Jack the ripper

             Jack the Ripper was a murderous madman who terrorized prostitutes in the late 1880's. Time has not diminished the gruesomeness of the killings. All the victims' throats were cut; some victims were disemboweled; and the killer took organs from some of his victims. When fear of the Ripper peaked, the killings stopped, and a century of speculation ensued (jack 1). Many authors have tried to sift through the evidence and have arrived at their own theories as to the identity of the killer. Still there has never been conclusive proof of who the murderer was and what were his motives. To understand the difficulty of solving the murder it is necessary to look at the historical circumstances, the Ripper's victims, and the suspects involved.
             The crimes took place during a period of English history known as the Victorian
             period. This era was named after Queen Victoria who became Queen in 1837 (Stitson 1). She ruled Great Britan until 1901. This was a time when industrialization grew and people flooded into the city to find work. It was also a time when the British Empire was expanding and many foreign workers traveled to London and competed with the locals for jobs.
             The class system, a sharp division between rich and poor kept the two groups
             isolated from each other as much as possible (stitson 1). Wealthy Victorians lived a life of ease and comfort and took little interest in the lives of the poor. The Victorians lived with many strict moral restraints. They were supposed to keep their emotions and desires in check. Men considered women to be virgins or whores. They felt that their wives and girlfriends were pure and that they had to turn to prostitutes to satisfy their desires. Prostitutes in this era were primarily from the lower classes. Many were to be found in the East End. "Gentlemen" usually visited the poor East End only when drinking with male friends or when looking for a prostitute. The East End, Whitec...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Jack the ripper. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 05:28, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/54832.html