"Culture of Smoke"

In the article “High Life” Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with making smoking popular among the British royal class. Soon after, images of ruling class were made by popular artists, who drew caricatures of various important members of the royal class smoking. Smoking became fashionable, not only among the elite, but among the general public, due in large part to the viewing of the caricatures by the public. These events are similar to films and tv shows today. Actors and actresses are constantly shown smoking on screen. While their characters may not be rich, we know that the actors and actresses are of a higher economic status. These images are constantly seen by the general public, much like the caricatures of the British royal class were.

The image of poor people smoking, as shown in the “Low Life” article, tends to contrasts with not only the “High Life” article but with how smoking is seen today. Yes, poor people smoke, as many of the other blogs for this class have said. But rich people continue to smoke as well. While there are still rich men making money from tobacco, unlike the “Low Life” article says, it is not to keep the “lower classes in their place.” Smoking is seen as a dirty and nasty habit by many in American society; but both rich and poor smokers are effected by this perception, not just the poor. Smoking is not seen so much as an indulgence available to the rich, it is seen as a habit that many people, rich or poor, in our society have formed.