Jacob Riis How The Other Half Lives Summary

Words: 396
Pages: 2
Open Document
Jacob Riis’s work How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York documents the filthy living conditions of NYC in the 1880s. He bought a detective camera and went around taking pictures of real life NYC tenements. He describes how he believes the tenement system failed because of neglect and greed from the wealthy. Throughout his book he shares photos of different ethnic groups in the slums and uses slurs and stereotypes but keeps his theory that the reason for poverty is the conditions that surround it. At the end he talks about how to fix this problem. Photography is one way because it was a way to prove and show the conditions that people were living in and this increased sympathy for these communities. Riis was able
Show More

Related Documents: Jacob Riis How The Other Half Lives Summary

Jacob Riis How The Other Half Lives Summary

Jacob Riis, an immigrant from Denmark, became the epitome of the American dream by rising to prominence through his work in journalism and social reform. His work helped to influence great strides in improving the issues resulting from industrialization and urbanization throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. This time period eventually became known as the Progressive Era due to the social reforms brought about by muckrakers like and inspired by Riis. At 21 years old, Jacob Riis stepped…

Words 935 - Pages 4

Summary Of How The Other Half Lives By Jacob Riis

The Keen-eyed and Keen-nosed Danish immigrant, Jacob A. Riis, a reporter for the New York Sun, shocked middle-class Americans in 1890 with How the Other Half Lives, in which he presented what would become familiar themes and images, most notably that of the dirty, and dangerous tenement house; documented the living and working conditions of the poor. Jacob Riis’ work were so meaningful and powerful, most middle and upper class Americans just didn't understand the kind of culture shock that many immigrants…

Words 327 - Pages 2

Summary Of How The Other Half Lives By Jacob Riis

Writing Assignment #1 Jacob Riis’ Book How the Other Half Lives 1. It is almost impossible to pick a place to start when asked what surprised me the most about the living situation of the tenement residents. There were so many gruesome aspects of these poor folks’ living arrangements that it made me seriously reevaluate how well we have it nowadays. From the rooms just big enough to “allow the man to pull off his clothes,” to the 7-cent beds made of “canvas strip”, the adjective “grim” doesn’t…

Words 747 - Pages 3