In 'How the Other Half Lives,' Jacob Riis, a Danish immigrant and police reporter, documents the harsh realities faced by poor urban immigrants in 1890s New York City, highlighting their desperate living conditions amidst rapid industrialization. His photography aimed to reveal the exploitation and suffering caused by greed and materialism from the wealthier class, prompting social reforms. Riis's vivid descriptions of overcrowded and unsanitary housing shed light on the plight of struggling families, emphasizing the need for societal change.

1. Ho How The Other Half Lives Summary
Riis, Jacob How the Other Half Lives New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1890. In 1890, Jacob Riis, a Danish immigrant worked as a police
reporter and photographic journalist in New York City. "How the Other Half Lives," prompted legislative reforms, focused attention on the
desperate lives of poor urban immigrants and left an enduring mark on the history of documentary photography." (NY TIMES). During this
time, America was going through social and economic stress due to rapid industrialization. It was a time full of greed and neglect from the
wealthier class leaving the middle and poor class helpless and suffering day to day. Jacob Riis used his photography to document real lives that
were being affected by this crisis and presented these photos to the public to open their eyes to what was going on. The economy, society, and
government started to be controlled by large corporations who were owned by immigrants filled with greed and materialism. With this
industrialization, Riis documented the over worked lower class who were given low wages and placed in overpriced slums. The real world did
not notice the truth behind this madness until Riis's photography opened their eyes....show more content...
The author, Riis wrote the book with intent to show how workers were treated terribly during the progressive area by being paid minimum
wage and being housed in the slums. He vividly describes the living conditions that families were put into at this time "one room 12 x 12 with
five families living in it, comprising twenty persons of both sexes and all ages, with only two beds, without partition, screen, chair, or table" (66).
Individuals and their families suffered living in the slums and were not given any other options but to suffer from the disease, overcrowding,
exploitation, and poor living
Get more content on HelpWriting.net