Diversity is a complex word with a broad range of definitions, however, it can be summarized by one word, “difference” (CITATION). Moreover, this “difference” can cause several different issues such as institutionalized oppression, internationalized oppression, power and privileged, gender, immigration, race and micro, mezzo, and macro. In this paper, it would be discussed what these issues are as well as how these issues are portrayed in the novel The Other Wes Moore. One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore. DiAngelo defines oppression as having prejudice and discrimination working together. In order words, oppression is when one group can enforce their prejudice and act on it (discriminate) another group (CITATION). In addition, there are also …show more content…
Wes’s father was an alcoholic who was never there for him, while Moore’s father was educated, and loving man who died due to a hospital misdiagnosis. Wes acted as if he was the man of the house when he was younger. He always wanted to make sure his mother was safe. As he gets older, he ends up being more like his father. He lets addiction take over him. He left and cheated on the mother of his child. Not having a father figure can be one reason why he acted the way he did when he started to date. He did not know what a man should do since his father had left his family. Moreover, the absence of his father filled him with anger. Moore does not experience violence by the absence of his father. The absent of his father makes him look up to his father and be the man that his father was. Gender is given by birth, by gender roles is learned (CITATION). Moore might have lost his father, but his mother made sure he never disrespected a woman. Moreover, she put him in military school, and he went to a prestigious school where he was most likely influenced by the male figures there. He also lived with his grandparents, and he saw the way his grandfather treated his grandmother with care and love. Wes did not have a father. The only older male figure in his life was his brother who was always in the streets. Wes learned what it was to be a “man” and its roles by those who he …show more content…
Growing up, she fell in love with a man named Bill and they had Nikki. Over time he started to abuse drugs and started to mistreat Grace. Once day Grace ended up leaving him. Therefore, Grace in drills to Moore that he cannot hurt a woman. When Moore hits Nikki, his mother becomes furious. In many Caribbean islands, men are seen as the powerful one. Being from Jamaica, it is not a doubt that Grace experienced this as growing up beside her experience with Bill. CITATION FOR CARRIBEAN Grace brings in her traditions from both her Jamaican descent and American experience as part of the way she decides to raise Moore and his siblings
The first environment that readers can analyze between the two Wes Moore’s is the lack of a father influence. Author Wes Moore grew up in Baltimore, Maryland with a family who seemed to have everything in place. Wes looked up to his father in many ways even as a young child. “I tried to copy his walk, his expressions. I was his main man. He was my protector” (Moore 11). Wes tells readers in the story that
Without a father figure growing up, Wes always had to look up to his brother, Tony, to make up for it. In chapter
The Other Wes Moore: Q & A How well does Moore describe the culture of the streets, where young boys grow up believing that violence transforms them into men? Talk about the street culture—its violence, drug dealing, disdain for education. What creates that ethos and why do so many young men find it attractive?
Their fathers also affected their lives in the same way as their mothers. Wes’s father, Wes, was a strong, peaceful man who had a stable career. He passed away when Wes was three, leaving Joy with their three children (Moore 15). He still had a positive impact on Wes’s life, though. He was a positive role model for Wes even after his passing. The “other” Wes didn’t have it quite as well, however. His father, Bernard, was still alive and well, but left Wes with Mary, and didn’t care to have a relationship with his son. One of the few times Wes interacted with his father was when he went to his Mamie’s house. His Mamie was his father’s mother, and his father just happened to be drunk and passed out on the couch at
No parent to child interaction on a daily basis was also a problem, “Wes mother worked from early morning to late evening… He took a few quick steps toward to boy… his grip on knife” (pg. 35). Wes’s mom was barely in the picture when problems like this occurred, he didn’t have a stable parent figure when he was growing up because his mom always worked and he didn’t know his dad. A child needs an adult to teach them right from wrong at a young age, so it won’t affect them later. In comparison the other Wes Moore was also exposed to a bad neighborhood in the Bronx and an unsuccessful environment, “drugs and violence had slowly crept in… crack” (pg. 40).
Diversity does not simply refer to race or even culture; it’s everywhere. We are all diverse, meaning we are all different from one another. The book The Other Wes Moore we see two kids with the same name, but very different lives that they live. Wes and Wes are similar in ways, but in the end turn out nothing like each other. One chose to lead his life in a better path, while the other sticks with a path that ultimately destructs his life. In this paper, I will discuss what diversity means to me, messages that I learned about various minorities or majorities when I was a child, if my views have changed, when diversity influenced my life, and the situation when it influenced me. Some other things that I will discuss also are the main characters of the book, examples of diversity involving the main characters, and which character I related with the most in this book.
