...The Other Wes Moore The Other Wes Moore is a compelling book about two kids named Wes Moore who grew up in the same rough neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. Although both grew up with their mothers one grew up to become a successful author, and the other is imprisoned for life. The Other Wes Moore should be taught to high school students because among the many themes and social issues throughout the book it shows readers that no matter your circumstances you can grow up to do and be whatever you want; however, they can also determine who you will be. This means that you can grow up from nothing, but if you work hard to get to the top then you can accomplish anything. That you should not let other people or surroundings influence your dreams in life. On the other hand, it means you can let your circumstances and surroundings determine who you will be too. This book illustrates this theme all throughout the book. In the beginning of The Other Wes Moore the author, Wes Moore, shows what the other Wes Moore’s life is like. The other Wes Moore’s mother was always there for him and his brother, Tony. Then he tells from his personal life when his mother worked three jobs just to support him and his two sisters and also their grandparents; so they could have a roof, clothes, and food. In the book his mother said she did this because she wants them to do better than she did. She also wanted to send her son to the best school so he could get the best education possible. So she worked...
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...Works Cited Moore, Wes. The other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. Print. Deja Murray Dr. Lee Introduction to Sociology 4/22/14 The Other Wes Moore Assignment Question 1): The life of Wes Moore incorporates several sociological topics discussed in this course. Discuss how the culture of both Wes 1 and Wes 2 impacted their personalities and outlook on life resulting in different outcomes? Culture is defined as specific behaviors or beliefs of characteristics from a particular social, ethnic, or age group that defines the quality of that person. Both Wes 1 and Wes 2 derived from the same city and unfortunately one lived his dream while the other didn’t. Wes 1 father was not there because he couldn’t be and the other Wes 2 father chose not to be. The absence of a father or male figure in a teenager life coincides with their behavior while growing up. “We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways” (Moore pg3). Although their names were the same they lived two completely different lives. While Wes1 was dealing with the death of his father Wes 2 was dealing with the fact that his father wanted nothing to do with him. This tremendously impacted their lives. Wes 1 mother decided to move to the Bronx’s were drugs and the streets changed, leaving nothing but trouble and the act of skipping school for Wes 1. While on the other hand Wes 2 was born and raised in the Bronx and his mother was not bringing in much money leaving...
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...histories and an identical name: Wes Moore. One of us is free… The other will spend every day until his death behind bars...” (Moore, XI) In The Other Wes Moore, the author, Wes Moore, and the other Wes Moore both grew up in similar, yet different, circumstances and had completely different outcomes. This captivating narrative demonstrates how the choices you make, make you. In the introduction, the author Wes Moore validates this statement by saying, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” (Moore XI) The author, Wes Moore, shows the readers that a person’s environment, circumstances, education (or lack thereof), choices/decisions, and many more important factors can determine one’s success or failure. Society holds great power and influences the choices you make, and eventually the paths you decide to take in life. Two people with the same name grew up in similar backgrounds and similar neighborhoods, and yet had different fates all because of the choices they decided to make. The author Wes Moore, born to a poor family, struggled academically and was sent to a military school. While there, he was forced to adjust to the change of environment. In the end, the author Wes Moore grew up to be a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of John Hopkins, a Rhodes Scholar, a veteran, a business leader, and a White House Fellow while he namesake did the complete opposite. The other Wes Moore, who ended up in prison for the rest...
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...experience for me. When I first began taking Ms. Moore out into the community I noticed how much she enjoyed it. On our first trip to the Mall, found us looking at different things from clothing to jewelry and finally to the food court. Ms. Moore is a Senior citizen and luckily for us on this particular day at the Mall they observed it as Senior Citizen day, where all citizens can get a percentage of whatever they are shopping for that day. Ms. Moore had very limited funds, so window shopping was good because it lets her know the prices so that the next time she is planning to go shopping to save her money. After the mall we went to the duck pond to feed the ducks. I monitored Ms. Moore to assure she didn’t get to close to the water. After feeding the ducks we sat down to rest awhile, Ms. Moore seemed to be deep in thought and I asked if she was okay to which she replied yes. During my second visit with Ms. Moore I escorted her to Meals on Wheels where she delivers meals to other seniors. Observing Ms. Moore as she handed the meals to the seniors her conversation was limited and she spoke only briefly with them and then she just handed them their food and we proceeded to the next home. After finishing meals on wheels I escorted Ms. Moore back to the day program, where the class was in a discussion on current events. Observing Ms. Moore at a distance I noticed she didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. Ms. Moore just seemed to look off as though this was not what...
