How The Other Half Lives Essay - 1805 Words

The variations in the living standards among the people from place to place, and from time to time have always been existent. Greed, injustice and inequality are the three sides of the triangle of poverty and wherever we see them, poverty is always there. Humans cannot overcome a serious problem such as poverty without addressing those three main causes. Even this problem is worldwide; it varies from one area to another. It is higher in areas which were colonized for a long time before such as Africa, Asia and Latin America than other areas which were not colonized for a long time such as Europe and America. We cannot imagine the swift change that happens in the last century in poverty. Surprisingly, it is only one percent of the population that controls most of the international financial assets, creating a massive change in the international landscape of poverty. It was mentioned in the introduction to the text that was taken from Jacob Riis’ book â€Å"How the Other Half Lives† this quotation: â€Å"Curiously, today, that economic divide has changed and we now speak of a much wider division: the one percent versus nighty nine percent†. It is interesting, but not surprising to see today with all modern thinking and technological progress, poverty is still growing to threaten our existence and it doesn’t seem to go away anytime soon. Most definitely, without addressing the three sides of the triangle of poverty which are greed, injustice and inequality, nothing really will workShow MoreRelatedHow The Other Half Lives By Edward Bellamy1111 Words   |  5 Pagesof the problems of social equality. In the novel â€Å"How the Other Half Lives† by Jacob A. Riis, he highlighted not only the horrendous living conditions of the poor, but also their working conditions. He both observed and documented the horrible impact that the slums of New York had on the people that lived there. He exposed the world of the â€Å"other half† . Both of these reformers expressed their views of how they perceived the progressive era and how it affected the overall population. Various socialRead MoreJacob Riis How the Other Half Lives Essay1550 Words   |  7 PagesJacob Riis How the Other Half Lives In How the Other Half Lives, the author Jacob Riis sheds light on the darker side of tenant housing and urban dwellers. He goes to several different parts of the city of New York witnessing first hand the hardships that many immigrants faced when coming to America. His journalism and photographs of the conditions of the tenant housing helped led the way of reformation in the slums of New York. His research opened the eyes of many Americans to the darkerRead MoreHow The Other Half Lives1916 Words   |  8 PagesWell done, Jacob Riis, well done. In the book How the Other Half Lives, published in 1890, harsh criticisms and observations, along with photojournalism, of the appalling conditions of New York City tenements and their neighborhoods are examined through the eyes of Jacob Riis. As a reporter at the time for The New York Tribune, his writing and photography sparked reform and forced many people, even the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, to focus their attention on the horrendous conditions in which theRead MoreThe Gilded Age By Jacob Riis1483 Words   |  6 Pageshowever, America appeared to be a country of chaos and desperation. The necessities that people could not imagine living without today, such as fresh air and sanitary houses, were often a luxury to these immigrants. Jacob Riis, the author of How the Other Half Lives, visited several areas in New York to observe the appalling living conditions that various immigrants were stuck in. After making these observations, Riis ultimately criticizes the greedy landlords but also places considerable amount of blameRead MoreThe Life of Immigrant Children In New York Essay1344 Words   |  6 Pagesthat the â€Å"slum† landlords of these tenements exploited immigrants by charging them more rent than they could afford. As a result, every member of the family had to work—even young children. Subsequently, in 1890, Riis wrote a book entitled: How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements o f New York, which included his horrifying photographs and sketches, as means to expose to the middle class the chaotic environment of tenement living. Although Riss’s book exposes a myriad of social and economicRead MoreHow the Other Half Lives Essay1326 Words   |  6 Pages17, 2005 Book Report #2 How the Other Half Lives Introduction The book How the Other Half lives, is one of those books that definitely affects you as soon as you read it. Jacob Riis the author of the book, wrote it exactly for the purpose, to affect people and get them to realize how bad the conditions were back then in New York City. He goes into full depth, of what the living conditions were like, who lived in them, and how they were affected by them. Mostly how each ethnic group lived inRead MoreHow the Other Half Lives Reflection999 Words   |  4 PagesMy Name Professor Name American History II 04October 2007 A Reflection on How the Other Half Lives by the Other Half The author of How the Other Half Lives, Jacob Riis, inscribes on the deplorable living conditions of the Progressive Era from a first-person perspective. Riis, an immigrant, police reporter, photojournalist and most importantly: a pioneer and social reformer, tells a very captivating yet appalling experience of the lower class life in New YorkRead MoreHow The Other Half Lives Is Hailed As The Defining Text1569 Words   |  7 PagesHow the Other Half Lives is hailed as the defining text in promoting awareness and civil action to improve the living conditions of the lower classes. The excerpt and images appeal to the audience’s emotion and sense of Christian service. Riis appeals to his audience through his words and accompanying pictures. He describes the lives of the tenement women and children, the most vulnerable of society. He focuses on the visible negative characteristics of his subjects’ poverty: abuse, hunger, diseaseRead MoreHow the Other Half Lives: The Por trayal of Jacob Riis1064 Words   |  5 PagesRiis’ views through his book ‘How the Other Half Lives,’ is conveyed by storytelling and is largely made of logos, however the key component is actually ethos, like a politician running a campaign, Jacob Riis’s uses logos and pathos to create a persona of authority on the topic of the poor in New York City. I am going to look in depth on how Riis uses different approaches to convey his views to his audience: why does do some of Riis’ key texts contradict each other? Is he conscious of if? Is itRead More The Reality of Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives Essay1105 Words   |  5 PagesThe Reality of Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives Jacob Riis’ book How the Other Half Lives is a detailed description on the poor and the destitute in the inner realms of New York City. Riis tries to portray the living conditions through the ‘eyes’ of his camera. He sneaks up on the people flashes a picture and then tells the rest of the city how the ‘other half’ is living. As shocking as the truth was without seeing such poverty and horrible conditions with their own eyes or taking in the experience