Wes Moore also faced the unfortunate passing of his father. In the reading he states, “I could not have felt safer, more secure...I tried to copy his walk, his expressions. I was his main man. He was my protector.(11)” Throughout this quote he is able to describe both the relationship and connection he had with his father. He looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. That is why, when his father passed he knew he would have to take on the responsibilities of being the man of the
In The Other Wes Moore, the readers can consider that two boys had the same backgrounds and situations, and wonder what caused their lives to end up so differently. This is how culture legacy affect to people’s success. In this case, the mothers are who influenced the boys and their future. Mary, other Wes’s mother, did not face her son’s problems and provide him the guidance. After skipping school and partying, other Wes come home drunk and intoxicated. Mary though that was entertaining and made fun at him. “Mary laughed, watching him squirm. ‘Well, at least now you know how bad it feels and you will stay away from drinking,’ she said” (Moore 62). Instead of punishments or even just a conversation about his drinking problem, Mary brushed off the situation. Because she think it was not a big problem. This
I shoulda had the abortion”. (Moore Ⅵ .4.) and how he was bullied since he was younger because his mother was a prostitute. The kids would say “Sure she is. He’s gonna fix us up with her, ain’t that right whoreson?”.
Oppression is the “systematically related pressures” that set barriers for certain people (Frye 7). It is the exploitation and the marginalization of subordinate groups. According to Iris Young 's "Five Faces of Oppression", oppression is also the disdain and powerlessness of these groups. Cultural imperialism creates stereotypes for these people and makes them the "other" for straying from the cultural norm. To less “dominant” and oppressed groups, violence is somehow socially permitted against them because they are the deviants of society (Young 53). In our society, the stigma of disability has been socially constructed and
Given the definition of oppression as a system of interrelated barriers and forces which “mold”, “immobilize”, and “reduce” a certain group of people, and affect their subordination to another group (Frye 4), Frye lists out five premises in order to be considered oppressed. First of all, the group of people must be restricted. In other words, there must be limitations or barriers on them. For example, women make 78 cents for every dollar earned by men (Kessler 1). Second, “those restrictions surely cause harm, which must outweigh any potential benefits oppressed groups experience as a result of those same restrictions” (Gillingham 1). For
Discrimination and prejudice can impact any group or individuals well-being. Jewish Americans are no exception. They face judgments, threats, isolation and stereotypical opinions of others daily. Many Jewish individuals are hesitant to seek counseling because they fear the non-Jewish counselor may not be empathic to their specific issues or be able to discern their problems (Sue & Sue, 2016). Additionally, they have strong religious beliefs and worry counselors may make suggestions that go against these beliefs. It would be helpful if the counselor became knowledgeable about the Jewish culture and religion. Therefore, Sue & Sue (2016) suggest conferring with a rabbi as to how best to counsel those from the Jewish community. Counselors need
Oppression is when groups of people are pushed down by societies or those in power. The word comes from the Latin root opprimere, meaning "pressed down”. There are several ways people tend to be oppressed in terms of race, gender, class, sexual preferences, disability and age and so on. A person can deal with numerous forms of oppression, it is an unjust use of power to enforce an unequal relationship and deny another’s rights and values. The oppressor disempowers a person or group, often in order to further empower and/or privilege themselves. Oppression prevents people from freedom and opportunities. Different forms of oppression For example, systematic oppression is wide spread in American society which is towards the black community. It has got a bit better since the late 1960’s however it is still going on. Over a quarter of the black community are in demand of basic needs with poverty rates being the highest out of any race in the country. The black community unfortunately dominates the low income markets which then generates low income
Whether you agree with Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, or Erik Erickson, theoretical approaches to human nature all agree that early childhood years play a major part of our conscious and unconscious decisions we make. For instance, even though both Wes Moore’s were brought up without a father in their home, the reality is that these absences meant something different to each of them. For Wes 1 his father died an unnecessary death due to lack of training of emergency personnel. He remembered his dad as being compassionate, loving, and kind. Wes 1 always knew that if given the choice, his father would have stood by him throughout his life. Wes 2, however, is left with negative fatherly feelings. In the three times they were together, his own father acted as though he didn’t recognize him. What’s worse is that Wes 2 knew that his dad didn’t want to know him, he chose to leave. That left not only a hole where there should have been a very important role model, it left rejection in its place. When Wes 1 was visiting Wes 2 in the jail and asked about the impact his father had on his life, the second Wes said, “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 their absence in different ways” (Moore page 3). Later in the chapter Wes 1 gets emotional thinking about how he misses his father. He was left,
Throughout “The other Wes Moore”, The Wes’ were faced with surprisingly similar situations that were handled in very different ways. These situations were key turning points in each of their lives and shaped them into who they are. Even though each Wes had hardships in their environment and faced many trials and tribulations, ultimately, their choices during these times are what produced each Wes. Because of their series of different choices that each Wes Moore made during their lifetime and the outcome of their choices, we are not just products of our environments, but also products of the choices we make.