Use the passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives to answer the question. “Caught in the street by the truant officer, or by the agents of the Children’s Societies, peddling, perhaps, or begging, to help out the family resources, he runs the risk of being sent to a reformatory, where contact with vicious boys older than himself soon develop the latent possibilities for evil that lie hidden in him. . . . The risk of the reformatory is too great. What is done in the end is to let him take chances—with the chances all against him. The result is the rough young savage, familiar from the street.” – Jacob Riis In a paragraph of 3–5 sentences, analyze what Riis is saying about the lives of young boys in New York City’s slums.
Jacob Riis is conveying the dismal reality faced by young boys living in New York City's slums. He highlights how these boys are often left to fend for themselves, resorting to desperate measures such as peddling or begging to support their families. However, if caught, they run the risk of being sent to reformatories, where they are influenced by older, more corrupt boys. Riis argues that this possibility is too dangerous, leading to the decision to allow these boys to take their chances on the streets, where they ultimately become rough and uncivilized. Riis's portrayal of their lives showcases the bleak circumstances and limited opportunities faced by these young boys.
In this passage, Jacob Riis is highlighting the harsh and challenging lives of young boys living in New York City's slums. He emphasizes that these boys often engage in activities like peddling or begging to support their families, putting themselves at risk of being caught by truant officers or Children's Societies agents. Riis argues that instead of providing adequate support or rehabilitation, these boys are often sent to reformatories where they may become exposed to older, more dangerous influences. He suggests that this system ultimately fails these young boys, leaving them to face difficult circumstances and becoming rough and street-savvy individuals. Essentially, Riis portrays a bleak reality for young boys in the slums, where they are forced to take chances with the odds stacked against them.
In this passage from Jacob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives," Riis is discussing the grim reality faced by young boys living in the slums of New York City. These boys, often caught engaging in activities such as peddling or begging to support their families, are at risk of being sent to a reformatory. Riis emphasizes that this environment, which is full of older and more dangerous boys, only serves to bring out the latent tendencies for evil that lie within these young boys. The prospect of being sent to such a place is deemed too great a risk, so instead, these boys are left to their own devices, often resulting in them becoming rough and street-savvy individuals. Overall, Riis paints a bleak picture of the lives of young boys in New York City's slums, highlighting the lack of support and opportunities available to them.
