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.
1 answer
Riis is suggesting that young boys in New York City's slums face numerous challenges and obstacles that often lead them down a destructive path. He highlights how these boys are forced to engage in illegal activities, such as peddling or begging, in order to support their families. However, if caught, they are at risk of being sent to a reformatory where they are influenced by older, delinquent boys and their latent potential for evil is brought to the surface. Riis argues that these boys are left to face the odds against them, without any real support or intervention, resulting in them becoming rough and street-savvy individuals.