The Other Wes Moore: Character Analysis
The true memoir, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, describes the lives of two young boys– one boy being the author himself– and the life decisions that they have made which allows them to be in the positions they are currently in. The human thought process, the environmental factors, and the human interactions are not exactly similar in these two males lives and that is simply the differentiation between the author Wes and the imprisoned Wes. As youth, these two characters essentially had a circle of friends with similar characteristics. Wes 1 took to being the cool kid much more seriously than Wes 2. He skipped classes in the private school his mother and grandparents placed him in (in order to prevent him from failure). However, his homeroom teacher did not want to put up with his behavior as well, recalling a quote Wes 1 said, "One day, she flatly told me that it didn't matter to her if I showed up because...show more content... He had heard it before. He loved his brother but had learned to ignore his occasional "do as I say, not as I do" tirades. Tony, by contrast, was desperately trying to give his little brother information he thought he needed, the kind of information that Tony never got. Tony felt his brother's life could be saved, even if he felt his own had already, at age fourteen, passed the point of no return.' Tony was hopeful that his brother would grow up to become successful, however his outlook changed one day when he found out that Wes was selling. "Tony was exhausted. Tired from the beating he just gave Wes. Tired from repeating himself. †If you won't listen, that's on you. You have potential to do so much more, go so much further. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink right?'...That was the last time Tony ever tried to talk to Wes about the drug game." – pgs.
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A Small Difference Can Make a Big Impact Humans have come to a conclusion that all lives are different, but all go through many hardships and tragedies. The impact from a slight difference can vary to be very vast to very small, such a slight difference, however, can change a person's life as a whole. In the book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore there is a difference that can be identified between the author's life and that of the other Wes. This difference, though can be very critical and is ultimately able to lead to a path of triumph or failure for an individual. The lack of involvement a mother has for their child can fundamentally deprive them from succeeding, and parent involvement has the opportunity to...show more content...
Through it all there can be a factor/difference that can be daunting in a person's life and the way they handle it is eventually up to them and will effect in some way, shape, or form. 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 Get more content
Being that the scholar Wes Moore was bound to be on the better path than the other Wes Moore was a given. The scholar Wes Moore had components in his early life that influenced him to be on the right path. He was able to be see both sides of things and have a sense of direction and create a role model for himself. He was also able to recognize the efforts both his family and his mother has made in the past to help him in the future. There were times where he could have took the wrong path but with his ability to be a loyal and responsible person, he chose to stay on track.
I think that the scholar Wes Moore was able to find the right path because he was brought up with really strong and influential people in his life. As he grew up he was...show more content...
In the reading it talks about the mother's thoughts about his schooling choices in New York. Most people would say if they went through it, it's okay for their kids. However Joy stepped up and knew that the New York public schools were extremely sketchy and unsafe for her son and rather work harder and have her kids go to a private school. His mother also would not let the sadness of their father's death interrupt the time she had them. She would put on a happy face and encourage her kids to take advantage of all the opportunities there are out there. In the reading it shows Wes Moore's realization of the amount of effort his mother put in to make the family happy,"But no matter how much the world around us seemed ready to crumble, my mother was determined to see us though it.(47)"
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
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English 1A
03 August 2017
Final Research Paper
Parents experiencing poverty may struggle to provide for their children and can become very stressed from dealing with the monotonous monetary requirements. Within poverty stricken households extreme variations of parenting and guidance can be observed, from little to no presence or direction, all the way to the other side of the spectrum with severe overreactions. "Higher levels of stress negatively affect parenting style, and these parents tend to be more authoritarian or inconsistent." (Katz, 18) Family structures, living environments, mental health, personalities, and educational backgrounds are all likely to be contributing factor to both parenting...show more content...