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...the father of the house. Skills learned from a father, or father figure, are extremely important in the child’s adolescence and adulthood. In The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, male figures, specifically male role models, play an important part in both Wes Moores’ lives and young boy’s lives in general, eventually making or breaking their future. The author, Wes Moore has many important male role models in his life that enable him to live up to his full potential. Uncle Howard, taking the place of Moore’s deceased father, encourages Moore to strive for higher education over a career in basketball one day as they play the game in their neighborhood. This example clearly depicts the influence of Uncle Howard on Wes Moore, the author, in his education and the influence that eventually earned Moore more opportunities in his later life, such as careers and scholarships. The harsh reality that Uncle Howard speaks to Moore and the emotional support he gives, helps Moore to get back on the right track and create a better and...
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...changes maybe good or they may be bad. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, there are two people with one name, Wes Moore, but they each have two completely different fates because of the decisions they made. Two qualities of becoming successful in life are having good mentors and setting and maintaining standards. The author Wes had good mentors to guide him through his life and set standards for himself. He had two significant mentors in his life, his mother and father. His father died when Wes was young, but his father still had an impact on him. "'Hey, Main Man, do you mind if I come in?' I'm told that he had many terms of endearment for me, but Main Man is the one I remember" (Moore...
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...There are many social factors that affected the lives of the two Wes Moore, such as the possible social factors, including education, the place that they lived in and how the neighborhood affected the way they acted, and how his family and peers played a big role in their future. A child that grew up not having two parents in the household affects the lives of children while growing up. Statistics show that there would be psychological health problems such as children are most likely to commit suicide or they would be involved in some type of drugs or even be a drug addict. Studies show that about 35% of children without a father uses drugs (1988 UCLA study, cited by Hewlett). The other Wes Moore was affected by the absence of his father and...
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...boy should learn when he is young is that he should never hit a woman. The very beginning of The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore teaches the Wes Moore that at a very young age. With both Wes Moore’s losing their father figures at a young age, it is anticipated that they will not go down the desired routes expected for them. Wes Moore’s first real home was in Cherry Hill and unfortunately that was not the greatest place to be raised with a father that is never around and a mother that goes out at night when she is upset. At a younger age Wes was arrested for attempted assault with a deadly weapon, a knife. Instigating a fight will obviously get you hit however; a knife should never be used in retaliation especially if you have to run back home to get it. Where did this mentality come from? Wes’ older brother Tony was extremely hypocritical when it came to Wes. Tony had been introduced to the street life at a very young age. He would always get on Wes’ case that he should never get into that kind of life but Tony did not ever get out of it. Not even a junior in high school yet, Wes was arrested again by shooting at his child’s mothers ex boyfriend. After spending six months in jail you would assume that someone would do everything in his power to not go to jail again. “Getting arrested was starting to feel routine. Wes wasn’t shocked or afraid anymore, just annoyed” (Moore 114). Of course Wes was interested in making more money then a job could offer so getting into the drug business...
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...Wes Moore vs Wes Moore The author Wes and the other Wes Moore are very different and similar. At the beginning, they were somewhat the same. They both got in trouble with the law at a young age. But what separates them was what their family's expectations were and there plans for the future. For example, the author Wes was sent to military school after his mother found out about his wrongdoings. While Wes Moore was going into drugs even after his mother found out. She didn't send him military school because they couldn't afford it. So the best thing she could do was tell him to quit. Wes Moore and Author Wes Moore were similar in some ways like getting into trouble when they were young. The author Wes Moore got in trouble from displaying graffiti with his friend: “I never wanted another person to have control over my body gain”(Moore 75). The other Wes Moore started drug dealing like his brother Tony. Secondly, they similarly had the absence...
