Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention?

I wrote this for my GCSE History. Grade: A

The murders of Jack the Ripper happened at a time when only 10% of crime was violent and murder was quite rare. Serial killings were unheard of so the murders of Jack the Ripper had a lot of people interested. Jack the Ripper still attracts attention today just as much as he did in 1888. The main reasons the case attracted so much attention in 1888 was because of the press, the mystery, the improved communications, the fact that it was murder and the fact that the murders highlighted many of society’s faults. I believe that the most important reason the case attracted so much attention was because of the influence of the press.

In 1888, the newspapers played a large part in attracting attention to the Jack the Ripper case. This was because they used graphic descriptions that were not necessarily true and the papers used pictures to illustrate their point. Journalists also knew that Jack the Ripper murdered prostitutes. By printing the stories of the murders they believed that they would sell more newspapers using the popular notion that “sex sells.” The newspapers were not only an influence in London. Due to the industrial revolution, a new rail system was formed around the country. This meant that newspapers could travel around the country informing more people of the murders. Newspapers also added to the sense of fear surrounding the case. The fact that this was a murder terrified people because murder was not common and the police were unable to deal with anything as severe as this. Newspapers also added to the sense of mystery as they printed the letters the Ripper sent to the police. This showed the public that Jack the Ripper was toying with the police. This added to the panic in Whitechapel as this showed that Jack the Ripper was not scared of the police. There was also the influence of the Penny Dreadfuls, magazines designed for the working class people of London. They were cheap and easily obtained. Because they were illustrations rather than words, many illiterate people could follow the case of Jack the Ripper in these comics. However, the illustrations were greatly exaggerated and made people believe that the murders were a little more gruesome then they actually were. This added to the panic that was already on the street. Newspapers, while following the case of Jack the Ripper, highlighted many of society’s faults. This was because the murders revealed many things about the east end of London such as prostitution, alcoholism, poverty and racism. This attracted the attention of the upper classes of London who were intrigued by the way the lower classes lived. All of this shows how the press helped the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention.

Another reason the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention was because of the mystery surrounding the case. There was so much mystery because nobody knew who the Ripper was and everybody had a different theory about his identity. The fact that his letters were published by the press also added to the sense of mystery as it showed that he was not afraid of toying with the police. Now everyone was wondering who he was. The Ripper also took trophies from his victims and still avoided capture by the police. The mystery was soon spread around the country thanks to the new railway network and wireless telegram that were produced during the industrial revolution. The railway network meant that people could travel around the country with newspapers and spread the word about Jack the Ripper. The mystery also helped highlight society’s faults such as the disliked police force that failed to catch the Ripper. The fact that the Ripper was a serial killer also added to the sense of mystery as murder was uncommon and serial killings were virtually unheard of. London had never seen anything like this before and hadn’t known what to expect.

The fact that the Jack the Ripper case involved murder attracted attention to the case. This was because they happened at a time when only 10% of crime was murder and London had never seen a serial killer like this before. This scared the people of London and put panic into the streets. The police had no idea how to handle something this serious and, because of this, Jack the Ripper managed to evade capture several times. This added to the mystery and the unprepared police force was highlighted in the newspapers as one of society’s faults. Because of the new rail system, the news of the murders swept north up the country and soon all of Britain was talking about the Ripper murders.

Prostitution, alcoholism, poverty, racism and riots were a common problem in Whitechapel. However, the upper classes of London were unaware of these problems until the Ripper murders brought them into the spotlight. Suddenly, the attention of the upper classes turned to the seedy environment of Whitechapel. This was because the upper classes thought that these problems didn’t exist and were immediately interested when they knew that they did. The faults of society were also brought to the attention of the whole country because of the press and new railway network. The police force was also considered to be a fault because they failed to catch Jack the Ripper. Because the case highlighted many of society’s faults, many people turned their attention to it.

In this essay, I have discussed all of the different reasons why the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention in 1888. They attracted so much attention because of the mystery of the Ripper, because they highlighted so many of society’s faults, because they were the first serial killings seen in London and because of the improved communications. However, I still believe that the main reason the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention was because of the press of Whitechapel. The press helped spread the mystery of Jack the Ripper around London and the whole country. The press emphasized the fact that they were the first serial killings London had seen and helped highlight the faults of society. This is why the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention in 1888.