Jack The Ripper Argumentative Persuasive Essay Example

of primary sources can be newspaper articles, diaries, eye witness accounts, photographs and letters.

Furthermore, a primary source should not be based on any other sources. Not all sources have the same reliability and one source can very rarely be used on its own as conclusive evidence. Instead, using a group of primary as evidence is far superior and beneficial to illustrate a view or argument. ‘There is always room for error’ , whether there are translation issues or document bias, for example. Therefore, when utilizing primary sources it must be remembered to understand the possible constraints of the source and consult other, independent sources in order to gain historical truths.

The view in 19th Century London of a ‘proper’ English was a very traditional one, where women were generally confined to the domestic and private sphere of society. Women were expected to act politely, respectably and were considered the property of their fathers and then, husbands. This view is clearly expressed in the illustration Business by George du Maurier. This illustration clearly shows that the attitude towards women in late 19th Century was that they were not of great importance or significance to society; rather they were objects and viewed as a form of decoration and property.

This illustration was also published in the Punch newspaper. Punch was one of London’s leading comic weeklies . The media of newspapers was one of the most effective ways of communication with the London public at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders, by 1888 London carried thirteen morning and nine evening daily national newspapers. Despite, Thomas Macaulay stating that the ‘only true history of a country is to

be found in its newspapers’ , there are a number of constraints to remember when using newspapers as evidence.

Newspapers are a commodity product, driven by profit and usually target at a particular group or groups in society. Therefore it must be remember that publishers of newspapers want to attract readers and therefore can present information that is bias or has been dramatized for this purpose. Looking in particular at Business, as it was published in a comedic newspaper, it is presenting a satirical comment on society in order to please and indulge its’ target audience. This very traditional view of women is also presented in the ‘Etiquette and Household Advice Manuals’ publish in the 1880s .

This excerpt shows the strict and important social behaviors expected of women in London in the 1880s. Furthermore, the source shows that by not abiding by the social conventions of the time, a woman risks damage to her character and social acceptance; Some knowledge of the social code of ceremonious rules and forms is indispensable to everyone who desires to pass through the world respectably and respected. Whether in a domestic sphere or in the more distant relations f social life, certain occasions demand an especial line of conduct to be followed by persons thrown into mutual contact ; and these observances cannot be neglected without peril to personal advancement, and, what is a consideration of more value still, peril to the preservation of sympathetic feeling so desirable to maintain between individuals closely connected by, perchance, family ties. Whether mere strangers be in question, or members of the same kindred, it is most desirable that the established rules of etiquette

should be observed.Furthermore, this source explains that the purpose of all behavior is to pleasing for men; …the rules of society afford to persons who desire to live in a circumspect and unoffending manner towards all men, that the true value of social etiquette lies. Therefore, it is clear that this traditional view of women was still evident and valid in late 18th Century London.

Furthermore, Judith Walkowitz finds that the Ripper murders further invested a male domination over women in society and kept women trapped in the domestic sphere. By contrast, Eliza Lynn Linton believed that the view of women was changing.Linton writes this off the past view of women in society; …a girl who could be trusted alone if need be, because of the innate purity and dignity of her nature, but who was neither bold in bearing nor masculine in mind; a girl who, when she married, would be her husband's friend and companion, but never his rival; one who would consider his interests as identical with her own, and not hold him as just so much fair game for spoil; who would make his house his true home and place of rest, not a mere passage-place for vanity and ostentation to pass through; a tender mother, an industrious housekeeper, a judicious mistress.The view put forward by Linton through The Girl of the Period, is very different to the traditional idea of women and was considered very radical at the time; The Girl of the Period is a creature who dyes her hair and paints her face as the first articles of her personal religion — a creature whose sole idea of

life is fun; whose sole aim is unbounded luxury; and whose dress is the chief object of such thought and intellect as she possesses… …Nothing is too extraordinary and nothing too exaggerated for her vitiated taste.

Therefore, it is clear there was an ambiguous view towards women in 19th Century London. One was very raditional, while the other was radically different. There was also ambiguity in the view of prostitution at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. Firstly, many regarded prostitutes as immoral and evil. William Acton finds; We have in the midst of us a great and fearful evil, whose existence is acknowledged and deplored by all… …Such women, ministers of evil passion, not only gratify desire, but also arouse it…suggest evil thoughts and desires… This view of prostituted agrees with the prevailing representation of the Jack the Ripper murder victim Annie Chapman, who was said to have ‘had a taste for rum’ and ‘drank to excess at times. This attitude towards prostitutes was virtually legalized through the Contagious Diseases Act.

The Act gave police the authority to detain any women suspected of being prostitutes for a medical examination and if found to be disease could be confined for treatment for up to nine months. Acton also believes that some women have a ‘natural indisposition’ to the occupation of prostitution.The following excerpt shows that Acton goes further to find that prostitution is an inherited quality; That idleness and vanity are almost inevitable bequests from parent to child, is proved by the fact that the children of the numerous diseased prostitutes…almost invariably become prostitutes. The sources from William Acton come from The Victorian

Dictionary, an online collection from Victorian books and newspapers. There are a number of limitations with online resources.

