...similar 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...
Words: 1021 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...When the other wes moore friends talk him into going to job corp, I felt like he wanted to turn his life around when he agreed to go. He wanted to to do something productive with his life and wanted to better himself. Sad part about it it, he knew if he didn’t go he would end up dead or in jail. While he was at job corps he felt like he had a second chance at life and wanted to do better for his family. But later after returning home from job corps he realized that his problems wouldn’t go away and that they were real. Realizing that his problems wouldn’t go away, he soon turned back into his old self. He started back selling drugs and ended up being charged for killing a police officer. I felt like this happened because his past life will always haunt him, so he had to face it sooner or later. But I didn’t realize it was going to be so soon. They are in different places in this book to show the different situations they were in even though they had the same names. Wes Moore didn’t know he was going to end up in jail, and didn’t know how he was supposed to raise his child because he didn’t have a father figure to teach him that. “ Wes’s nonexistent relationship with his father probably contributed to his seeming indifference about becoming a father himself”. All he could rely on was his mother. The other wes moore turned his life around completely. Military school changed him for the best. He changed the way he act and the way he talks. I can relate to wes moore when he went...
Words: 314 - Pages: 2
...in the novel of “The other Wes Moore” made choice that leaves the question of , is it the environment, education, choices, or expectations that predicts a childs future? In response to this one would say that all of the factors affected both of the Wes but in different ways due to their environment, education and expectations. This is so because the author Wes didn't have a stable environment, and I believe that this was a result of him setting a bad future for himself. For example it states “One day she flatly told me that it didn‘t matter to her if I showed up because the class ran smoother when I wasn‘t there. From that moment, I understood Mrs. Downs and I had an unspoken agreement, a don‘t ask, don‘t tell‘ pact that worked like a charm for both of us.” – pg. 77. This quote represents how the teacher (community leader) is bringing down Wes, instead of showing them the path. So in relations to this Wes is a product of his environment. On the other side (other) Wes is influenced by his environment also, due to the fact that he sold drugs. It is stated in the novel that “He saw this every day. The people who would line up around the corner for drugs. The people who would do anything to score. He knew these people because he was the one who got them what they needed. It was his job.” -pg 138 The fact that his community was into the drug business, this allowed Wes to make so much money because he was the seller for his community also along with Shea. Wes had a mal start a bright...
Words: 700 - Pages: 3
...Author Wes gets into big trouble when he gets caught by the police tagging a wall. He was getting involved with the wrong crowd and being heavily influenced by them. His mother is very worried about him and even threatens to send him to military school, a threat which will prove to be true. Meanwhile, Other Wes digs himself deeper and deeper into the drug game. He runs into some roadblocks, but he is able to continue down this path by lying to his mother who is oblivious to what he is doing. Other Wes Wes started selling drugs to receive money; he told his mother he earned it from being a DJ. But Tony becomes suspicious, and thee two fight over whether Wes was lying or not. Tony couldn't believe Mary bought his story. He's been trying to make Wes a different person, nothing like himself. Then Tony gave up. Mary had began to wonder about what Tony had said. So she went into Wes's room and found a Nike box under his bed filled with drugs. When Wes came home, he found his shoe box on his bed, empty. He confronted his mother and she said she flushed his material down they toilet. He became furious with her and left to his girlfriend's house, which became the new quarters for his stach. Author Wes Wes and his friend, Shea, were caught by the police for graffiti. While Shea denied what he had done, Wes couldn't help but cry. However the police officers decided to give Wes and Shea a second chance. Wes vowed he...
Words: 307 - Pages: 2
...powerful than others. They may determine whether or not you get accepted into college, or whether or not you receive a life sentence. The novel The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore, depicts two men with the same name who made different life-alternating decisions. The author purposely wrote the book as a message to readers. He wanted to convey that as life gives off choices, people need to take the peaceful and humane choice. Otherwise, it leads to an endless loop of hatred. In The Other Wes Moore, the author summarizes a meaning life by dissecting other people's lives to understand the importance of a choice, and uses imagery to demonstrate the weight of revenge vs. peace. By writing the novel, the author...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...In the novel, The Other Wes Moore, two characters who share the same name and similar situation, differ in family values that contribute to their individual development. The author, Wes Moore, begins part one by describing his visit with the other Wes Moore in prison and documenting his answers. “Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn in different ways.” (pg.3) This reflects that the meaning behind absence elicits different views from one to another. While the other Wes Moore expresses outwards indifference towards his father’s lack of impact, the author confirms that he misses his father and “How it always amazed me how I could love so deeply, so intensely, someone...
