The Other Wes Moore Analysis

When a student is in school, the options for what the student can do in their free time can impact them for the rest of their life. The choices to partake in an extracurricular activity, such as a sport could benefit one in many ways. They can create core values inside a person which then impacts other aspects of their life as well. Sports are able to give one a standard for the way their life should be spent. The ways a sport could influence a person are seen in The Other Wes Moore, giving both sides of the spectrum.

According to Wes Moore, “At each stage of [the boys’] young lives they had come across similar moments of decision, yet their choices would lead them to astonishingly different destinies” (1). Two young African- American kids lived in the same decaying city and shared the same name: Wes Moore. While one Wes Moore was sentenced to life in prison, the author Wes Moore became a Rhodes Scholar and a best-selling author. Similarities and differences pertaining to life choices and role models of both Moores were described in The Other Wes Moore.

“One name, two fates,” that what the author of the Other Wes Moore stated on the cover of his book. Two boys that were born in the same neighborhood in Baltimore, and had a difficult childhood since they both grew up fatherless. The coincidence was that the two boys were called Wes. They both shared a lot of similarities from living in a poor neighborhood and growing up in Baltimore street corners with their squads. However, their futures were completely different as one achieved the impossible and the other was a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. People may think that how could this happen since they both were living the same circumstances. However, in the book Wes Moore, the boys did not have equal opportunities in terms of parenting, education, and environment.

Every single event or incident a person commits is driven by some kind of motivation whether good or bad. Regardless of the intention there are two types of motivation: Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation, intrinsic is being motivated by self-satisfaction and extrinsic is motivated by en external reward. In the memoir The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, there are a series of events or incidents in the second half of the book that display that variety of motivation that exists. Having read the book one may argue that the author Wes Moore was motivated by more intrinsic drive whereas the other Wes was motivated more by extrinsic drive.

In the book, The Other Wes Moore it is difficult to believe the great similarities in the lives of the two Moores, who share a name and other aspects of life. The two were raised fatherless and were born in the late 1970’s in the neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. They also happen to have encountered similar experiences when growing up, but at one point one of them became a criminal and the other a scholar (the author of the book). The author of the book seems to be interested in the similarities of the two boys as opposed to their different experiences. The story is interesting and makes one imagine what would have become of the writer if he did not by any chance come across the people who guided him to become what

By Moore telling their stories personally, readers have a evident perspective on the character of each man. Moore is able to demonstrate that he and the other man were never completely horrible individuals, even the other Wes Moore today, despite the choices they made. One time, the other Wes Moore was making the right decisions, like trying to provide for his family. While he was in the job training program, he decided to make a small house for his daughter to protect her, which shows that he did care for his loved ones (Moore 142-143). It was when he decided to go back to using drugs that his life fell apart. His choice to go back to drugs shows that it is not his mentors or loved ones who play the

When most people hear the name Wes Moore, they think of the Wes Moore that is a decorated veteran and author, but when Wes Moore hears his name, he thinks about not himself, but the Wes Moore serving life in prison for first-degree felony murder. They both grew up in similar settings and both had trouble with the police, but there lives are the complete opposite now. Most people wonder how that could happen. Each Wes ended up on totally different paths as evidenced by actions and events that took place in each of their lives. Throughout the following paragraphs, how each Wes’s life slowly became different will become clear.

In the novel The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates it tells the story of two boys with the same name but two very different mindsets in life. “Life and death, freedom and bondage, hang in the balance of every action we take” (xiv). Wes Moore (1), the author, has had many things that impacted to his mindset that led to good and evil choices thought-out his life. Wes Moore (2) had made decisions that set a wrong mindset that would leave him in one place for the rest of his life. The mindsets of Wes Moore (1) and Wes (2) impacted their chances with the law, their choices with education and their opportunities with employment.

He grew up in an environment surrounded by negative influences. “The constantly broken down elevators forced residents to climb claustrophobic, urine-scented stairways. And the drug game was everywhere, with a gun handle protruding from the top of every tenth teenager’s waistline”(Moore 27). His parental influence was weak because by the time Wes was eight years old, he was free from any adult supervision because his mother was at work and his relationship with his father was nonexistent. According to the text,”Mary laughed, watching him squirm. “Well, at least now you know how bad it feels and you will stay away from drinking,” she said” This shows that his mother is not a strong influence on Wes because he decided to skip school and throw a party with his friends. He found his mother weed stash and stole some for his friends. Later that day when his mother came home from work, she only laughed and did not give him any consequences. The text continues, “And he understood, faintly, how addictive that feeling could be, and how easy it would be to make some money off selling that feeling to people who needed it.” This was Wes’s first interaction with drug dealing. He believed his only role model growing up was his older brother Tony. Tony has always wanted the best for his younger brother. He taught Wes how to send a message whenever he was in trouble. “Rule number one: If someone disrespects

According to Marian Erickson, “Most of life is choices, and the rest is pure dumb luck.” Real people’s lives depend on this quote everyday, which leads to the outcome of each problem individuals face. In the passages, characterization of the main personas helps one understand the theme. Conflict and symbolism also help lead to the overall idea that life is not always guaranteed to be full of success. The book The Other Wes Moore, the poem “If,” and the informational text “The Art of Resilience” all share a common theme of how choices and luck contribute to the success of life.

In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates ( New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010), the first Wes tells the story about two kids with the same name and very similar lifestyles, growing up, but ending up in two completely different places with their lives.

The Other Wes Moore documents the true life stories of two Black males named Wes Moore that both grew up in broken families located in disadvantaged neighborhoods, but regardless of their similar backgrounds one Wes Moore became a Rhodes Scholar while the other is incarcerated (Moore, 2010). In similar vein, I saw the same parallels with the Wes Moore’s in my own life with having a half-brother with the same name as myself who was incarcerated. Although we were directed toward different trajectories we were only houses apart from each other with an abusive father that simultaneously maintained two families. It could be argued the trajectories were mere coincidence, but my twin sister and I both sustained the same experiences from birth, yet

The book I read was called, “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore. Some of the other books that he has written are “This Way Home”, “The Maker”, and “Forcefully Advancing: The Last Hope for America & American Christianity”. This book is a memoir. The definition of a memoir is that it is a written novel based on the author’s experience and perspective. A memoir usually includes an experience the author had felt. In this story, I became aware of the fact that there are two boys with the same name but different fates, which symbolizes different identities. This story takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, which is where the two boys grew up.

“The Other Wes Moore” written by Wes Moore, is a story about two boys who grew up around the same area and in similar circumstances. The author, Wes, grew into a well-respected man. The other Wes Moore goes to prison for the rest of his life, without a possibility of parole. During the story, the other Wes is punched in the face and instead of punching back he shot and killed the man who punched him. The story expresses many themes, one of which is that some people will do anything to other people’s lives to gain power, respect, or money. This is also shown when the other Wes describes the drug trade, when he almost stabs a kid, and when he and his crew shoot and kill a police officer.

The second part of The other wes moore , chapter five starts out with author wes splitting his sister’s lip by accident, Wes knew his mother would not see it that way. Not knowing what to do he waited for his mother to start screaming at him, and was surprised when she slapped him across the face instead, and then again. Joy left the room and made the decision to send Wes to military school. When he found out about it he knew his life was going to change dramatically. The other Wes and three other men broke into a jewelry store and ordered everyone to get down. One of the people in the store was Sergeant Bruce Prothero, a veteran of the Baltimore City police department who worked as a security guard at the jewelry store to help support his