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...Amber Armfield English 111 Professor Correll March 3, 2015 Paper #2 Outline – Compare and Contrast I. Introduction Paragraph: a. Can two men with similar traits and backgrounds grow up to be completely different? b. In “The Other Wes Moore” the story shows how the Author Wes Moore and the Other Wes Moore are both similar, but also unmistakably different. “Your farther wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways.” c. The absence or presence of a parent can make or break a person. II. Paragraph #1: d. Although Wes and the other Wes Moore both grew up in the same city around the same time period, both Wes Moore’s share many differences. e. When the author Wes was a young boy, he punched his older sister Nikki after she bite him because he jabbed at her face. His mother was quick to fume with rage, but the father was quick to come to the defense of author Wes. “Main Man, you just can’t hit people, particularly women. You must defend them, not fight them (Moore11).” The interactions between the author Wes and his father show that Wes was genuinely loved and cared for. This segment in the book also shows how the father was the foundation of the household and kept peace. f. The Other Wes Moore’s farther was a dead-beat drunk, who was never once able to recognize Wes as his son. “”Who is this?” Mary smirked and rolled her eyes...
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...Are we products of our own environment or the product of expectations? In The Other Wes Moore, we read about the life of the author Wes Moore and other Wes Moore. They lived not too far from the each other. Both Wes Moores never knew each other until much later in life despite only living blocks away from each other. They were both subjected to a bad neighborhood but ended up having a different outcome for their futures. The two Wes Moores were products of their environment, expectations, and personal responsibilities. The other Wes Moore moved around a lot, but every place he moved was just as bad as the last. His environment was always filled with drugs and influential people such as his brother Tony. His brother at a young age started working...
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...Gardenias’ brother in law were meeting in the dining room of Gardenia’s row house in Washington, DC. The two began conversing and soon found out that Gardenia’s brother-in-law worked at the hospital that, unbeknownst to the Lacks family, housed Henrietta’s cells and was using them for cancer experiments. Later in the chapter at Yale University, researchers from Hopkins meet and discussed a contamination problem that manifested with the Henrietta Lacks Cells “HeLa,” Their solution is to ask the Lacks family for DNA/ cell samples to create and map of Hela cells. The lacks family is unaware that research has been ongoing with Henrietta’s cells and the only reason they need the family’s cells is to stop the cross...
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...I selected this particular set of novel because they are not as boring as the other sets. A Lesson Before Dying didn’t really interest me very much at first glance because its description was generic. If it hadn’t for The Other Wes Moore then I wouldn’t have read A Lesson Before Dying. The Other Wes Moore tells the story of two guys who grew up in similar tough circumstances but their life turned out wildly different. This fascinates me and is the reason why I picked this set of novel. There are multiple themes presented in The Other Wes Moore. Out of them all, the two themes that resonates most with me is discipline and choices you make vs. luck. We are who we are today thanks to how we are disciplined throughout our lives. Author Moore and Wes were disciplined differently. Wes Moore was disciplined hugely by his big brother Tony. Wes idolized Tony despite being warned not to follow his footsteps getting involved in gangs. Tony wants a bright, clean future for his little brother but he still won’t stop doing the bad things he warned Wes about instead of becoming a good role mother. Tony’s teaching model for Wes seems to be “do as I say, not as I do”. Tony is the type of parents who screwed up their own future and warns their kids not to follow their footsteps but what they’re actually doing is making their kids just like them. The kids will grew up and...
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...Other Wes Moore The Other Wes Moore is a story of two different lives, but with the same name, and how their journeys have been shaped by their decisions in the past. Through the book, there are many recurring themes. An individual's choices has consequences, Discipline and violence, the influence of family and friends are all common themes shown by author Wes moore throughout the book, shining light on each of their life journeys. One common theme throughout the book is that, an Individual's choice has consequences. This theme is shown throughout the book from multiple devices. Imagery is a strong device used by many authors to visually describe a literary work. In the other Wes Moore, imagery...
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...“The Other Wes Moore” is a representation as to how often our lives depend on choices, however, it is also a story as to how little control we may have in these choices. The story of each Wes begins on a strikingly similar path; they each grew up in violent neighborhoods, came from broken families, and held little value towards their education. Neither man had a choice in these families or the social prejudice that came with their communities, but each were given a handful of moments which led to their paths diverging from one another. As the lives of both Wes Moores are laid out before the reader, the author makes it clear that these choices as individuals and the choices of our society both stand as defining features of our lives. The author, Wes Moore, began his life on a bumpy road. Experiencing death at a young age and losing an influential figure in his life made growing up difficult. Moore pushed himself little academically, yet, because of his actions his mother enlisted him to attend military school. Once at military school Wes still refused to accept the challenges placed before him and chose to flee. What stopped him from following a path identical to the other Wes Moore was that of his support system. While Wes only had one parent, he had a family that loved him deeply. His mother sent him away for school as a way to shield him...
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