Words: 285 - Pages: 2
...The Other Wes Moore Analytical Analysis The book “The Other Wes Moore” tells the story of two boys living in Baltimore who shares similar backgrounds within the same community, as well as having identical names as well. The Author Wes Moore came from a family that was well educated and graduated from 4 year colleges. The other Wes Moore’s mother had an associate’s degree but had to drop out of college due to the lack of government funding. The difference in education in each Wes Moore’s family showed them each how they should obtain success in a way. The Author Wes Moore displayed in the book that education was the key to all future success and without it you there wasn’t much to life. Educational funding from the government is great but The Author showed that there should always be a backup plan in case the funding runs out. In the book it wasn’t luck that determined the fates in each Wes’s life but a matter of education in each one’s life that made them who they are today. Education is a very important part of future success as seen in the life of the Author Wes Moore. His mother cared about her kid’s education and future so she made a sacrifice and placed her kids into private school because that’s where she attended school and it was known for a better performance level .The Author Wes Moore’s mother wanted her kids to have a great education like she had so they could be successful in life .She made many hard decisions such as sending The Author off to military school only...
Words: 541 - Pages: 3
...Author Wes Moore wrote a book called The Other Wes Moore and the major subject of this book is two boys with the same name, a little bit of the same problems, but they completely have two different outcomes. Two kids named Wes Moore who were both fatherless and also lived in a Baltimore neighborhood. In addition, The Other Wes Moore tells a story of a generation of boys trying to find their way back into a hostile world. The purpose of this book is to show us how destinies can be determined by a stumble in your life can determine your future and your path. Author Wes Moore uses diction, imagery, and parallelism to determine that “nurture” determines one’s individual success. Author Wes Moore uses diction to determine one’s success. “On the other end of the relationship, the job of policemen, almost overnight, had gotten significantly tough. The tide of drugs was matched by a tide of guns. The high stakes crack trade brought a new level of competition and organization of the streets”. Author Wes is caught by the police with his friend Shea after they tag a wall and spray paint. The author uses diction to describe...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...“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...
Words: 588 - Pages: 3
...under 5 out of every 100 females aged 15 to 19 (Cohn). Wes Moore delivers two tales of kids who have roamed the streets of Baltimore and where they are now. In The Other Wes Moore, two boys by the name of Wes are faced with tough decisions at a very young age. The boys are challenged by drugs, teen pregnancy, violence, and economic issues throughout the story. In the book, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, the author explores the idea of decisions to develop the theme that the decisions one makes each day can benefit or interfere with one's future plans. The other Wes becomes a part of the drug dealing business very early in life. Wes realizes that the drug business is an easy way to make a significant amount of money, and therefore feels as though it is the only option in order to become the person Wes desires to be. Wes continues with the drug business from this point on. Wes's respect for people such as Tony, Wes's older half-brother, and admiration of these persons' lifestyles is a big motivator to seek out wealth. One day,...
Words: 811 - Pages: 4
...On page 126 of The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, Wes makes the comment, “The expectations that others place on us form our expectations of ourselves.”. This becomes a central quote in the book and encompases the theme of The Other Wes Moore. When Wes makes this comment, he is pointing out that other people influence our personal goals and aspirations for ourselves. When other people; be it parents, friends, or teachers; place expectations on us, we tend to believe those expectations ourselves. For example, both Wes Moore’s grew up in communities that had low expectations for its children and teens- to just be a drug dealer and make money. The author-Wes had a mother that stuck to her word and had high expectations for his future; and even with that positive role model in his life expecting more of him, he had to work hard and sacrifice his time to beat his community’s expectations and expect himself to become successful. On the other hand, the other Wes did not have...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...The other wes moore is a book about two children who struggle with drugs during their childhood but both have two fates. One works at the white house and on is locked up for prison for life and here are 2 reason why this impacted their fates. Both Wes Moore and the other wes had mothers who cared for them but only one of them actually did something about their wrongdoings during their childhood. They both did not have fathers which meant both wes’s only had their mothers as a proper adult to look up too. At the beginning author wes looked up to his father dearly but he passed and the other wes’s father was absent and not in his life which led him to look up to his older brother tony who was in the drug game and in and out of jail regularly....
Words: 297 - Pages: 2
...The 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...
Words: 982 - Pages: 4
...Wes Moore's The Other Wes Moore represents the lives of two. Wes Moore, the author, becomes a Rhodes Scholar when he learns of another man who is about to be sentenced to life in prison for killing a police officer. At the time, the two Moore live near each other and are about the same age. However, they both took dramatically different path. They both have similarities, such as being African-American young men who grew up with single parent. Both showed intelligence early in life. Both also had early trouble with the law, similar child life experiences, and the same setbacks in life. Some of these problems included drugs, violence, poverty, and an absent father. But the Moore who ended up in prison faced more challenges. His mother was a drug addict; he lived in a very drug-infested neighborhood, and was engaged in the drug trade at a...
Words: 1236 - Pages: 5
