Question

Use the passage from Jacob Ris's How the Other Half Lives to answer the question.
" the Other Halt LI
"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

Answer 1

In this passage from Jacob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives," the author emphasizes the difficult and dire circumstances faced by young boys living in New York City's slums. Riis suggests that these boys often find themselves engaging in illegal activities such as peddling or begging, in order to support their families. However, if caught, they run the risk of being sent to a reformatory, where they are exposed to older, more dangerous boys who encourage and nurture their latent potential for evil. Riis argues that instead of providing these boys with a chance at reform and rehabilitation, they are left to take their chances on the streets, resulting in their transformation into rough and untamed individuals that are all too familiar in these impoverished neighborhoods.