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Jack The Ripper: In His Own Words

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The Writing on the Wall The story of Jack the Ripper is one of the most infamous, if not the most infamous, serial killer. Audiences, listeners, and readers alike have harbored a fascination with him for over a century; from books, podcasts, movies, episodes, and tv references, Jack the Ripper has been living amongst us since 1888. He is portrayed in media as a sophisticated, cool killer who left women lying in the dust as he walked away, cape fluttering in the breeze. There are dozens of theories and even a book called The Autobiography of Jack the Ripper: In His Own Words, the confession of a man named James Carnac, but the truth is that little is known and even less is certain about this cold-blooded killer. In 1841, a five-year old could …show more content…

In an article by Armijo et. al., a theory is suggested that Jack was a manipulator of the press and an existentialist (Armijo 2). Everything he did was stragegically done to terrorize and torment the public to acquire the image he desired, from the way he killed his victims to the letters that were sent to the press. In the article by Armijo et. al., the question is asked, was he a member of the media? The letters signed Jack the Ripper were often covered significantly by the media and pushed the issue of the terrible conditions of London at this time. “By generating a huge amount of press coverage, the Ripper murders, however abhorrent, helped lay bear the grinding poverty and the awful social conditions that were the daily lot for the thousands of men, women and children who subsisted on the periphery of the City of London, the wealthiest square mile on earth.”(Jones …show more content…

While the letters, which were often disputed, were probably not sent by the killer but by someone looking for attention, they ended up being distinguished among a handful of false letters. The letters ranged anywhere from written in blood to threats to boasts and a human kidney. The first letter that was received on September 27 and was originally written off as fake. But as the days rolled by, the letter started to become a foreshadow for the upcoming murders. They foretold of sliced earlobes and the very next murder, the earlobes were sliced. The letter that came with a kidney began, “From Hell” and was also labeled as a fake before they concluded that it was a human kidney. Today, while some may not agree that the letters were a hoax and others are convinced that the letters were a hoax, the letters were key to the investigation and the determination of the police to nab the

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