One grows up quick when one grows up poor; inmate Wes Moore is a prime example of how youth is pressured to deal with real issues from a very young age.Living within poverty, inmate Wes Moore believed he needed to step up to the plate and financially provide for his mother and family. However even after making strides towards an honest living through the Job Corps and vocational classes, Wes would be allured back by the money from the hustle. "The pressure was breaking Wes down. Alicia complained that he was not giving her enough money to provide for the kids they shared. Cheryl was now constantly calling him about wanting more time with the kids–which meant she wanted more money to take care of them. His mother needed more money because she was raising both Wes's and Tony's kids. Wes banged his fists against the top of his head as his elbows rested on the kitchen table. While at the Job Corps Center, Wes had felt his problems floating off in the soft county air of Laurel. A year after graduating, he realized they had not disappeared–they'd simply returned to Baltimore, waiting for him to come back. In his absence, they'd compounded."(Moore 145) Wes believed that the only possible way to generate enough cashflow to help support his family was
to get back into the game, start cooking dope in the kitchen, and selling rock to the crackheads on the streets. This is the kind of lifestyle that children in
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The Two with Different Paths How do two boys with the same name who live within the same community end up with lives on two completely different paths? The author, Wes Moore, begins life in a tough Baltimore neighborhood and ends up a Rhodes Scholar, Wall Streeter, White House Fellow, etc. The other Wes Moore starts in the same place in Baltimore but ends up in prison FOR LIFE. The parallels in their stories aren't quite as compelling as they may appear initially. For example, the other Wes Moore spends a number of his developmental years living in the Bronx, NY, whereas his namesake never leaves Baltimore and its suburbs. Though Wes Moore is shipped off to military school (after his antisocial behavior in a privileged...show more content...
Tony felt his little brother's life could be saved, even if he felt his own had already, at age fourteen, passed the point of no return." (Moore 27).
On the other hand, Wes Moore has no such close relation or relationship dragging him down. While Wes Moore was able to change his situation and begin to make better decisions, the other Wes Moore was never able to accomplish such task. During one of their conversations, the incarcerated Wes said, "From everything you told me, both of us did some pretty wrong stuff when we were younger. And both of us had second chances. But if the situation or the context where you make the decisions don't change, then second chances don't mean much, huh?" (66). In the same conversation, about Вј of the way into the book Moore realized an important aspect in life, "I sat back, allowing Wes's words to sink in. Then I responded, 'I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.'" (Moore 67).
There comes about a discussion on when Wes Moore and the other Wes Moore think they became "men". Wes Moore thinks he became a man when he, "First felt accountable to people other than myself. When I first cared that my action mattered to people other than just me"(64). The same Wes later explains that he had, "No official ceremony that brought my childhood to an end.
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The Other Wes Moore's Profile Essay A person's success or failure can be determined by their environment, education, choices; a number of different things. The autobiography The Other Wes Moore takes a look at two boys with the same name and eerily similar circumstances who end up in very different places in life. Wes Moore spoke at convocation about his book and what he hoped that people would get from it. In the book he says "The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his." (Moore xi). These two men didn't share the same fate because they each made a choice about what they wanted their life to become. The book truly demonstrates how the choices you make, make you. One Wes...show more content...
The author Wes Moore went off to military school where negative environmental influences were cut off and he was able to receive an education, which he himself considers a turning point in his life. His entire atmosphere and the dynamics of the schools he was accustomed to were altered. Although he attempted to run away several times, there was a point after speaking with his mother that he made the decision to stop running and embrace the experience and it helped make him the person he is today. The imprisoned Moore dropped out of school and like the overwhelming majority of African American male drop outs, ended up in the system. While the imprisoned Wes may have not had access to private or military schools, he could have finished school and decided to make an honest living. Later in his life he did decided to earn a GED and learn a trade, but he didn't make the decision to dedicate himself to turning his life around and as soon as things got difficult turned back to what he knew instead of taking path toward something more positive. He gained mentors working under Mayor Kurt Schmoke of Baltimore, and a friend in his former Captain, Ty Hill at the military school. His decision to pursue a life full of criminal activity was his alone. The way parents and mentors influence choices are also very important. While Wes' (the author) parents opting out of public
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The Other Wes Moore 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...show more content...