Firstly, due to the nature of internet based collections there is a possibility for a degree of error.This is due to the documents requiring a translation from a physical source to an online source. Also, the site does not give a full bibliography, making it difficult for the viewer to personally access the desired material to check for accuracy. Acton also explains that some prostitutes can be victims of circumstance. The idea that prostitutes were ‘fallen women’ forced into prostitution due to social circumstances is emphasized in The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon, by W. T Stead.

The articles portrayed a picture of young girls being tricked into trapped into prostitution and horrified the London public.The following excerpt form from W. T Stead explains a common tactic to prey on young girls and ruse them into prostitution; The simplest and by far the commonest is to engage a girl for the country..

. Every artifice is used to make the unsuspecting girl believe that she is in a good place with a kind mistress…The girl is tempted to drink, and by degrees she is enlightened as to the nature of the house. It is a dreadful awakening. What is she to do? In all London she knows no friend—no one to whom she can appeal. She is never allowed to go outside alone.She dare not speak to the policeman, for he is tipped by her mistress.

If she asks to leave she is told she must serve out her term, and then every effort is redoubled to seduce

her. If possible she is made drunk, and then when she wakes she discovers her ruin has been accomplished. Her character is gone. Hopeless and desperate, without money, without friends, all avenues of escape closed, she has only one choice. "She must do as the others do"—the great formula—or starve in the streets. W.

T. Stead published these articles in order to raise the age of consent for girls from thirteen to sixteen .Therefore, Stead had a social motivation behind publishing these articles. In order for his aim to be achieved he needed to shock the public and therefore used journalistic sensationalism in his articles.

Consequently when assessing these articles as evidence it must be remember that the language and stories may be over exaggerated and sensationalized in order to shock the London public about the trade of prostitution. The idea of a ‘fallen’ woman into prostitution is commonly associated with the murder victim of Jack the Ripper, Mary Kelly.Mary Kelly was described as ‘a good, quiet, pleasant girl, and was well liked by all of us,’ ‘not a notorious character’ and of sober habits. ’ A famous painting by George Frederick Watts, Found Drowned, romantically portrays the plight of the ‘fallen woman’. This painting expresses the emotion and sadness suffered by these ‘fallen’ victims. This painting although painted at the time is a more romanticized view of prostitution and thus does not accurately portray the realities of prostitution.

Instead it is a more idealized representation and therefore problematic as a piece of historical evidence.Through the aid of primary sources, it can be seen that there was an ambiguous view towards women, both in the

traditional sense and in the view of prostitution. The crimes of Jack the Ripper invoked horror in the London public and for a time, brought about change in London society. In fact, ‘many saw the hand of the social reformer in the Ripper crimes.

’ Therefore, it seems that the murders by Jack the Ripper brought attention to this alternative view of prostitution, that some were victims of the circumstance society had dealt them.Consequently, it seems that the infamy of Jack the Ripper will live on and his impact on London Society forever felt. BIBLIOGRAPHY Academic Journals and Texts ?Paul Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, London, 2003. ?L. Perry Curtis, Jack the Ripper and the London Press, London, 2001.

?James A. Huston, ‘Clarifying “sources” for clarity in teaching’ The History Teacher, Vol. 22, 1989, pp. 139-144, p.

139. ?Judith Walkowitz, ‘Jack the Ripper and the myth of male violence’, Feminist Studies, Vol. 8, 1982. ? Websites ?William Acton, Prostitution Considered in its Moral, Social and Sanitary Aspects 2nd Edition, 1870, at www.

ictorianlondon. org (under crime: prostitution: attitudes toward) accessed 16 September 2007. ?Eliza Lynn Linton, The Girl of the Period at http://www. wwnorton.

com/college/english/nael/victorian/topic_2/linton. htm, accessed 16 September 2007. ?George du Maurier, English Society, New York, 1897, at http://www. victorianweb.

org/art/illustration/dumaurier/22. html, accessed 15 September 2007. ?W. T. Stead, ‘The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon II: The Report of our Secret Commission’, The Pall Mall Gazette, July 7 1885 at http://www. ttackingthedevil.

co. uk/pmg/tribute/mt2. php accessed 16 September 2007. ?George Frederick Watts, 1867, Oil on canvas, Watts Gallery, at http://victorianweb. org/painting/watts/paintings/2.

html, accessed 16 September 2007. ?Etiquette and Household Advice Manual, Cassells

Household Guide, New and Revised Edition (4 Vol. ) c. 1880s at www. victorianlondon.

org (under Women: In Public: Etiquette), accessed 15 September 2007. ?http://www. casebook. org/victims/mary_jane_kelly. html accessed 15 September 2007.