Focus Question - What was 19th Century Like prior to Jack the ripper
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The infamous 'Jack the Ripper' murders occurred in the east end of London. The term 'East End' is used to describe the area that lay beyond the City of London’s eastern fringe. During 1888 this area was regarded a lawless ghetto viewed by the world with either compassion or utter contempt.
The bleak, depressing and menacing nature of London's East End is conveyed through it's living conditions, crime and violence. This is reinforced as Inspector Walter Dew, a local detective who began his career at Commercial Street police station in 1887, would later write in his memoirs that “even before the advent of Jack the Ripper [the district] had a reputation for vice and villainy unequaled anywhere else in the British Isles.” |
"In London there is an East End and a West End. In the West End are those fortunate ones who are sent into the world with a kiss. In the East End are the others. Here live the poor, the shamed, those whom Fate, seeing how shrunken and bent they are as they creep through the gates of life, spat in their face for good measure. In this East End a corner has been set aside where, not content with the spittle, Fate sends the poor on their way with a blow, a kick, and their hats shoved over their eyes. In this spot, with the holy name Whitechapel we would have to sink or swim, survive or go under, find bread, or if we could not, find death." - Jacob Adler
Living Conditions
One of the central aspects of the negative view held towards the East End was the low living conditions of it's population. The horrible working and living conditions of the east of London created a bleak and hopeless atmosphere which was reflected through its residents.
Some skilled immigrants, mainly Jews and Russians came to start a new life and start business however these honest, hardworking people were a minority in the East End and were thus found largely ignored.
Housing was appallingly overcrowded with families or clusters of strangers crammed into a one room ‘house’ deemed as a common lodging house to cook, eat, sleep and ultimately live. Rags covered the broken windows in the damp, insect-infested rooms and people shard beds or slept on the cold, hard floor whilst the homeless sheltered in doorways or spent the night in coffin like bunks in mission shelters. This extreme poverty is further showcased as there was little to no access to clean water and disease such as tuberculosis and diptheria spread rapidly and easily.
Violence and crime were also commonplace this is portrayed as the death or murder of a working girl in the east end was rarely reported in the press or discussed within polite society, it was accepted that the reality was that ‘ladies of the night’ were subject to physical attacks which sometimes resulted in death; cries for murder went unanswered. This perspective on murder conveys the common nature of crime in east-end society.
Some skilled immigrants, mainly Jews and Russians came to start a new life and start business however these honest, hardworking people were a minority in the East End and were thus found largely ignored.
Housing was appallingly overcrowded with families or clusters of strangers crammed into a one room ‘house’ deemed as a common lodging house to cook, eat, sleep and ultimately live. Rags covered the broken windows in the damp, insect-infested rooms and people shard beds or slept on the cold, hard floor whilst the homeless sheltered in doorways or spent the night in coffin like bunks in mission shelters. This extreme poverty is further showcased as there was little to no access to clean water and disease such as tuberculosis and diptheria spread rapidly and easily.
Violence and crime were also commonplace this is portrayed as the death or murder of a working girl in the east end was rarely reported in the press or discussed within polite society, it was accepted that the reality was that ‘ladies of the night’ were subject to physical attacks which sometimes resulted in death; cries for murder went unanswered. This perspective on murder conveys the common nature of crime in east-end society.
Focus Question - How did Jack the Ripper effect London
"Jack the Ripper did more than any social reformer to draw attention to the intolerable conditions of Whitechapel's slums." - George Bernard Shaw (Playwright)
The crimes of Jack the Ripper effected London in two very different ways. The murders shrouded the city in suspicion and fear however they also focused an international lens on the sub-human east end consequently creating a campaign for change. It can also be thought that the Ripper embodied the social anxiety of the time.
The Jack the Ripper homicides were so inhumane and ruthless that they captured the attention of the East End. These slayings whipped the area into a frenzy of suspicion and fear. This terrified worldview is conveyed through the reaction of the population following the murders. Police routinely descended on Whitechapel and Vigilante committees were formed with mobs frequently chasing people through the streets this created an ‘overly precaution’ east end which was trying to claw onto a sense of security. This is further portrayed as suspicion flourished, strangers passing each other in the street wondered if the other was a murderer and neighbors turned in one another for suspicious activity. In a sense the Rippers crimes brought the population of the east end together in a desperate quest for sanctuary.
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Prior to the murders the wealthier classes were aware of the
vile conditions and hopeless poverty of the east end however they did little to
fix this, Jack the Ripper’s slayings were so contrary to any degree of humanity
that they stood out and captured the attention of the entire world.
The international spotlight highlighted the horrid conditions of the east end, as journalist converged on the murderous streets they were appalled by the dreadful standard of life they encountered consequently reporting about these horrendous traditions, creating the need for change in the east end. Through this focus the authorities were also subject to a constant barrage of press criticism both for the inability of the police to bring the killer to justice, and the appalling social conditions that they had allowed to develop thus forcing a campaign of change. |
Jack the Ripper captured the attention of the population of the east end and the world, drawing attention to the sub-standard conditions of the area and creating a need for change. This change is portrayed as in lieu of the slayings common lodging houses, prostitution and crime declined, the area was more adequately lit, public awareness was raised and society expected more in regards to public safety and skilled workers were able to rent decent accommodation in the atrisians’ dwellings
built by charitable organizations. Through his murders the Ripper imposed a prominent impact of social and political change within the east end of London.