Complex Characters in The Other Wes Moore A man reads a newspaper article, in which somebody sharing his name is convicted of a serious crime and is sentenced to life in prison. The convict shares the name, is close in age, and grew up in the same town as the, now very curious, reader. The reader, a man named Wes Moore, is struck by this story, and couldn’t quite shake it off after a few years. He decides to write a book. In Wes Moore’s
The opportunities began building from the moment Moore’s grandparents stepped foot in America, and Wes Moore began to fully reap their benefits when he enrolled in military school. All the fortunate incidents and chances presented to Moore throughout his life lead to his achievements and overall success in life, making him an outlier of his time. What Wes Moore experiences can
What Wes hadn’t realized was that his grandparents had given up years and years of savings and mortgage payments to be able to afford his schooling. Once Wes had succumbed to the fact he was stuck there and began to follow the military school practices and protocols he started to excel. Over his years of being there, he grew a great appreciation for reading and academics, he had matured and grown up a lot and had become a well-respected sergeant at a very young
Have you ever had to keep a significant secret from the people you care about because you were afraid to tell them? Well, in the novel Speak, the protagonist, the protagonist Melinda Sordino has the same problem. Melinda is just about to start high school and goes to an end-of-summer party only for it to become one of the worst days of her life. That night, senior, Andy Evans rapes Melinda. Going into high school is not easy for Melinda, with the rest of the student body hating her.
Have you ever been in a situation that you know what the outcome is and you know that it’s bad but you still do it anyways? In the book “The Other Wes Moore”, the Other Wes was headed down a path of drugs and getting in trouble with the cops. On pages 112-113 one day Wes was standing on the streets when someone came up and asked them “Do you guys know where I can buy some rocks?” (113), Wes knew that he looked suspicious and everything he knew pointed out to him that he was an undercover cop.
“Today is not the victory – today is the opportunity,” newly elected governor of Maryland Wes Moore declared at the conclusion of his inaugural address on January 18, 2023. This mindset of taking events as opportunities for progress is part of the reason Moore reached the office he is in today. In his book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, Moore explores the path he took to his current successes in comparison to the journey of a man of the same name that grew up in the same neighborhood, but wound up in prison. Author Wes Moore (Moore) succeeded more fully than the incarcerated Wes Moore (Wes) partially due to Moore’s taking advantage of opportunities he was given, but also because of the luck Moore had to have specific role models
Introduction Good morning distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to the 24th annual Queensland Literary Symposium I’d like to highlight another prominent book that has captured readers with its engaging and thrilling storyline alone with significant aspects of human society and culture The story I specifically refer to is none other but the novel Jasper Jones Written by the Australian author Craig Silvery, Jasper Jones was set in the scorching summer of Western Australia in 1965.
The quote “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass it’s about learning how to dance in the rain” means that we should learn how to our lives even at struggling times of our lives. There are times when we are feeling down or going through tough times. Weather it’s bad grades or a tragic event. I can make a text to text connection from this quote. In the book “We Beat The Street” by George W Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Sampson Davis, is about a how three african americans from Newark, New Jersey became successful doctors.
Many individuals say that a person is a product of its surroundings. And for two young men from Baltimore, this could not be any more accurate. In “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore, the author talks about two young boys who shared the same name and the contributions they did in their lives that made them turn out the way they are. Both Wes’ grew up in similar environment with tough childhood and without the presence of a father. Where one becomes very successful and a Rhodes Scholar, and the other is heavily involved in the drug game and receives a life sentence in prison for serving a part in a murder of a former police officer.
How is it that two men that come from identical backgrounds end up being completely opposites? Wes Moore takes us back to his childhood growing up, and also introduces us to a character sharing the same name as him, and similarly, the same lifestyle. Both of the young men shared the absence of a father figure, living in poor neighborhoods, bad influences, and lack of education. While reading, we question “how?” and “why?”
The author Wes Moore success came from loving and supporting family, role models, and the opportunity for education. However the other Wes Moore didn’t have family support, good role models, and education which caused him to be
Moore exhibits how, “… few lives hinge on any single moment or decision or circumstance,” and that there was not defining difference between him and the incarcerated man who shares his name (182). The main difference between him and the other Wes Moore is the collection of family, culture, and experience that Moore had in his upbringing. His mother and grandparents, by providing structure and the opportunity to go to private and military school, “… made it clear that they cared if [he] succeeded, and eventually so did [he]” (115). His mother and grandparents, through their constant attempts to keep Moore looking beyond his seemingly hopeless future, created expectations for him that he would ultimately want for himself. On the other hand, the other Wes Moore never seemed to have any meaningful expectations that he could seek.
After reading, The Other Wes Moore, it intrigued me how so many of our young people are growing up in families where the parent or parents cannot provide a suitable environment that provides fundamental resources. This book talks about two males that could have ended up with the same fate only if there had not been any assistance to guide one of them on a different path. It is evident that our environment is an essential factor in how we adapt and attain the life that we live. With limited resources, our youth has become a statistic of their environments. As these generations continuously extend, minorities have become the target of a huge issue such as teen pregnancy.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude for achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” This quote said by Thomas Jefferson relates to both Wes Moores throughout the book. The Author Wes had to make an important decision that would point him into the right direction by getting enrolled into military school, and deciding to join college too. The Other Wes got his General Education Diploma (GED) and was enrolled in the Job Corps to try and turn his life around by leaving the drug game, ultimately wanting to provide more for his kids in the future. Both had positive goals that they wanted to achieve but one was mentally stronger than the other thus leading to the fact that one is a very