How the Other Half Lives: Exposing Urban Poverty

Target: I can describe the living conditions in New York City tenements by analyzing the descriptive language and photography of Jacob Riis.

Key Vocabulary

• Tenement: A run-down, overcrowded apartment building in a poor section of a city.

• Muckraker: A journalist who investigates and exposes problems in society (like corruption or poverty).

• Urbanization: The process of cities growing and people moving from the country to the city.

• Sanitation: Clean conditions that protect public health (like clean water and garbage removal).

Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)

Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.

Prompt: The Crowded Room. Imagine you have to live in a standard classroom with 15 other people. You have to sleep, cook, eat, and wash your clothes in that one room. There is no bathroom (you have to go down the hall) and no windows.

In a complete paragraph, answer: How would living in these conditions affect your health? How would it affect your mood and your ability to learn or work? Why might disease spread quickly in a place like this?

Sentence Starter: If I lived in a crowded classroom with 15 people, my health would suffer because... It would be hard to learn or work because the noise and lack of privacy would... Disease would spread quickly because we would all be...

Part 2: Analyzing the Sources

Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.

Source 1: Excerpt from "How the Other Half Lives" (Jacob Riis, 1890)

Original Text	Simplified Text
"Be a little careful, please! The hall is dark... All the fresh air that ever enters these stairs comes from the hall-door that is forever slamming... The sink is in the hallway, that all the tenants may have access—and all be poisoned alike by its summer stenches..."	"Watch your step, the hallway is dark. The only fresh air comes from the front door. The only sink is in the hallway for everyone to use, and it smells so bad in the summer that it feels like poison."
"Here is a door. Listen! That short hacking cough, that tiny, helpless wail... The child is dying with measles."	"Listen at this door. You can hear a child coughing and crying weakly. That child is dying of the measles."

Source 2: Photo Description, "Five Cents a Spot" (Jacob Riis, 1889)

Image Description	Visual Details
The Room: A small, dark room in a tenement building at night. It is very crowded.	Details: At least six or seven people are sleeping on the floor in one small space.
The Furniture: There are no beds. People are sleeping on bundles of clothes or blankets.	Details: A stove is jammed into the corner, dangerously close to the people sleeping.
The Atmosphere: The room looks chaotic, dirty, and suffocating.	Details: Bags and boxes are piled up everywhere, leaving almost no room to move.

Analysis Questions

Directions: Answer questions A and B on your own. Then, work with a partner for the Discussion.

Question A (The Text): Riis appeals to the reader's senses (sight, sound, smell). Identify one specific sensory detail he describes (like the "stenches" or the "cough") and explain in 2-3 sentences how this detail creates a feeling of horror or sympathy.

Sentence Starter: One sensory detail Riis uses is the sound of... This detail creates a feeling of sympathy because it shows that the people living there are...

Question B (The Photo): Look at the description of "Five Cents a Spot." In 2-3 sentences, explain what this image proves about the economic status of the people living there. Use one specific visual detail (like "sleeping on the floor") to support your claim.

Sentence Starter: This image proves that the people are living in extreme poverty because... The detail of the... shows that they cannot afford even basic furniture like...

Partner Discussion: Share your answers with a partner. Discuss the following: Why was a photograph more powerful than just writing a description? How did Riis use these images to force rich New Yorkers to pay attention?

(No writing required for this section, just discussion).

Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).

Prompt: Jacob Riis is called a "Muckraker"—someone who rakes up dirt to show it to the world. In a detailed paragraph, explain why this work was necessary. Did Riis exploit these people by taking their pictures without permission, or did he save them by showing the world their suffering? Use the phrase "Public Awareness" in your answer.

Sentence Starter: Jacob Riis's work as a Muckraker was necessary because... By taking these photos, he created "Public Awareness" about... While taking photos without permission might seem unfair, I believe his goal was to...