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.
In the book The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, Moore talks about his life experiences and the experiences of another man who is also named Wes Moore. The author states, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his,” is true up to the extent in which they had different support systems involving family and friends (Wes xi). Both men had many similarities, but they had differences in their support systems that lead each one to make different choices. They are around the same age, live in the same neighborhood, and both were raised by their single mothers.
If you could have seen the end from the beginning, would you have chosen a different path? Two young boys virtually living the same early life, yet finding divergent outcomes is the crux of “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates” authored by Wes Moore. In addressing the circumstances that brought each Wes Moore to their destinies, we find a poignant message, “I guess it’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances” (Moore 67). Wes offers readers a glimpse of how both boys would weave their way through difficult sets of circumstances as one enters military school, attends college and becomes a Rhodes Scholar with a bright future ahead, and the other experiments with drugs, sells drugs, is a teenage father of two, and commits crimes of increasing intensity leading him into life in prison. Significant factors including parental support, influential figures and opportunities with consequences determined the divergent paths each Wes Moore chose to take and sealed their respective fates.
The author, Wes Moore, ended up on a path to success while the other Wes Moore remains in a jail cell for the rest of his life. The author’s rock hammer was access to a quality education and removal from a rough neighborhood.
the regret he has turns to outbursts of violence and anger, which he takes out onto his younger brother Wes. This lack of discipline and self control soon rubbed off onto wes as show in chapter 6. “Wes’s attendance became sporadic, and once his first child was born, he just stopped going” and also in “Wes would play videogames in the house and then head out to check on his drug operation...Wes would normally be out “trying to find a job”, as he would tell her” (110). From the text the author Wes Moore shares how these foolish actions will further limits his chances of getting a real job and being hired and how it was and easier way for Wes to get back into the drug game so soon after he is released from prison. On other side, author Wes Moore, getting involved in military school, was and experience that shaped his attitude and behavior.
As Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” This quote inspires a lot of people like me to try harder and to never stop at one point and give up. In the book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, is about two people with the same name and born with the same path, going through challenging life obstacles. They both grew up fatherless and had a difficult childhood. One Wes Moore goes to college and becomes a successful author while the other other Wes Moore spends everyday for the rest of his life behind the bars. One wrong choice that you make can lead you down to a complete different path.
Being parents at a very young age, which was fairly normal back then must be a very hard role to take on. Being thrown into adulthood is a tough and difficult, and it might lead to things like alcoholism. Wes could have been depressed over not having truly discovered who he was as a person, and when he was drinking all his troubles and reasonability as a father went away. He found his identity when he was drunk, but it was all soon over when he got sober again. However, Edna might have found her identity in the fact that she’s a married woman.
The story about Wesley Harris is not as interesting as Jeffrey and Dorcas story , but it is a great story.The story is about a man named Wesley Harris that escaped from slavery to get to gettysburg , but unfortunately that didn 't quite happen as good as he wanted but he did escape. Wesley is the selfish one as he leaves his friends that was with him. He knew where they was located but left them be. Both of these characters that are in the two passages are slaves. They also are trying to reach a goal and trying to overcome what they are going through.
In other words they wanted to spread the general message that could change someone's life just by reading and comprehending this fable. In the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” the supernatural side is the part when Tom starts negotiating / just talking with the devil; the devil is just throwing ideas in the air, but Tom does not accept anything yet; because he doesn’t want to be malice towards others. At the time Tom does not know to whom he is speaking to until: the devil tells Tom “I’m the great patron and prompter of slave dealers and the grandmaster of Salem witches” (Irving 325).
“A good man is hard to find.” This quote by Flannery O’Connell really embodies the two stories I am comparing. “How I Met My Husband” by Alice Munro and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates both tell the story of a young girl’s innocence being ripped away from them and being taken advantage of by deceptive and older men. These stories have drastically different outcomes; however, they share very similar themes and messages. Young girls and boys are being taken advantage of everyday around the globe. These stories shed a light on this issue.