Clements: A Literary Analysis

The author Wes Moore’s father dies at a young age and his mother Joy does her best to keep her son out of trouble. She works multiple jobs to send him to a nice private school once they move to

In the book, The Other Wes Moore, readers are introduced to two naive boys who share the same name and live an almost identical life at the beginning of their childhood. Author Wes Moore tells readers a chilling story about how he and “Other Wes” were raised in neighboring Baltimore neighborhoods and grew up living an almost identical life. The story is based on how the two men face many obstacles throughout their life that essentially depict their own futures. As the boys become more familiar with the idea of violence and drug related activity, the proposal of living the same life suddenly becomes extinct. The two Wes Moore’s eventually end up living two completely different ways of life and it can be argued how they ended up the way they did. The idea of environment, education, and even expectations are all themes readers are presented with in the story. Although all of these factors play a vital role in the development of Wes themselves, their environment is essentially what had the greatest impact on their futures and is what set the tone for the rest of their lives.

In the small troublesome city of Baltimore, there grew a set of twins. As a matter a fact, these were twins not by birth, but by heart. There paths intersected when Wes Moore had just finished his bachelors at Johns Hopkins and was headed to Oxford University, when he received a phone call. It was his mother, Joy Moore, as he answered his mother told him that in their neighborhood were many wanted posters of a man named Wes Moore. The poster read, do not approach he is dangerous, contact police. His mother’s anxiety abated when she found out that her son had no connection to the crime. He later went on to write a letter to the other Wes Moore about his past. He started to learn that both had grown up fatherless, they had altercations with the

In The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, life lessons are told through the use of an extended metaphor. At first glance, The Crossover appears to be a book about basketball. However, basketball is just the vehicle to carry this story and keep it moving. Through the use of poems, this verse novel tells the story of twins, Josh and Jordan Bell, as they navigate adolescents. Throughout the novel, tremendous growth is seen in the characters, particularly Josh. The book is sectioned into “quarters” just like a basketball game. By the time the reader gets to the 4th quarter, emotions and tensions are running high. One particular poem that exhibits this tension is “Mom, since you asked, I’ll tell you why I’m so angry.” This poem shows Josh’s anger and frustration over his father being in the hospital. At this point in the novel, Josh’s dad is still alive; however, the father’s prognosis is not good.

Every text is made up of tremendously important parts called literary devices or techniques. In those texts, those literary devices are a necessary part, that help develop the text in a large amount of ways. In “Response to executive order 9066” by Dwight Okita and “Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros both develop the common theme of American identity by using literary devices such as, simile, imagery, and personification.

“The Other Wes Moore” is a story that follows two boys with the exact same name who start off living very similar lives in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the boys live on to be an extremely successful man and the other one is living the rest of his life behind bars. The two men wondered how their strikingly similar path diverged into two completely different fates and then an argument formed. Are people products of their choices or their environment and expectations thrown upon them? The book proves that people are products of their choices. Both Wes Moores were raised by a single mom in the tough streets of Baltimore and they both were rebellious children who got arrested at a young age. Their similarities lessened as their choices and their mom’s choices contrasted. The more fortunate Wes was sent to Military school and he chose to make the most of it and become the best version of himself. His determination and hard work trumped his previous hooligan mindset, therefore his future was bright and fulfilling. The other Wes chose to follow his brother,

Power and control plays a big role in the lives many. When power is used as a form of control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That Came To Town along with The Fun They Had show that when an individual is suppressed by majority they become despondent.

Two kids with the same name, similar experiences, and circumstances grow up to become two different people. Why did one end up in jail for rest of his life; while the other became a man of many accomplishments? What factors were involved in the success and failure of these two boys that caused a perfect storm of bad circumstances? As the author puts it, “Our stories are obviously specific to our two lives, but I hope they will illuminate the crucial inflection points in every life, the sudden moments of decision where our paths diverge and our fates are sealed. It’s unsettling to know how little separates us from another life altogether” (Moore xi). I aim to dissect the problems and elements that played a role in changing these boy’s lives.

In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by his community all because of his race and status. He is graced with the challenge of turning Jefferson into a man before his execution date. It is only a matter of time before they both realize that they cannot change the past and they have

The women’s rights movement of the 1970s and the push for gender equality have inspired many people from all around the world. Nancy Senior, a Canadian poet, explains the desire for this movement in one of her works. As a poet, more specifically, she has the potential to define it with her theme and use of figurative language. Nancy Senior used satire as a means to convey a message about women’s rights during the 1970s in her poem, “St. George.”

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make as ultimately our own responsibility” (Eleanor Roosevelt). Two boys with almost identical childhoods have made decisions in their lives that have changed them forever. Both named Wes Moore, the men lead polar opposite lives now because of the choices made as teens. While the mothers of the two, Joy and Mary, struggled to support their family and make the right decisions, the Wes Moores had extremely contrasting educations, and their family life and support was somewhat similar, but had many stark differences.

Human trafficking,the illegal practice of trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation, is a crime that affects the most vulnerable citizens of society. After drugs, it the largest criminal activity globally! The victims must be the primary concern for all law enforcement units. Human trafficking in the world can be diminished and possibly erased through teachings, government intervention, and awareness.

In “The Dinner Party” a colonial official and his wife are throwing a dinner party for the army officers and the government attaches and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist (Gardner 1). In this story the characters are having an argument over women’s and men’s control of their “jumping-out-of-your-chair phase.” Who do you agree with, the colonel or the young girl? Have women grown out of this phase? Lets find out how men and women react.

In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by _________, the main character, Grant, is trying to console Jefferson. Jefferson has just been framed for a murder he did not commit, and many believe it is because he is black. Two drunk, white men went into a liquor store, already drunk, and attempted to shoot the owner who, in turn, shot back. In the end of the firefight, Jefferson was the only man standing. When at the trial to convince the jury Jefferson did not actually shoot the people, his attorney realizes his attempts at proving Jefferson’s innocence were futile, and says, “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (8). He is asking the jury to spare the life of Jefferson, by implying that Jefferson is no more intelligent than a hog. The attorney is white, and is voicing the common belief among whites that all blacks are animals. Throughout the novel, Jefferson becomes haunted by the

These theme for my book are very good themes about the book. The themes help the reader know what the book is about. The characters in the book are important to the book because with out the characters the book would make no sense. Every book must have characters and themes to the book because without those two things there is no book. The three theme from the book talk very good about the book. They describe what Brian has to go through in order to survive the cold winter in the canadian wilderness. One theme tells us how lonely it is in the wilderness and how lonely Brian is and how he has no one to talk to but a skunk. So those are some of my theme and characters of my story brian’s winter.