The first Moore, the author, began his deviance in school through failing to do his assignments and performing extremely poorly in class. The second Moore, the prisoner, began through the use of a knife to solve conflicts as a child. Another case of defiance in the two children is evident when the first Moore, the author, started vandalizing public property. On the other hand, the other Moore was busy helping drug peddlers in supplying narcotics in the neighborhood. The mother of the first Moore became concerned of his son's behavior and enrolled him to a prison school, where he would later become a leader of several cadets. It was while at this school that he gave his deviant behavior after several attempts to escape failed. The discipline levels in the school were extremely high, resulting in the young Moore changing his behavior for the better (Moore, 2011). Theoretical Analysis In the story, it is clear that the Strain sociological theory clearly presents itself. This theory argues that depending on person's situation in the society, one reacts differently to the difficulties that face them in the achievement of their objectives. The theory categorizes people in the society to tow broad categories. These are the poor and the rich, with the poor being the ones who strain the most in an attempt to accomplish their
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The book, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore tells a story about two men with the same name and last name but with different outcomes. The author tells his story and the other Wes Moore's story, how they started off in the same neighborhood and made similar choices but one ended up in prison for life and the other with his freedom. There are several reasons that the two Wes Moores ended up in different situations such as the way their mothers raised them and the different choices that were made by them throughout their life as young adults. The statement that the author wrote at the end of the book is true to the extent that they both grew up in the same type of neighborhood and both were raised by single mothers. Both Wes Moores were...show more content...
I could not imagine my life without my dad so it must have been a really difficult situation for both Wes Moores to have no one to ask for advice from or have someone stand up for them. Luckily the author Wes had a lot of support from hismother and she also represented to him a father figure since he was the only male among his sisters. The author Wes said, "Intent to make some sense of the tragedy, she used the money to create a fund that would provide equipment and training to paramedics on a new procedure for dealing with respiratory or cardiac arrest, a technique that could have saved my father's life (36)." Besides dealing with the fact that she was a single mother of three children she still managed to make a good deed in honor of her husband who could have been saved if they would have been offered that equipment and training. Unlike the author Wes's mother, the other Wes's mother was seeing married men and setting bad examples to her children. The other Wes's mother, Mary, was dating a married man who interacted more with her son and cared to check up on him more than she would. Wes said, "When Wes got to the house his mother's boyfriend, who was living with them when he wasn't back home with his wife, was sitting in the living room, directly next to the front door (61)." Mary was being a bad influence by setting the example to Tony and Wes about not having standards if she was dating a married man. When a young adult is in
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The Other Wes Moore: The Impact of Family
Many people would say we are all just products of our environment. For two young boys from Baltimore, this could not be truer. In "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates," written by Wes Moore, two fatherless, young boys growing up in the same neighborhood with the same name, end up on two entirely different paths of life. The author becomes a Rhodes Scholar, college graduate, veteran, and much more, while the "other" Wes gets deeply involved with the drug game and spends most of his life in trouble with the law. When these boys come from such similar backgrounds, how is it that they take such different journeys in life? The reason why one Wes Moore became mixed up with drugs and the law, and...show more content...
The "other Wes'smother, Mary, never finished college, and her older son lived with his dad (Moore 18, 26). She wasn't as concerned with how her son did in school, but when he failed 6th grade and had to repeat it, she decided to move her family to Baltimore County (Moore 57). Just before that, Wes found her "stash" of marijuana in her closet, and after smoking it, made the decision to start selling it (Moore 59–62). Where Joy made every effort to keep her son out of the drug business, Mary was directly related to her son getting involved with drugs. She made them available to him, and was the source of his first drugs. She is the reason he chose to start selling drugs. Their mothers led by example, which in turn, directed them onto the life paths they took. 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
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"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...show more content...
