Posted: March 25th, 2015

Jacob A. Riis 'How the other half lives'

Jacob A. Riis ‘How the other half lives’

Order Description

An essay for my Social welfare class on the ideas of Riis as it is said in his book ‘How The Other Half Lives’
2 main questions:
1. Riis argues to form a character because to ‘reform’ a character may be a hopeless task, what does this quote mean?

1a According to Riis, what institutions form character? What institutions “reform” character?
1b How does he propose that government afford to construct institutions that form character?
1c could Riis’ quote apply in 2015 to explain the rising cost of the NYC Criminal Justice System? Why or why not? (to this I advise you stick to facts of NYC’s prison

trends and poverty trends since the days of Riis.)

2 What does Riis mean by the term ‘homogenizing the poor?’ what is his argument for government’s role to treat citizens ‘unequally’? Does his theory support or refute

Aristotle’s principles for the pursuit of happiness? (The pursuit of happiness as seen from the eyes of the State. The State’s responsibility being to create an equal

platform for everybody to pursue what makes them happy.)