In the following paper, the author examines the debate if Riis was a Social Activist, who wanted to enhance the New York slums in the late 19th century, or a Muckraker, who aspired to become famous at any price. The primary source of this debate will be Jacob Riis’ most famous work "How the Other Half Lives". Moreover, this debate will be developed in respect to both Riis’ biography and "How the Other Half Lives"‘content, its structure, its language and its style in general.
Jacob August Riis "How the Other Half Lives - Studies among the Tenements of New York" which was first published in 1890 is an early work of photojournalism. It deals with the tenement and slum conditions in New York in the late 19th century. "How the Other Half Lives" is a documentation and not a fictional story. All 25 chapters report on occurrences which the author has researched and experienced. Jacob Riis uses numerous photographs, sketches and ground plans in each chapter to visualize his words to the reader. Some photographs are recorded by the author himself who makes use of new innovations. Riis’ usage of the flashlight was one of the newest and groundbreaking methods to take pictures at the end of the 19th century. He intensely experimented with flash and refined the work with his camera.
Since Riis put a lot of time, active work and effort in both the photography and the text component, he was regarded as a Social Activist. Riis states that his publication of photojournalism is based on changing and fighting against the social injustice in New York by "providing for every man a clean and comfortable home." In opposition to that, Riis was also regarded as a Muckraker. A Muckraker looks "for information about people’s private lives that they do not wish to make public" (Oxford Dictionary) in order to scandalize. Since he indeed uncovered unknown details of the slums, the lives of the tenants and the power of the landlords, Riis could be labeled as a Muckraker who “scraped up [the covert filth of the society] with the muck-rake” (Roosevelt).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Jacob A. Riis between social activism and muckraking journalism
2.1 Social Activist: Riis - a former member of the dwellers
2.2 Muckraker: Riis – the racist
2.3 Social Activist: Racism - only a façade to appeal the wealthy
2.4 Muckraker: Christianization – Riis’ real intention
2.5 Social Activist: Photojournalism’s convincing first steps
2.6 Muckraker: Phototruth or Photofiction?
2.7 Social Activist: Riis proving his position - sketches, statistics and numbers
2.8 Muckraker: No Interviews with the dwellers
2.9 Social Activist: A very vivid description of the slums
2.10 Muckraker: Use of exaggeration
2.11 Social Activist: Riis proposing solutions at the end
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines whether the Danish-American journalist and photographer Jacob A. Riis should be classified as a social activist committed to improving tenement conditions or as a muckraker who prioritized sensation and fame. By analyzing his seminal work How the Other Half Lives, the research contrasts his humanitarian goals with his controversial narrative and photographic methods.
- Analysis of Riis' biography and personal experience with poverty.
- Evaluation of the role of racism and ethnic stereotyping in his journalism.
- Examination of the efficacy and authenticity of his pioneering photojournalism.
- Assessment of rhetorical styles, including the use of exaggeration and emotional appeals.
- Investigation of proposed social solutions as indicators of activist intent.
Excerpt from the Book
2.5 Social Activist: Photojournalism’s convincing first steps
Nevertheless, Jacob Riis aspect of a Social Activist becomes apparent because he put much effort in his photography. Even though other authors and journalists “before Riis had written of New York’s slums […][,] it was the photographs that provided the real revolutionary impact” (Hales quoted in O’Donnell 13). Riis did not only want a social change in New York, he also worked hard to make the wealthy Americans read his book and to become conscious of the social injustice. Therefore, he looked for new methods and ideas. He “learned about a German invention of a new flash lighting process that enabled” (Lane 49) him to take pictures in the dark. Accordingly, he experimented with his own camera. In this process, he developed and improved the usage of the flashlight photo specifically for his pictures of the slums and the inside of the tenements.
Even “The New York Times […] validates Riis […] as America’s first photojournalist” (Roberts quoted in Hug 41) as he applied photography in literature like no other American author or journalist before. This breakthrough allowed Jacob Riis to present the circumstances inside the tenements which are typically barely lit. As an example, take the case of the picture labeled “Lodgers in a Crowded Bayard Street Tenement” (Riis 43) in chapter six. The picture shows a tiny room full of people lying or sitting on the floor. It seems like they are sleeping in these uncomfortable positions. Their personal belongings, pots, plates and more household goods are spread on the floor or hanging on the wall. This scene was “photographed by flashlight on […] a visit […] just past midnight” by Riis (Riis 44). The audience can clearly see the desperate faces of the dwellers. Although the room is hardly lit, Riis’ new method of using flash allows him to capture this deeply moving shot. This picture is a very special one. It transforms “the poor from faceless abstractions into human beings” (Roberts quoted in Hug 41). The reader who has never seen a tenement from the inside can now realize that the misery of the poor is the reality.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces Jacob A. Riis and his foundational work, outlining the social context of 19th-century New York tenement housing and defining the central debate between social activism and muckraking.
2. Jacob A. Riis between social activism and muckraking journalism: This main section provides a comparative analysis, alternating between arguments that portray Riis as a compassionate social reformer and those that frame him as a scandal-seeking muckraker.
3. Conclusion: The concluding chapter weighs the previously discussed arguments, asserting that while Riis utilized controversial methods, his overarching contribution and intent align more closely with social activism.
Keywords
Jacob A. Riis, How the Other Half Lives, Social Activist, Muckraker, Tenement, New York, Photojournalism, Social Reform, Immigrants, Slum conditions, Progressive Era, Documentary, Ethnicity, Flashlight photography, Urban poverty
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this academic paper?
The paper evaluates the professional identity of Jacob A. Riis, specifically investigating whether he functioned primarily as a social activist aiming for reform or a muckraker seeking personal fame through scandal.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers 19th-century American journalism, urban history, social reform, and the historical evolution of photojournalistic techniques.
What is the author's primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if Riis's work was driven by a genuine desire for social change in New York slums or if it merely exploited the misery of the poor for public consumption.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper utilizes a comparative analysis of primary and secondary sources, contrasting Riis's biographical background and photographic/textual evidence against definitions of activism and muckraking.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The body analyzes several dichotomies, including Riis's immigrant background, his use of racial stereotypes, the technical innovation of flash photography, the staging of images, and his eventual proposal of structural solutions.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include social activism, muckraking, tenement housing, Jacob A. Riis, photojournalism, and immigrant life in the late 19th century.
Does the paper consider the historical context of Riis's racist remarks?
Yes, the conclusion acknowledges that while his remarks are offensive by modern standards, they must be interpreted within the social attitudes prevalent during the 1890s.
How does the author resolve the issue of "staged" photography?
The author argues that even if photographs were staged, they served to represent the actual, harsh realities of the dwellers' lives and helped convey a message that effectively reached a wealthy audience.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2017, Jacob Riis. Social Activist or Muckraker?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/537864
