it, sheltered by it, and when they died they were buried by it." This quote further emphasizes the metaphor and adds to the negative attitude Sinclair has toward the meatpacking industry and the treatment of its workers.

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