The Other Wes Moore '

The Other Wes Moore is a book about two young African-American lives that share the same name, Wes Moore. Both Wes Moores grew up with similarities, they both grew up in the same hometown. One of the Wes Moore is free and the other one is spending his life in jail. They both grew up without fathers. The author's father died in front of him when he was just three years old and the other Wes Moore barley knew his dad. The Author's father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, and the other Wes Moore, father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. Both mothers were working hard towards setting their families and to support and care for their sons.

    One central difference to think about when looking at the two individuals is the fact that Wes has a more supporting mother than Wes (2), in a person’s life a mother is so important and can be looked as a blessing. A mother is the one that supposed to be the person that takes great care of you and guides you,  and to teach what’s right from wrong. The author’s mother was much more supportive for her son, Wes acknowledges, “Every time I looked  around at the buildings and the trees and the view of the river, I was reminded of the sacrifices my mother was making to keep me there.” (Moore 52). Due to this quote, we can conclude that Wes’s mother, although struggling at the time, found a way to put her child in the best possible route in education. Wes presents it as kind of an understatement, however, from his mother doing this, it affects his life so much. By being put in a excellent school, it offers many more opportunities than that of the other Wes and he can gather a lot more help/exposure to guide him toward a bright future. On the other hand, we have Wes (2) that is lost and seems as if he just can’t find his way, “Young boys are more likely to believe in themselves if they know that there’s someone, somewhere, who shares that belief. To carry the

“The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates Essay” written by Wes Moore, which is based on his and another man with the same name life. The book follows two kids with the same name were born blocks apart in the same city just within a year of each other. Both boys had similar circumstances, for which they both growing up in the middle of the crack epidemic in the 1980’s in the city of Baltimore. Both boys had troubling childhood grew up within a single parent household without their fathers in their life’s. Although both two men born into a similar position in the world ended up leading wildly different lives. The author Wes Moore grew up to achieve great things becoming decorated veteran, White House Fellows, and business leader. The other Wes

"...What impact did your father not being there have on your childhood?"(The "Other" Wes Moore -Part I: Fathers and Angels - pg. 4) This question is what connected me to the novel. The "author" Wes began the story of his and the "other " Wes's memories of their fathers. This explains how and why they grew up fatherless. Wes " the author" recalls only have two memories of his father one was when his father had a talk with him after he punched his sister Nikki and the other one was the day his father passed away. The "author" Wes father didn't choose to leave, unlike the "other Wes's father, which he never met until years later. I related to this chapter a lot, I too was raised by a single mother but my story is just a tad different. My family

In the book, The Other Wes Moore, there are two men with same name Wes Moore. They were born within a year of each other just blocks apart. Both grew up fatherless in Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods. The author of the book is Wes, an American author, Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow, and decorated US Army officer. He has accomplished many things in his life, but the other Wes hasn’t grasped the opportunity. Instead, the other Wes has been spending most of his adulthood in prison as he had received a life sentence for an armed robbery that left a police officer, a father of five dead. Although the two Wes’s had grown up in the same neighborhood, their choices about family, education, and career paths placed them in completely

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

“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.

People may think that how could this happen since they both were living the same circumstances. However, in the book Wes Moore, the boys do not have equal opportunities in terms of parenting,

Their actions are very contradictory as it elicits readers to feel a sense of hopelessness but also a sense of optimism, The other Wes, now with a growing family, is forced to try and get a job and support them, however: “Wes found another option: he decided to make himself scarce. In the mornings while Nicey was at work, Wes would play videogames in the house and then head out to check on his drug operation. When she was home in the evenings or the early morning, Wes would normally be out, “trying to find a job,” as he would tell her” (Moore 110). Wes is surrounded by several bad influences in his neighborhood, resulting in him also becoming one. He is running from his problems by taking the easy way out, which results in a having a negative impact on his children. Instead of working hard to sustain his family, he goes to drugs to help support himself because it’s “easy money”. This showcases that without a proper figure to guide you, you could also be succumbed by the negativity in today’s society. A proper authority figure is needed to help guide your way through the hardships and difficulties in the world around us. This event establishes pathos by making you feel disappointment and pity towards Wes and his family. A sense of hope is lost if whether Wes will ever

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

“This is a story of two boys living in Baltimore with 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

One Wes Moore made the decision to transform his life into success, but sadly the other did

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

How could I? she was my everything, the person I loved and respected most in my world. I had no idea what to do” (88). This is when the readers see a big role model in the author Wes’s life emerge. Wes looked up to his mother she was the good in his life. Without this role model the author Wes’s life could have been very different, but his mother is who helped him do great things with his life. Besides the fact that both Wes’s had a role model in their life, they have very different lives.

Through the strong attachment that the author’s family has for each other, that what save the author life and his destiny. When the author was showing out in school and poor grades, his mother called up family member to help donated money to send him away to military school. I believe through that kind act of each of his family members donated money to send him away to school is what save the author life from crime and violence. Unlike the author mother, the other Wes mother Mary had no one else to turn to for help support her sons. Like Mary was upset when she finds out that Wes is dealing drugs. She flushed down the toilet thousands of dollars of drugs that Wes intends to sell (Moore 2010). At the end of the day, Mary really could not do