Primary Source Analysis

Primary Source Analysis

There are different social classes in the modern community. There are his who are overly rich and the poor who cannot afford basic needs. Due to the current culture where the people do not care about each other, the gap between the poor and the rich increases significantly. In some of the underdeveloped nations, the number of rich people is not as significant as that in well-developed countries. The community does nt, however, have a massive gap between the social class of its members. Most of the people help each other and work towards the development of the community rather than individual gain. Due to the social classism in New York, Jacob  Rills wrote a  book that was intended at giving an explanation of the slum life in the city to the people who had higher class, i.e. the middle and high lass community. It was published in 1890.  He used the book to show the suffering due to hunger, illness and even death in the streets of New York. This paper is a summary of two chapters of the book titled How the Other Half Lives, taking into consideration the key ideas that the author had in mind while writing the book.

CHAPTER I; GENESIS OF TENEMENT

The chapter highlights the theme of poverty in the slums in several ways. The first one is the lack of decent housing. In the slums, the people have no space or means that they can use to acquire houses as seen in the middle and upper class. Considering that the city is highly developing, the land and housing int are also very expensive. The first illustration of the idea is the house that the Dutch had. It was a storey house made of wood, and two families live in it. It was however leaning to another storey for support due to its poor state. The lack of choice led the families to live in such a place. It is unsafe to live in such a house due to the risk of collapse. From the initial description, a two-storey house that was made if wood illustrates the high levels of poverty (Riis). Building such a house could also have been a measure to save on space.

A storey house can hold many people in small spaces. Due to lack of funds to purchase land and establish themselves, the people in the slums chose to settle for such housing.

Another issue is the overpopulation in the areas. The space in the slums was not enough for the people. The houses that they lived in were therefore divided into smaller portions so that the landowners could get more profits. The levels of poverty were further escalated by the existence of intermediaries who had little regard for the dwellers. They used rash means to build and divide the houses all so that they could earn more money in the process.

CHAPTER XV: THE PROBLEM OF THE CHILDREN

Children need to go to cool, and et brought up by a moral code if they are ti o be successful in life. In the slums of New York, the amenities that led to the promotion of both educational and moral conduct are the main reasons why the children grow up to be unlawful and immoral citizens. The author uses dialogue to bring the point across. A quote in the chapter where a boy si asked where they go to church, and they say that they do not. The same answer is seen when they are asked where they go to school. An expression of behaviour is also seen in the chapter. From the attitude of the boy, it is clear that his moral code is reducing and he is adapting to the life that the streets of New York offer (Riis). Instead of answering the questions with respect, the boy responds with contempt.

The lack of basic needs is also evident in the clothing of the children. They have no clothes that they can use to go to church. In the slums, the levels of poverty are severe, and overpopulation is a great contributor to the issue. The results of overpopulation are severe. There is the scarcity of resources such as food and healthcare due to overstretching of the current situation. The ones who get access to such commodities also take advantage of the situation by increasing the prices f goods since the people in the slum have no option. Crimes also increase since the police department cannot control such large numbers n such a small space. Jacob wanted to show the picture to the people  of the middle and upper class of New York City.

The benefits o such a source is that it depicts the image of the area of study. It is clear from these of different styles such as dialogue what kind of community the book is based on. The source however limits the data obtained to access by reading which does not show the emotions that the people are going through. A source such as a video would show such aspects.

 

 

Works Cited

Riis, Jacob. “Genesis Of The Tenament”. Tenant.Net, 1890, http://tenant.net/Community/Riis/chap1.html.

Riis, Jacob. “The Problem Of The Children”. Tenant.Net, 1890, http://tenant.net/Community/Riis/chap15.html.