In the passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives, he highlights the precarious and often dangerous lives of young boys in New York City's slums. Riis illustrates how these boys are trapped in a cycle of survival, often resorting to peddling or begging to support their families. The threat of being caught by authorities, leading to imprisonment in a reformatory, poses a double jeopardy—while aimed at correction, it exposes them to negative influences that can exacerbate their circumstances. Ultimately, Riis suggests that the system fails these boys by leaving them vulnerable to the harsh realities of street life, resulting in the emergence of "rough young savages" shaped by their harsh environment rather than by positive guidance or support.
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.
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.
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