The other Wes Moore is also considered to be deviant by his poor decision–making and careless choices. He dropped out of school, sold drugs, participated in a robbery of a jewelry store, and was a convicted murderer with a life sentence. There was many sociological factors that led to the other Wes Moore's deviant behavior; the absence of his father being an important factor. Although both the author Wes Moore and the other Wes Moore grew up without a father, it affected the other Wes Moore a little more considering the fact that his father chose not to be in his life. Also, Tony had a big impact on the decision he made for himself. Throughout the story, Wes would remember what Tony told him about demanding respect. "Send a message," And Wes would do as Tony said. The problem with the other Wes Moore was that he lacked positive influences in his life and he had no motivation to live a better life until it was too late. Sociological imagination played a part in this story because the author Wes Moore made connections on how personal experiences relates to public issues. He grew up in poverty and maintained ambition to receive proper education. Thus this tells readers not to let where you came from or your downfalls hinder you from being successful. The Author Wes Moore displayed that education was the key to all future success. He also 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 Get
"The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his." In the story The Other Wes Moore there is two men named Wes Moore, they both grew up during the same time and lived just a couple blocks away from one another. The book talks about both Wes Moores one being inprison the other being a writer. The environment in which they lived could have change the path each boy took, also the relationships each boy had. Anyone can end up in each position but its is all based on how they handled the situation given at hand. I think the quote means that he could have easily been in his shoes facing prison charges as he could have been reading it in the news paper. When the writer found out that they
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"I sat back, allowing Wes's words to sink in. Then I responded, "I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances"(Page 67). In "The Other Wes Moore" the environment of both Wes Moore's were completely different from each other. They both made some stupid decisions over time but who is perfect? It is expected of everyone to make some mistakes, in my opinion the main influence on their choices came from their environment. In their environment they had peers that would influence them to do things that they did not necessarily want to do. This caused them to get into trouble, but at the same token, their environment also gave them some opportunities to make it through some rough times. For Example: Wes #2...show more content...
Wes #1 more than just a soon to be author but a person that can be learned from and someone to make you believe in a bigger future.
Wes #1 grew up without his father; his father died near the beginning of the story with a rare disease. Wes #1 did not understand the responsibility that he would have to uphold until he got older because he was only three years old. Wes #1 needed a father figure because he needed a manly structure in his life. Even though Wes already had a lovingmother, willing to play both roles as a mother and father, a mother can only do but so much. Young men need fathers/father figures because they help out with the things mothers can not explain. This takes us back to the subject of environment and family, because Wes #1 had a environment that strived off of respect, he had a family that strived off of doing the right thing.
Wes #2 did not have a father in his life either, his father left him and his family when he was young. The difference between Wes #1 and Wes #2 is that Wes #2's father had a choice of coming back. Wes #2's father's absence made his older brother try to step in to make a change, but big brothers don't always help; sometimes the big brother adds to the problem, also the problem was that the neighborhood was drug infested. That meant that almost everyone was either selling or Get more content
Joe Reidy
The Other Wes Moore tells a story of two young men growing up in similar situations. No father, kipping class, drug influence some situations the Wes Moore's have to deal with, however one ends up a road scholar and influential author the other ends up in prison serving life. This book is a prime example of how certain choices can determine the rest of one's life. Personal responsibility, self sufficiency and citizen leader ship are boldly highlighted and brought to life in this work. Wes Moore shows how all these traits play into life and where you can end up. Personal responsibility is portrayed throughout the whole book in both of the Wes's moms. These two women took full responsibility for themselves and their children....show more content...
Writing the book, serving in the military corps, and become a road scholar. Citizen leadership is not shown as much in the book as it was in Wes when he stops from school to school. Wes has taken his experiences and shares them with other so that they wont have to endure what he has. He guides the youth and even some of the older class, and helps them realize the incredible reality of how your choices affect you.
Transitioning in to college has made me realize just how important all these traits are and how they correspond to my success. Wes's visit to Longwood and speech helped me a lot too. Personal responsibility is the simple fact that I am an adult now and my action speak back on me. I have to take responsibility for myself, my actions and education. If I miss class that all on me and no one else and I will suffer the consequences. Taking care of myself is a reality now. No one is here to make sure I get up, make me food or give me A's just for trying. Self sufficiency need to be a core trait of mine in college. I need to be able to take care of myself, whether getting a job or minting a solid GPA, my life is in my hands now. Citizen leadership is just a great quality to add on the the numerous others. Everyone possess a gift and can provide help to those who don't exactly know what they're doing or they might just be having a hard time. What is the point of knowledge if you aren't using it to help other people? Helping your community to become a more Get more content
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 two main characters in this story are two boys both named Wes Moore but one of them symbolizes the author...show more content...
