Jacob Riis How The Other Half Lives Analysis

In “How the other half lives” Photography’s speaks a lot just like ones action does. Jacob Riis writes about the living conditions of the tenement houses. Most people in these apartments were poor immigrants who were trying to survive. Riis, a photographer, captured the unhealthy, filthy, and horrible conditions not only through his words, but rather through his pictures. His pictures spoke for the people and the dirty conditions they had to live in. Riis’s journalism (muckrakers) and photography’s pushed for reform. He was determined to expose the corruption so others could see what the slums of New York City really were. The photojournalism presented by Riis had a crucial impact on the message he was trying to depict onto the public.
Jacob Riis worked as a reporter and was shocked and disturbed by the conditions these people were living in. He couldn't imagine that so many people lived in these horrible conditions. Riis only wanted to call attention to the awful conditions of the large population in New York City lived in. I felt this story was very inspiring to read and the message Riis was giving his readers was unimaginable. His photographs enabled me to see the reality of the late 19th century. Hard working immigrants lived in filthy, dangerous, cramped areas because there was no …show more content…
If I was living back in the 19th century in poverty I would do exactly what Riis by photographing the slums not only did he write about poverty being a problem he showed photo as well. Which was creative basically saying photos speaks loud as well. I would take pictures and put them on newspaper for others to see and also join a team to together to write about what poverty is doing to people and what we can change by it. Jacob Riis was a brave guy and he stood up for the poor who couldn’t speak for