The Other Wes Moore

 

1. Both of the Wes's were very similar in certain ways. Wes 1 did not grow up with a father because his father had died of a medical condition known as "acute epiglottitis" when Wes 1 was very young. He also moved from his hometown of Baltimore to the Bronx with his family after the death of his father. Instead of focusing in school, he would hangout with his friends and that influenced him a lot, causing him to get in trouble with the police.

The other Wes Moore, as I will refer to as " Wes 2", was also from Baltimore and also did not grow up with his father. In this case however, the father chose not to be there for Wes 2 or the family and left them. Wes 2 also did not find school too important. He got involved in gangs and began selling drugs with his brother Tony, who was a drug dealer. Later on Wes 2 also got involved with the police, and was sent to jail for a crime he commited.

2. A turning point in the life of Wes 1 was going to military school. During Wes 1's time at the Riverdale school he got suspended for fighting, regularly skipped school and was picked up by cops for spraying graffiti. His mother then decided to send him to military school in an effort to see him change. The first year he was there he was rebellious, wanted to go back home, and was just putting no effort into anything. Later his Sophomore year he does well as an athlete and academically. This happened because he then realizes that the way he was doing things before was not the right way, and being there forced him to undertake responsibility and change his ways.


As for Wes 2, a turning point in his life was when he joined the Job Corps. Wes 2 decided that he wanted to do something more with his life than sell drugs. Through his friend Levy, he enters the Job Corps. In 7 months he gets his GED, and learns carpentry skills. However, when he returns to his old neighborhood and is unable to find a job as a carpenter and is forced to bounce from one low-paying job to another, Wes reverts back to selling drugs. Very unfortunately, it seemed like Wes 2 did not want to permanently change his lifestyle.



3. Wes 1's mother was very important in shaping who Wes 1 was. His mother always sought the best for him. After the father died, she moved the family to the Bronx in order to get help from their grandparents. As Wes 1 started to grow up he got into much trouble, and the mother tried to do the best she could and never gave up on him. She eventually sent him to military school hoping that it would be beneficial in making him grow up and change as a person, which in fact it did. He ended up graduating from high school, interning with the Mayor of Baltimore, graduating college and becoming a Rhodes Scholar.

Wes 2's father left him at a early age and was never there, and the lack of responsibility in him sourced itself from this. Wes 2's mother did not support her children very well. Education and responsibility was not a priority to her and she did not enforce it. His mother did not have much control over what he did and did not really care. She had given up on him after he dropped out of school. Since Wes 2 did not have a father figure to look up to, he looked up the next male in the family which was Tony, a thug and drug dealer. Wes 2 then follows the same path as Tony and that does not lead him anywhere good.

4. In the book both of the Wes's had similar lives growing up, later on had the choice to change, and that would then decide their fate. Wes 1 grew attracted to street life, but then was offered a change in his life, in which it was his mother sending him to military school. He took that change in a good manner and he came out to be a successful college graduate and business leader. Hence, Wes 1's fate was going to positive because his change was positive.

Wes 2 was also attracted to street life and was offered a change by joining the Job Corps. He accepted it and graduated within 7 months. He was a off to a good start but then he decided to change. His decision was to go back to selling drugs and have the so called "easy life". This change however would have marked his fate which was not going to be good. He ended up in prison for life for murder. The problem was not having certain influences around him like his brother Tony, although it does play a role, but the matter of "changing" was a personal decision to Wes 2. He did not have to go back to sell drugs and be a thug; it was a matter of choice.

This book shows how human behavior can be influenced by our environment, but the last word on determining our behavior is up to us. We don't have to act a certain way because someone does, we decide to change because we want to; because it is pleasing to us. The pattern in these 2 men can be found in all people; changing behaviors and attitudes is up to us and cannot be forced upon. Nobody has to be bad or good. The choice is all within a persons reach.

5. The book overall is great read and sends out a clear message to all people: You have control over your life. I have seen in my personal life the examples of both of these men. It is amazing to see a personal living in such a bad lifestyle to change and one day become a leader. It is also saddening to see a person with that same lifestyle choose to stay that way, having the option to change to a better life. There is essentially no excuse for why anyone cannot change their life in any way they are.

I like the fact that this book can be relevant to anybody's life. On a personal level, reading this book has made me overlook things in my life and has even shown me that I can change a lot of things in my life. The detailing in the book is very precise and lets the reader in on everything that occurred in the book. This would be a great book to have at risk youth  read. I'm sure it will change their perspective on a lot of things in life.