However, I didn't like how he transitioned the point of view from first person to third person. First of all, I liked how he created a book about one name and two different fates based off of different people. This creates the conflict of what's happening and helps the me and other readers knows that both boys named Wes Moore has life changing experiences that turns their paths into different directions. Secondly, I also liked how he adds the theme and message about how a child needs a good role model or someone to look up to. For example, the other Wes Moore looked up to Tony but Wes followed him towards stealing and killing. I like how book states that if you have someone you can look up to, then you will create better lives and a better future for yourself. Lastly, I think the transition from first person and third person threw me off a little. Sometimes when I finish reading the book and later on in the day read the book again, I usually get confused on which Wes Moore they are talking about. I always have to read one or two pages back to see whom they are talking about. I suggest the author should make the book more clearly by marking off on top that the passages are about. I think this will make it easier for readers to read. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I think this book could help kids follow a right role model to have a better
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Intrinsic and extrinsic factors like family, expectations, perseverance, and motivation impact the way a person turns out to be. In the novel, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, the author speaks about another man with the same name that grew up in the same area and compares how they went in different paths based upon intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
The author illustrates in the text that the extrinsic factors of family and expectations, as well as, perseverance and motivation, have the most influence on an individual's success.
In the text, the extrinsic factor that most influences the author is family, while the extrinsic factor that most influences Wes are expectations. The author has a strong holding family that helps him with...show more content...
In the text, the intrinsic factor that most influences the author is perseverance, while the intrinsic factor that most influences Wes is motivation. Early in the book we find out that the author's father died and that his mother wasn't "coping well with her husband's death" she was "losing her grip." (Moore, 37) And very soon after she'd realized that she moved everyone from Maryland to the Bronx in New York. The author was "apprehensive about moving away from my (his) friends, from the only world I'd (he'd) known." (Moore, 38) But still after his father's death and moving so quickly from Maryland he was motivated and tried his best and later went on to do big things despite what would effect a lot of kids' attitude on life. The intrinsic factor that affected Wes was motivation. He lacked motivation to be a better person even after he was arrested for carrying a knife to "send a message" (Moore, 34) to a kid who tried to mess with him and after "Tony tried to keep Wes in school and away from the drug game for as long as Wes could remember" (Moore, 71) But Wes continued to deal drugs and get arrested for trying to assault a person (and other reasons). These intrinsic factors are about the same thing but the author didn't let obstacles get in the way of perseverance and Wes lacked in Get more content
In "The Other Wes Moore" there was many people that helped him along the way and had an impact on the other Wes Moore's life. Some of those people were Wes dad Westly, Joy his mother, Grandparents, and Colonel Bratt. Even though Wes may not have known some of these people for a long time, or they may not have been the greatest role model for him at times, every single one of them had a part in making him who he is today. To me the person that impacted him the most would be Joy Wes'smother. Joy was a mother of 3, Wes and Nikki. She was a strong woman with a not so good past with men, until she met Westly. When she would get mad he would be their to calm her down, he was a fatherly figure to both of the kids. Until one day he had a tragic...show more content...
This is one of the biggest and most important things that she could have done for his life. Joy took the time and effort to ask around to close and distant family members to make it possible to pay for his schooling. Most People wouldn't take the time of day to do that. Most people would think that it was to late to change their life or get them help but joy was not going to give up on making wes a better person. She kept in the back of her mind her husband that had passed away. Would he have given up on his child? Despite the fact that Wes did not want to go she made him. When Wes would call home begging to leave she had the strength to keep him in the school. " Wes, You are not going anywhere until you give this place a try. I am so proud of you, and your father is proud of you, and we just want you to give this a shot.." (95) This quote shows how much strength she has to know her husband is there with him and that she is not letting him come home. Lastly I feel like these are some of the reasons why Wes mother Joy was his biggest influence in his life. She was his hard rock. Joy was the one that no matter how hard it was financially she found a way to make sure her son was making the right choice in life and if he wasn't she was going to make him change even if he didn't like it. All of these things reflect back on to who he is today. How he acts towards people and
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Chapter 24: "Don't Read with Your Eyes" Main Ideas: 1.Don't read with your eyes 2.Take on the perspective of a character in the book to help yourself better understand the situation
3.Can this person be saved?
