How the Other Half Lives

How does Riis use images, especially photographs, to build his case for tenement reform? How do you think these photographs might have been received by the 19th-century audiences and readers who first viewed them?

Riis often relies on “racial” generalizations common to the era in which he lived. Why did Riis believe that these generalizations supported his argument for tenement reform? How might those same generalizations in fact undermine his argument?

According to Riis, how does the physical space of the tenements, both inside the building and out, perpetuate poverty and degradation?

Beginning in Chapter 4, Riis takes the reader on a virtual tour of New York City’s poorest tenement neighborhoods. Why do you think he takes this approach? What impressions, general or specific, does this tour make on the reader?

With what degree of empathy does Riis treat the tenants he encounters? Use examples from the text to support your discussion.

How does Riis describe the plight of children in the tenements?

How does Riis distinguish between those who are unemployed and ask for money and those he calls “honestly poor”? Why do you think he makes this distinction?

Of all the conditions wrought by tenement life, which does Riis regard as most harmful and why?