4.Too much acceptance of the author's viewpoint can lead to difficulties Connection: The Other Wes Moore is a book about two men named Wes Moore that grew up minutes away from each other in tough areas of Baltimore. This story describes their up bringing and decision making that ultimately led to the lives they lived. Just as the chapter said, this specific book is one where you have to ask yourself, can this person be saved? By asking this question you are stepping out of your perspective and into the character's. The first Wes Moore had a hard youth with tough crowds, but had excellent role models that helped him...show more content...
2.Primary meaning – the story it is telling 3.Secondary meaning – provide texture and depth to a work; without them, literary would be flat
Reception–the ability to see the possibilities in meaning based on the repetition of the object that multiple authors use
5.Every work teaches us how to read it as we go along
4.Use what you know
6.You know more than you think you do Connection: In The Catcher in the Rye, there are many symbols that have endless meanings. Like the chapter said, the symbol in this text is a secondary meaning that provides depth to the work. The Museum of Natural History is very symbolic in terms of how it is viewed by Holden. Holden wishes for an unchanging world, where he never grows up, and the museum provides that because whenever he goes there everything is the same as it was before. To him, the museum is a much simpler place that he finds comfort in. This symbol of the museum provides texture because it describes the protagonist in a new way not seen by the primary meaning. Now we see that Holden is scared of change and wishes for a life like the
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"I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances" (Moore 67). This is a powerfully central theme to the book The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore. For the two men this book is about, it all begins with a wide–open future. The mothers that gave birth to them and the influences they had, along with their own powerful choices, sealed their fate . People don't ever stop growing or improving and the two Wes Moore's are no different. Throughout their lives, they are constantly changing and in some places calling the shots. One chose correctly, and one did not.
The Mothers in this book play a large influence in relation to importance of schooling for the two Wes Moore's. AWMmother, Joy, believed in ...show more content...
Education plays a huge socioeconomic role and this story is an example of that. As we find out much later, their mothers' views onschool influence the mentors and people around the two Wes Moore's.
Mary and Joy also had different rules and expectations placed upon their sons, and their home environment was just such. Joy was much more strict on her son and tried to enforce good morals into him, even from a young age. An example of this is in the very beginning of the book when AWM hits his sister and does not realize his mistake, therefore frightened by his mother's anger. Moore remembers his mother yelling, "Get up to your damn room... I told you, don't ever put your hands on another woman!" (5). He later finds out that his mother had a history of abuse at the hands of her previous husband. But his mother is very wise to instill this into him from such a young age, as many parents might just brush it off saying, "Kids will be Kids". The author does indeed grow up to have an immense amount of respect and love for women, as you can tell by his book dedication. AWM was always aware that his mom was the boss, which you can tell is bittersweet for him. However, Mary was not as strict with not just OWM, but her other son Tony by a long shot. OWM looked up to and revered his brother and it is clear her has strayed from good behavior, and this has to have something to do with his upbringing. She did enjoy going out at night and the reader gets an Get more content
The Other Wes Moore is an autobiographical novel that is told from the heart of author, Wes Moore, while showing an illustrative purpose. One section of his book, in the epilogue, shows Moore diving into a more personal note on the roller coaster of a life he has lived, thus far. He uses his tone and diction to reflect on how the environment people grow up in can influence the ways they act and to explain that the people closest to you can change the opportunities you may have later in life, while using imagery and parallelism to show that no matter who you are or what background you come from, it can't restrict or confine you from doing extraordinary things. Moore uses his tone to help the readers comprehend how the environment he grew up in influenced the way he acted and behaved growing up. His tone can be described as discouraging but yet inspiring as he writes about how limited his world was growing up. Moore writes, "When we're young, it sometimes seems as if the world doesn't exist outside our city, our block, our house, our room. We make decisions based on what we see in that limited world and follow the only models available" (Moore 179). The tone can be discouraging as he explains his thoughts about being blockaded inside the city in which he once lived in. Wes writes as if he feels that there is no other life outside of Baltimore or inthe Bronx. Moore is saying that the decisions that were made throughout his childhood were justifiable because he was only
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